INTRODUCTION TO MARK

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INTRODUCTION TO MARK

• Week 2 MARK

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• INTRODUCTION
• MARK WAS FIRST WRITTEN GOSPEL
• 1901 WILLIAM WREDES MESSIANIC SECRET OPENED NEW
  METHODOLOGY
• 1950S WILLI MARXSENS MARK THE EVANGELIST MARK
  TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A THEOLOGIAN

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR
• GOSPEL OF MARK DOES NOT IDENTIFY AUTHOR WITHIN
  THE TEXT
• MARTIN HENGEL ARGUES THE TITLE IS ORIGINAL
• NO EVIDENCE OF GOSPEL WITHOUT TITLE
• P66, P75 EARLY EVIDENCE OF TITLES
• PAPIAS, 125 AD, SPEAKS OF MARKS GOSPEL
• BUT ACTUAL TITLE ORIGINAL?

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR
• PROBABLY WRITTEN BY A MARK
• PSEUDONYM IS NOT APOSTOLIC
• TIED TO APOSTLE PETER
• MARK MOST LIKELY JOHN MARK
• WITH PAUL AND BARNABAS ON 1ST MISSIONARY JOURNEY
  (ACTS 1212, 25 135, 13 1536-41)
• PAULS CO-WORKER (COL 410 PHILEM 24 2 TIM
  411)
• PROBABLY MY SON MARK (1 PETER 512-13). PETER
  VISITS HOME OF JOHN MARKS MOTHER (ACTS 1212)

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR TIED TO APOSTLE PETER
• PAPIAS c.125
• And the Presbyter used to say this, Mark became
  Peters interpreter and wrote accurately all that
  he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the
  things said or done by the Lord. For he had not
  heard the Lord, nor had he followed him, but
  later on, as I said, followed Peter, who used to
  give teaching as necessity demanded but not
  making, as it were, an arrangement of the Lords
  oracles, so that Mark did nothing wrong in thus
  writing down single points as he remembered them.
  For to one thing he gave attention, to leave out
  nothing of what he had heard and to make no false
  statements in them. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical
  History 3.30.13).

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR TIED TO APOSTLE PETER
• IRENAEUS c.150
• After their death Mark, Peters disciple and
  interpreter, delivered to us in writing the
  things Peter had preached
• (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1-2).

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR TIED TO APOSTLE PETER
• TERTULLIAN c.200
• The Gospel Mark published may be affirmed to
  be Peters whose interpreter Mark was, and it may
  well seem that the works which disciples publish
  belong to their Masters
• (Tertullian, Against Marcion 4.5.3).

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• AUTHOR TIED TO APOSTLE PETER
• Clement of Alexandria affirms the Petrine
  connection, and Origen declares the tradition
  indisputable (Ecclesiastical History 6.25.4-5).
• Perhaps an independent source, the second-century
  Christian Justin (often named Justin Martyr
  because of his death on behalf of his faith)
  refers to the memoirs of Peter, a term which
  he uses elsewhere to refer to the Gospels
  (Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 106.3 Apology
  66.2-3).

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• DATE
• NOT EASY TO PINPOINT, BUT PROBABLY JUST PRIOR TO
  70 AD, UNDER ROMAN PERSECUTION
• AUDIENCE
• PROBABLY GENTILE
• EXPLAINS JEWISH CUSTOMS
• TRANSLATES ARAMAIC INTO GREEK
• USES LATIN PHRASES
• PROBABLY CHRISTIAN

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• PROVENANCE (WRITTEN TO/FROM)
• PROBABLY PENNED IN ROME UNDER THE PERSECUTION OF
  NERO
• BUT OTHER POSSIBILITIES INCLUDE SYRIA, GALILEE,
  DECAPOLIS, TRANSJORDAN, ETC.

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AN OVERVIEW OF MARK

• FAST-PACED STORY
• AND IMMEDIATELY (41-X)
• ORAL PRESENTATION?
• PROMINENCE OF PETER
• JESUS AS MESSIAH (MESSIANIC SECRET)
• SUFFERING NATURE OF DISCIPLESHIP
• CONNECTION WITH ISAIAH AND THE STORY OF ISRAEL
• NEW EXODUS AND GENTILE MISSION