Opgave 2 om markusevangeliet
From this extraordinary claim at the beginning of his narrative, to the sudden and dramatic conclusion of the discovery of the empty tomb, the Markan evangelist takes pains to show that Jesus is truly God’s Son, despite rejection by the religious authorities of his time and his execution at the hands of the Roman governor. The Julian emperors, whose latest and most unfortunate manifestation at the time of the publication of Mark is the demented Nero, can provide no compelling candidates for recognition as the son of God, whose life and death are truly of benefit to humankind. To the Roman world Mark proffers Jesus and his message of the kingdom of God. By doing so he encourages the faithful to remain steadfast and enjoins the critics and opponents of the Christian faith to reconsider.
The introduction of Mark’s Gospel consists of an incipit, or title (1:1), the citation of OT Scripture (vv. 2–3), a description of the person, preaching, and ministry of John the Baptizer (vv. 4–8), an account of Jesus’ baptism, and the declaration of the heavenly voice (vv. 9–11), followed by the time of testing in the wilderness (vv. 12–13), and finally a summary of the substance of Jesus’ kingdom proclamation (vv. 14–15). As such this introduction anchors the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus to the OT and to the ministry of the popular John the Baptizer, widely regarded as a prophet and martyr. John promises the coming of a “stronger one”; the sudden appearance of Jesus fulfills this promise.
What Is Mark?
Mark is the only Gospel to call itself a “gospel” (see 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel,” or “good news”). This word has its origins in Isaiah (see 40:9; 41:27; 52:7; 61:1), but also carried with it important connotations in the Greco-Roman world (see commentary on 1:1–8 below). The genre of Mark is for the most part biography, similar to the biography of Elijah and Elisha in the OT (1 Kings 17–2 Kings 9) or the popular biography found in the Pseudepigrapha (such as Lives of the Prophets or Joseph and Aseneth). The distinctive features of Mark’s biography are the exclusive focus on Jesus and the emphasis on the proclamation of his message. The “good news” has been realized with the appearance of Jesus. Now the story must be told and the message must be proclaimed (see Guelich 1989: xix–xxii).
Mark may be a somewhat novel form of biography (and its novelty has sometimes been exaggerated by scholars), but one must not expect of it what we moderns usually expect of biography. Mark tells us nothing about Jesus’ birth and upbringing (details which are partially supplied by Matthew and Luke). The evangelist says absolutely nothing about Jesus himself; not one word describes Jesus’ appearance or personality. Apart from his teaching and one or two details, Mark tells nothing of Jesus’ habits, likes, dislikes, or interests. The evangelist is principally concerned with Jesus’ public ministry, the impact he had on others, and his fate in Jerusalem. But this account is not in a strictly chronological, developmental order. The order is thematic. The stories and teachings are sometimes clustered around common themes. When and where these things happened or were spoken often cannot be determined. The Markan presentation is largely guided by literary and theological interests. Jesus is presented as a remarkable, even stunning figure.
If the Gospel of Mark was indeed written in the middle 60s, then it was written at a time of severe Christian persecution at the hands of the megalomaniac Nero (ruled AD 54–68). This emperor, increasingly hated and despised by his own people, promoted his deification (which in death was denied by the Senate). More than any emperor before him, he encouraged the use of the honorific titles “god,” “son of god,” “lord,” “savior,” and “benefactor.” Written in the last two or three years of Nero’s life, when the Jewish rebellion was in its early stages, when persecution of Christians was severe, and when many prophets and deliverers were making themselves known, the Markan evangelist puts forward Jesus as the true Son of God, in whom the good news for the world truly has its beginning.
Written in the last two or three years of Nero’s life, when the Jewish rebellion was in its early stages, when persecution of Christians was severe, and when many prophets and deliverers were making themselves known, the Markan evangelist puts forward Jesus as the true Son of God, in whom the good news for the world truly has its beginning.
Mark’s opening verse makes the Gospel’s purpose clear: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). The evangelist has very carefully chosen his language, for it deliberately echoes the language of the imperial ruler cult, as seen in an inscription in honor of Caesar Augustus: “the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning for the world of the good news” (see commentary below). The evangelist Mark has challenged the imperial myth, claiming that the good news for the world began with Jesus Christ, the true Son of God (see Mark 15:39, where the Roman centurion admits upon seeing the impressive death of Jesus: “Truly this man was the Son of God”).
