Kata Markon

["Professor L.W. Hurtado" <hurtadol AT div.ed.ac.uk>]

I would agree that the handling of Peter's denial in Mark is to some 
real extent the work of the author. But I don't think that the notion 
that Mark's aim was simple denegration of Peter (and the 12) 
stands up to the full range of evidence in the gospel.  Mark's 
sandwiching of Peter's denial/apostasy with Jesus' positive role-
model of behavior under interrogation in chap 14, is most plausibly 
seen as providing both positive & negative role models for 
Christians under trial, and also shows that apostasy can be 
forgiven (well before his apostasy it is predicted by Jesus, along 
with the desertion of him by all the 12, and is prophetically 
overcome in Jesus' promise in 14:26-31).  
See, e.g., my brief treatment in my essay "Following Jesus in the 
Gospel of Mark--and Beyond," in _Patterns of Discipleship in the 
NT_, ed. R.N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1996), pp. 
9-29; and the essays listed there, esp. Philip Davies, "Christology, 
Discipleship, ans SElf-Understanding in the Gospel of Mark," in 
_Self-Definition and Self-Discovery in Early Christianity_ eds. David 
Hawkin, Thos. Robinson (Lewiston:  Mellen, 1990), 101-19.
 
L. W. Hurtado
University of Edinburgh,
New College
Mound Place 
Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LX
Phone: 0131-650-8920
Fax: 0131-650-6579
E-mail:  L.Hurtado AT ed.ac.uk