Traditions Transformed

Mark and Scripture;

Matthew as Interpreter of Mark

NT 400

11/18/04

Introduction

• Mark uses/transforms prior traditions
• writers use/transform Mark’s traditions
• Synopsis – (Kurt Alland)
• set 4 gospels in parallel

Synoptic Problem

• try to unravel literary relationships between gospels
• literary relationship not merely oral tradition relationship
• at least one of the gospel writers knew of the other two
• different ways to understand these relationships

Two Source Hypothesis

• Dominant view

• Mark is the first gospel to be written
• shortest
• opposite idea - some say that he summarizes other gospels
• lacking other things in Matthew and Luke – Jesus’ teaching – why would Mark leave out Jesus’ teaching if available
• Greek is crude (lower linguistic level)
• Matthew and Luke add birth narratives
• discussion that some written stories existed (proto-Mark)
• Matthew and Luke used Mark (basic narrative line)
• Matthew and Luke have a lot in common – teachings, narratives (John the Baptist)
• double tradition
• unknown source – Q – used by Matthew and Luke
• Matthew and Luke did not use each other’s work – used Mark and Q
• explains different locations of stories in them
• Four Source Hypothesis
• additional view
• similar but Matthew had another source “M” and Luke had another “L”

• Problems
• minor agreements between Matthew and Luke that are difficult to explain
• significant narrative overlaps between Mark and Q
• the more they overlap the less Q is needed
• Q is not a document – gospel of Thomas has something similar (list of sayings), but gospel of Thomas doesn’t have narratives
• overall, oral tradition continues during writing

Other Mark Tradition

• Mark written first
• Matthew used Mark
• Luke used Mark and Matthew
• Problems
• why did Luke not use order of Matthew?
• gives more authorship identity to Luke

G__________ theory

• Matthew first
• Luke used Matthew
• Mark used both – shortened and summarized them
• Problems
• for most NT scholars, Mark simply looks earlier
• shorter
• where Matthew, Mark, Luke overlap – Mark is actually longer, more details
• example - women with hemorrage
• Mark abbreviates in some places, adds in others

Use Mark as Starting Point

• use Mark to determine what Luke and Matthew are doing
• Mark made an allusion and Luke turned it into a story

Synoptic Analysis – Matthew 14:22-33 / Mark 6:45-52

v. 46

Mark – included Bethsaida

Matthew – no inclusion

v. 47

Mark – middle of the sea

Matthew - furlongs

v. 48

Matthew – waves, may be smoothing the usage

Mark – to torment or harass, demoniac usage in Mark 5

• what is the effect of leaving that gap?
• using odd verb? is there something more?
• look for other occurrences – 3 or 4 tied together shows a theme

Mark – intended to pass them by

• details
• or is he a hack who can’t tell a story or write Greek

Matthew – did not include this detail

• why did he not include this?
• he included a lot of the details

v. 49

Matthew – tells what Mark shows

• cries out from fear
• direct speech here

Mark -

• leaving more gaps
• narrator tool – intentional to involve the reader to fill in gaps

v. 50

Mark – all of them saw him, and were terrified

• delays (perhaps for greater impact)
• preposition adds more force to verb
• Mark is more vivid than Matthew
• Mark is more emphasizing the fear of the disciples

Matthew

Matthew 14:28-31

• Peter steps out of the boat
• How does Mark read without this?
• no response of faith in response to this

v. 51

Mark – they were utterlly astounded (out of their minds)

• response to healings, demon exorcisms

Matthew – they worshiped

v. 52

Mark – hearts were hardened

Matthew – worship

• “truly you are the Son of God”
• Matthew didn’t like the way Mark wrote the story
• rewrote it for worship

Where else does this occur?

Mark 4:10-12 // Matt 13:10-17

• Mark – “so that” - parables come to keep outsiders outside
• to keep them out
• explains – v. 13 – “don’t you get this”
• insiders do not get it!
• Matthew – “because”
• response
• quote Isaiah
• v. 16 – blessed are your eyes because you see
• disciples are insiders and blessed
• corrects Mark because he shows that disciples are insiders
• Mark version is offensive

Matthew 13:51-52

• disciples get it
• become trained seekers of the kingdom
• in Mark, unclear where the disciples are

Mark 8:21 // Matt 16:12

• Mark
• Mark 8:14-21
• tirade about hardened hearts
• 8:21 – then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
• left with a question – do they know or not?
• are you like these outsiders?
• Matthew
• then they understood
• disciples are consistently getting Jesus’ teaching
• trustworthy transmitters of the kingdom
• consistently solves problems in Mark
• Question: is Mark unaware or is there a strategy?

Mark 8:27-30 // Matthew 16:13-20

• Mark
• Peter “You are the Christ”
• Jesus “Don’t tell anyone”
• no blessing of Peter
• draw starkly the disciples of Jesus
• Peter gets it but not completely
• Matthew
• Peter “You are the Christ”
• Jesus “You are blessed, rock on which I build my church”, then warns not to tell
• Peter gets it

One author’s view - Mark must have been written by someone who hates Peter and the disciples

Wagner - Fear

• grow up with idea of harmony of gospels
• if we do not consider the differences then we give up reading of Mark in specific light
• church saw that they had 4 gospels that could not be harmonized
• all 4 given to the church by God – read Mark as Mark, Matthew as Matthew
• is there a Jesus that all are witnessing to in different ways?
• canon holds all 4 so that we can use the voices, more theological richness
• know Jesus through different narratives
• not multiple forms of Jesus but one Jesus
• JDL - stronger view of Jesus instead of the “Gospel of Jesus” as defined, reduced, easily grasped!
• Mark’s theology is revealed through his writings / uses of traditions

JDL

• Dad stories / Uncle John stories – same stories, different perspectives
• Purpose Driven Life analogy – gospel pulls together oral traditions

Quotation

• invoking an authority
• seeking to give a coloring to scriptual significance to a story
• activates a whole other set of ideas
• not just the quoted words that is signficant but the entire passage
• “why have you forsaken me?” – Psalm 22
• evoking David?
• draw on the Psalm as a whole?
• Psalm ends with praise instead of lament

Allusion

• invoke text indirectly
• rhetorically, if you understand the allusion then the reader feels smarter
• involves the reader more – involves the reader’s imagination

Echo

• fainter use of another text
• indirect
• more suggestive

Intertexuality

• any text (written, cultural script) evokes other texts
• in conversation with other texts
• we live in language – it is always referring to other texts
• transforming them, resisting them

Allusion criteria

• text must be available to an already-created writing (texts of Israel)
• patterns (i.e. continually brings in Isaiah)
• details do not fit well in the narrative
• verbal overlap or thematic overlap
• example – Luke – alludes to Hannah’s story (Hannah/Elizabeth)

Mark 6:45-52

The sea

• Jesus walking on the sea – significance of the sea

• near eastern combat myth
• the sea – the waves have lifted up their voice
• source of disorder
• sea can stand for the enemies of God
• Revelation 4,5 – clear and smooth as crystal
• new heavens and new earth – no sea
• creation – spirit over the sea
• power over nature is not a simple idea in Mark
• more complex than a prophet

Pass them by

• Jesus intended to pass them by
• Job 9
• 9:8 - who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea
• 9:11 – look, he passes by me, and I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not perceive him
• parercomai
• passing by
• Exodus 33:19, 22 – glory passes by
• Exodus 34:6 – narrated here
• 1 Kings 19:11 – Elijah on the mountain, God passes by

Mountain

• same group
• Moses
• Elijah
• Jesus – reference to mountain
• transfiguration

egw eimi –

• Exodus 3:14
• does Jesus use this often in Mark’s gospel?
• very important in John’s gospel – “before Abraham egw eimi “
• appearance of God throughout history
• Jesus now coming to his disciples

Mark

• uses allusion
• doesn’t use apostles or other specific descriptions
• more scandalous – not a neat package
• who is this?

Heart is Hardened

• Isa 6:9-10
• heart of this people are fat – Greek LXX
• make the heart of this people hard – Hebrew
• Mk 4:10-12
• Mk 8:17-21
• another boat story after a feeding
• read these together!
• Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes
• Theme – telling story of Jesus Christ the Son of God
• but you don’t know what that means
• Theme – informed reading will get allusions to Isaiah, mountain, sea (passing by)

Two-pronged healing account

• shows that revelation will take time
• Stage I – Peter’s confession
• Stage II – Transfiguration or Stage II (in Mark)– the cross – ironic in that Jesus is most distanced from God

o Mark – wait to answer the question, keeps the question alive

o if take disciples view, then points to the cross

Israel’s blindness

Pharisees’ blindness

disciples’ blindness

our blindness

Overall, not wrapped up nice and tight for us!

Disciples are on the inside but they do not understand

Jesus does not give up on them

Insiders do not have a priviledge over others

Humility must be present throughout

Mark’s disciples are comforting – Jesus does not let go of them

Walking on water

• not a complete revelation with theophany on the water
• open theophany is at the cross
• Luther – “God is most revealed where God is most absent”
• questions open until the cross