Biblical Hebrew Forum

[cvveelen AT ichthus.lifenet.nl (Cees van Veelen)]

                                     Internet: cvveelen AT ichthus.lifenet.nl

 >> Does anybody have any strong reasons for accepting or rejecting GAR as
 >> the last work of S Mark's gospel?   Presumably most people accept the
 >> evidence of other Gk works ending with the word (Menander: Dyskolos
 >> etc) which Richardson gives in his Bibliography?  I would be
 >> interested in any thoughts on this.

 BGd> I've never seen any convincing reason to reject it, since (a)
 BGd> EFOBOUNTO is a complete subject-predicate unit in itself; (b) GAR is
 BGd> postpositive; and (c) GAR is properly used to indicate an
 BGd> explanatory function of EFOBOUNTO to the preceding OUDENI OUDEN
 BGd> EIPAN. Conquently, although there may be objections to the pericope
 BGd> as a conclusion to the gospel, I cannot discern any cogent reason to
 BGd> reject EFOBOUNTO GAR as the end of this pericope.

One could compare this verse of Mark with LXX Genesis 18:15, where the
sentence ends halfway with the words EFOBHTH GAR .(full stop).
In a way the easter story has something in common with the promise of the
birth of Isaac: There are heavenly messagers, there is lack of faith to
begin with, it is about the life of a son/Son - I like to think Mark had
Genesis 18 in his mind when he wrote the last chapter of his gospel.

Cees van Veelen
                                    Email: cvveelen AT ichthus.lifenet.nl