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Jesus Traditions |
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Contents
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| Mark 13 seems like a
curious intrusion into the passion narrative of Jesus (Mark 11–15). It
has long been suspected that the author inserted an early Christian
apocalypse (or even a Jewish apocalypse; click on apocalyptic).
What is more, the chapter as it stands dates the end-of-time events to
the generation in which Jesus lived, a prediction which of course has been
falsified by history.
A reassessment would not necessarily reverse the prevailing
consensus, but it might at least show what grounds are available for the
rehabilitation of this chapter, or parts of it. In the process we might hope to clarify
how this material came down to us, both in the oral transmission
of the material, and in its redaction.
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AN HYPOTHESIS FOR
CONSIDERATION
1. Let us begin our analysis of Mark 13 with the
observation that there is a history of its
transmission (at least in part) in the gospel tradition, not as a single entity, but in
pericopes which circulated
either singly or in clusters; and that there is a history of its redaction
(or the process of the editing of traditional material by the gospel
writer),
however tentative its reconstruction may be.
2. Analysis of Mark 13 shows that the thematic material
is basically of two sorts: the announcement of
the destruction of Jerusalem (together with a laundry list of
tribulations), and end-of-time events; the one,
proceeding with
some predictability on the plane of history; the other, bringing
history to a close.
3. In the process of putting this material together, Mark or his
source pieced together thematically discontinuous pericopes, whether
randomly or intentionally, to make an apocalyptic point.
4. It is possible to restore the natural thematic continuity
of the material; when this is done, the respective themes become more coherent, and misinterpretations (and also a recurrent
mistranslation) of texts are rendered correctable.
5. Such an approach to Mark 13 permits the conclusion,
even if it
does not require it, that at least some of the material in the chapter
may be traced back to statements of Jesus.
6. This hypothesis, if sustained, would make it
unnecessary to attribute to Jesus on the basis of Mark 13 a prediction of the glorious coming of
the Son of Man in that generation. (Even with this adjustment, the theme
of the imminence of his coming is no less prominent.)
It
is readily conceded that this methodology is not strictly speaking form
criticism, since we are analyzing themes rather than forms;
nevertheless, we do make use of some of the insights of form
criticism.
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| In order to follow the
argument being offered here, the reader might first
scan the text as it stands in Mark
13, and then scan the rearranged text below, where we have assigned various sections or verses or
phrases to the appropriate thematic category. |
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Mark 13
(arrangement by thematic material)
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Destruction of
Jerusalem
(and tribulations, false signs) |
End-of-Time |
| 1As
he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ 2Then
Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone
will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’ |
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| 3 When he was sitting on the
Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew
asked him privately, 4‘Tell us,
when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things
are about to be accomplished?’ 5Then
Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. 6Many
will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many
astray. 7When
you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must
take place, but the end is still to come. |
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| 8For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there
will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This
is but the beginning of the birthpangs. |
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| 9 ‘As for yourselves, beware; for they
will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and
you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to
them. 10And the good
news must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11When
they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about
what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is
not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12Brother
will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will
rise against parents and have them put to death; 13and
you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to
the end will be saved. |
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| 14But
when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to
be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the
mountains; |
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| [comment #1] |
15the
one on the housetop must not go down [!] or enter the house to take
anything away; 16the one in the
field must not turn back to get a coat. |
| 17Woe
to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those
days! 18Pray that it may
not be in winter. 19For
in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the
beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will
be. 20And if the Lord
had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of
the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21And
if anyone says to you at that time, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or
“Look! There he is!” —do not believe it. 22False
messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to
lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But
be alert; I have already told you everything. |
[A common apocalyptic device]
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| [comment #2]
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24 But in those days, after
[!] that
suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will
be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27Then
he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
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| 28 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson:
as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know
that summer is near. 29So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he
[or,
it!]
is near, at
the very gates. 30Truly
I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have
taken place. 31Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. |
[comment #3] |
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32 ‘But about that day or hour no one
knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware,
keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It
is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves
in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the
watch. 35Therefore, keep
awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the
evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or
else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And
what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ |
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| If one has read (or
will read) each column continuously, the point becomes clear: the one
column (Destruction of Jerusalem) contains material which implies
historical events, such as rumors of wars, messianic pretenders,
persecution, and the eventual siege and destruction of the city; whereas
the other column contains material which implies end-of-time events.
The former theme lends itself to prediction, for those who are able to read
the signs of the times (Luke 12:54-56). An Isaiah or a Jeremiah discerned
coming invasion and destruction for Jerusalem, and Jesus was no less a prophet than
they. Jesus can speak with certainty of the fall of Jerusalem.
The latter theme, which refers to end-of-time events, by its very nature does not easily give up its secrets, and
Jesus disclaims any access to them.
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| ON DETAILS OF THE
TEXTS:
Comment #1
15The
one on the housetop must not go down [!] or enter the house to take
anything away; 16the one in the
field must not turn back to get a coat.
This saying has given rise to tortured and implausible interpretations,
essentially because the point has been overlooked that it has to do not
with the flight from an invading army but with welcoming Christ’s
glorious coming. One may just as well welcome the end-of-time events from
one’s housetop as any other place, and a person in the field will not
need a coat. But if it is an invading army, then the advice is
nonsensical: if one is not to go down from the housetop, how can she/he flee
from the enemy without going down (hardly across the rooftops as one
commentator proposed)? if one is in the field and becomes a refugee from an
advancing army, he/she will need to turn back and take a coat. The saying
then likely presupposes an announcement of end-of-time events.
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Comment
#2
24 But in those days, after
[!] that
suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light . . . .
It is most often in sequential or chronological links that an
author’s editorial activity is to be observed, with characteristic
formulas—in this case (in) those days (cp. 13:17, 19, 20). If the author of Mark
or his source was piecing together bits of tradition, an apocalyptic
interest may well have accounted for the introduction of this sequential
link, in those days, after
that suffering. Other sequential phrases are to be found:
• ... But the end is still to come (Mark 13:7)
• This
is but the beginning of the birthpangs (Mark 13:8)
• Woe
to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those
days (Mark 13:17)
• ... In those days there will be suffering (Mark 13:19)
• ... He has cut short those days (Mark 13:20)
• I have already told you everything (Mark 13:23)
• Truly
I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have
taken place (Mark 13:30)
• ... You do not know when the time will come (Mark 13:33)
Alternative possibilities are of course available, e.g., that the
chapter is the composition of a single author, who provides both the
materials and the sequential links, to produce what was intended as a
miniature apocalypse. But the presence of units which possibly are traditional, such as the
parable of the fig tree, and the parable of the doorkeeper, suggests that
we may safely leave open the option proposed; i.e. that we have at least
some traditional material, even if infelicitously edited by an author with
apocalyptic inclinations.
If we regard the phrase But in those days, after
...
as an editorial link, then the announcement of the coming of the Son of
Man in Mark 13:24-27, in its original (or at least, in an earlier) form, is not necessarily dated to that generation.
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Comment
#3
So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he
[or,
it!]
is near, at
the very gates (Mark 13:29)
There is a bit of a problem in that most translations supply the pronoun he as the
subject of is near, in 13:29. The pronoun is lacking in the
Greek text, and is to be supplied from the context. Now if the Son of Man is coming on clouds of glory, does it make sense for
him to be near, at the gates? This language suggests rather an army
drawing near a city’s gates, an event moreover which is predictable,
even as the leafing out of the fig tree tells us that summer is near.
What then are the alternatives for supplying a subject for near (Greek, engus;
we keep in mind the fact that a masculine, feminine, or neuter pronoun may
be supplied)?
• Most translators supply the masculine pronoun, he,
referring to the Son of Man.
• Luke supplied kingdom of God as the subject, even though this
phrase does not occur in the chapter.
• Should we supply it, for ho kairos [masculine], the
time, as in “you do not know when the time will come”
(Mark 13:33)? Or,
• Should we supply it, for an army advancing against Jerusalem,
as in “when you see the desolating
sacrilege set up [in the Jerusalem Temple] where it ought not to be (let the reader understand),
then those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14)?
Some uncertainty will remain, but it seems to create more difficulties
than it solves to supply the pronoun he, and there seems no reason
for not supplying it instead. In this case, the little parable of
the fig tree may be taken to refer to an historical event which Jesus predicts rather
than to end-of-time events.
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| CONCLUDING COMMENTS
• Mark 13, as it presently stands, exhibits
pronounced apocalyptic tendencies.
• Nevertheless, authentic pericopes, originally
without apocalyptic associations, may have
survived in Mark 13; these pericopes, when incorporated into the chapter,
then assumed an apocalyptic meaning.
• Thus, if the present hypothesis is valid, one
may acknowledge that authentic Jesus material has survived in Mark 13,
without having to label him an apocalyptist.
• Whether undated predictions of end-of-time events would qualify Jesus as an apocalyptist is a matter beyond the scope of this
note.
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| Revised
December 31, 2003
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Contents
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