Gospel of Mark Study
Week Eight
He who hung the earth [in its place] hangs there, he who fixed the
heavens
is fixed there, he who made all things fast is made fast upon the tree,
the Master has been insulted, God has been murdered, the King of Israel
has been slain by an Israelitish hand. O strange murder, strange crime!
The Master has been treated in unseemly fashion, his body naked, and
not even
deemed worthy of a covering, that [his nakedness] might not be seen.
Therefore the lights [of heaven] turned away, and the day darkened,
that it might hide him who was stripped upon the cross.
--Melito of Sardis (Homily on the Passion)[1]
1.
Crucifixion in the Ancient World
a.
Josephus: “the most wretched of deaths”
b.
“From the time of Plautus, that is, from the
third century BC onwards, there is evidence of the use of crux as a vulgar taunt among the lower classes.”[2]
c.
Quintilian (AD 35-95): “Whenever we crucify the
guilty, the most crowded roads are chosen, where most people can see and be
moved by this fear. For penalties
relate not so much to retribution as to their exemplary effect.”
d.
“Roman Crucifixions were carried out by
specialized teams of five experienced men; the exactor mortis, a centurion who was in charge and four soldiers,
the quaternio.”[3]
2.
Crucifixion: Medical perspectives
a.
See Joseph W. Bergeron’s website: http://www.causeofjesusdeath.com/
3.
Jesus’ cry from the cross: “My God, My God, why
have you forsaken me?” Mark 15.34 (Psalm 22.1)
a.
Theory - Jesus quoted Psalm 22.1 but also had the larger Psalm in mind; especially the
victorious ending. Becomes a cry
of victory
i. John
Stott disagrees
“This is ingenious but (it seems
to me), far-fetched. Why should
Jesus have quoted from the Psalm’s beginning if in reality he was alluding to
its end? It would seem rather
perverse. Would anybody have
understood his purpose?”[4]
ii. “This
interpretation appears to stretch the bounds of credibility in the interest of
protecting Jesus from an apparent lapse in divinity. It does, however, draw attention to the psalm itself, which
Mark obviously plumbs for correspondences to the crucifixion scene.”[5]
b.
We should take note of Psalm 22. It moves from despair to
deliverance. Cross to
resurrection.
i. Also
note the allusions to Psalm 22:
1.
Mark 15.24 - Psalm 22.18
2.
Mark 15.31 - Psalm 22.8
4.
Crucifixion in the text - we are not given much detail
a.
The physical elements of suffering are barely
mentioned
i. “and
after having Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified” 15.15
ii. “And
they crucified him…” 15.24
iii. “It
was the third hour when they crucified him” 15.24
b.
Mark spends more space on the mocking and
shame-heaping activities
i. 15.16-20 - Roman soldiers “mocked
him” v. 20
1.
dressed him in purple
2.
crown of thorns
3.
“Hail, king of the Jews!”[6]
4.
spitting
5.
kneeling and bowing down before him
ii. 15.29-32 - Jewish people and
leaders
1.
“Ha! You who were going to destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days save yourself and come down from the cross?”
2.
chief priest and scribes à “mocking him”
3.
“He saved others; he cannot save himself”
4.
“Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come
down from the cross, so that we may see and believe.”
5.
Two criminals “also insulting him”
iii. Ironies
of situation
1.
Romans call him “king of the Jews” and that is
what he was and is; and all Romans (and all peoples!) will bow before him and
confess him as Lord – Philippians 2.9-11
2.
Jews call him “the king of Israel” and that is
what he was and is!
3.
“Save yourself and come down from the cross” à
Jesus refused to save himself. By
staying on the cross he saved us!
4.
“Come down
from the cross, so that we may see and believe” à Mark wants us to see Jesus on
the cross and believe!
5.
Mark narrates the event of the crucifixion but
the meaning, interpretations, and applications are seen throughout the rest of
Scripture
a.
Mark 10.45; 14.24
b.
Romans 5.8-10, 6.3-7
c.
1 Corinthians 1.18-25; 2.1-5; 6.19-20
d.
Galatians 2.20; 6.14
e.
Ephesians 1.7-8; 2.13-16
f.
1 Peter 1.2, 18-19; 2.21-24; 3.18; 4.1-2, 13
g.
Revelation 5.9-14 (esp. 9, 12)
6.
Mark 15.39 - Centurion’s declaration: “Truly this
man was the Son of God!”
a.
Links up with Mark 1.1 (beginning of Gospel)
b.
First human to accurately declare that Jesus is
the Son of God
c.
Roman/Gentile
d.
Did he fully know what he was saying? Probably not. But Mark’s readers would have understood the full
implications!
“It is astonishing when one
reflects on it, that the sight of a dying man on a cross can evoke such an
exalted confession.”[7]
7.
Women mentioned - 15.40, 47; 16.1 (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses,
and Salome)
a.
Women have been there all along (Mark 15.41)
b.
The fact that they are specifically named is
significant; only females to be named in Mark up to this point: Mary, mother of
Jesus (6.3) and Herodias (6.17-29)
c.
They are observers of three important things:
death, burial, and empty tomb
d.
Some see the women as failures as disciples since
the angel told them to “go tell his disciples and Peter” (16.7) but they
disobeyed by not telling anyone
(16.8)
i. Better
to see them as obeying angel’s instructions but telling no one else (cf. Mark
1.44 and 7.36 for similar constructions)
e.
“These women, not the disciples, constitute in
St. Mark’s gospel the connecting link in the witness of the threefold event of
the death, burial and resurrection, which formed so important a feature of the
church’s testimony.”[8]
8.
If Mark intentionally ends at 16.8, why are
there no resurrection appearances like in the other Gospels?
a.
“It is most likely, therefore, that ‘Mark’
declined to add any such appearance-narrative because he judged it unnecessary
for addressing his emphasis on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as the model
for believers. Indeed, the author
may have thought that an appearance-narrative would have detracted from the
sharp focus that he intended to place on Jesus
as the sole valid model, as well as the basis, for Christian existence.”[9]
b.
“Mark does not really end on a note of failure
and uncertainty. Instead, Mark
16:1-8 forms a fully satisfactory climatic episode that was designed to thrill
and empower intended readers to follow Jesus in mission, through opposition and
even their own potentially violent death, confident in an eschatological
vindication by resurrection for which Jesus’ resurrection was the inspiring
model.”[10]
9.
The ending of Mark’s Gospel
a.
Various endings of Mark in the Greek manuscripts
i. Mark
16.8
1.
Early Greek Codices: Codex Sinaiticus (א)
and Vaticanus (B)
2.
304, certain Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, and
Georgian manuscripts
3.
Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Jerome
ii. “Shorter
Ending”
“A
second ending found in the manuscript tradition is the shorter ending. The ending reads, after 16:8, ‘And
all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out
through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of
eternal salvation. Amen.’ The best known example of this in
its pure form is found in the Old Latin Codex Bobiensis (itk), which dates from the late 4th or early
5th century. The
non-Markan origin of the shorter ending is witnessed to by its poor and late
textual attestation; the fact that 9 of the 34 words in this ending are not
found elsewhere in Mark; it non-Markan style; and especially the presence of
the expression, ‘the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal
salvation,’ which reflects a later date.”[11]
iii. The
“Longer Ending” (16.9-20)
1.
This ending is found in 95-99% of the Greek
manuscripts available[12]
2.
This ending has earlier attestation
a.
Epistles
of the Apostles 9-10 [mid-2nd century]
b.
Tatian’s Diatessaron
c.
Irenaeus Adv.
Haer. 3.10.5
d.
Possibly Justin Martyr Apology 1:45
“The
longer ending has excellent textual attestation, but a number of manuscripts
have asterisks or other markings by the text indicating that the copyists
thought the longer ending was spurious.
It has, however, early patristic support, and Hengel argues that it
‘must be dated to the first decades of the second century.’”[13]
3.
Modern scholars are almost unanimous in
rejecting the “longer ending” as being from Mark; Stein lists out some of the
reasons[14]:
1.
Manuscript
Evidence. Although the number
of manuscripts containing this ending is impressive, the quality of manuscripts
lacking it (Codexes א
and B, itk [Codex
Bobiensis], Clement of Alexandria and Origen, and the comments by Eusebius and
Jerome that the majority of Greek manuscripts they were familiar with lacked
it) is weighty.
2.
Transcription.
It is unlikely that a copyist would omit 16:9-20 if it was originally part of
the Gospel of Mark. It is far more
likely that a scribe would add 16:9-20 to 16:8 than delete it from 16:8.
3.
Lack of
Attestation by Early Church Fathers.
The lack of reference to 16:9-20 by Origen, Tertullian, Cyrian, Cyril of
Jerusalem, and others, indicates that they were apparently unacquainted with
the longer ending of Mark.
4.
Vocabulary. The vocabulary is non-Markan and
contains 18 terms not found anywhere else in Mark.[15]
5.
Style. The Greek style of the longer ending is
quite unlike the style we find in Mark 1:1-16:8.
6.
Theology. The theological content is decidedly
non-Markan.
iv. The
“Shorter Ending” followed by the “Longer Ending”
“This is found in four uncial
manuscripts dating from the 7th, 8th, and 9th
centuries (L Ψ099 0112), the Harclean Syriac manuscript, and several Sahidic,
Bohairic, and Ethiopic manuscripts.
The individual judgments concerning the non-Markan nature of the shorter
ending and the longer ending make one even more certain that the combination of
these two endings does not come from Mark.”[16]
v. The
“Longer Ending” with the Freer Logion after verse 14
“There exists an expanded version
of the longer ending in W (alternately called the Codex Washingtonianus or
Codex Freerianus), 032; and Jerome, Against
Pelagius 2.15, which includes after v. 14 ‘And they excused themselves,
saying, “This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not
allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the
spirits. Therefore reveal your
righteousness now”—thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, “The term of years of Satan’s
power has been fulfilled, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was
handed over to death, that they may return to the truth and sin no more, in
order that they may inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory or
righteousness that is in heaven.”’”[17]
b.
If 16.8 is the best attested ending, is this the
intentional ending or was there more that got lost?
i. Larry
Hurtado: Mark 16.8 makes sense as the intentional ending (see above)
ii. Robert
Stein: Ending is missing
“Whether
Mark’s intended ending telling of a resurrection appearance of Jesus and the
disciples in Galilee was subsequently lost or intentionally mutilated or
whether, for some reason, Mark was never able to write his intended ending
(perhaps because of martyrdom or persecution or some other reason), however, can
only be conjectured.”[18]
[3]
Frederick T. Zugibe, “A Forensic Way of the Cross” [n.d.; n.p.]. Online: http://www.crucifixion-shroud.com/Turin2000.htm.
[15]
Travis Williams has recently written that there are 16 words in the Longer
Ending that appear nowhere else in Mark’s Gospel. One of these is a term that appears nowhere else in the New
Testament (hapax legomenon). Travis B. Williams, “Bringing Method to
the Madness: Examining the Style of the Longer Ending of Mark” Bulletin for Biblical Research 20
(2010), 405.
