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Subject: Kata Markon

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  • From: JFAlward AT aol.com
  • To: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 01:22:30 EST

In a message dated 1/29/01 9:59:54 PM Pacific Standard Time,
l9swain AT wmich.edu writes:


Subj: [gmark] Re: The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark
Date: 1/29/01 9:59:54 PM Pacific Standard Time
From:    l9swain AT wmich.edu (L. J. Swain)
Reply-to: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu (Kata Markon)
To:    gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu (Kata Markon)






JFAlward AT aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 1/28/01 10:05:59 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> l9swain AT wmich.edu writes:

>
> All of the other great many differences Swain notes between the Homeric
> traditional tale and Mark are quite obvious; there are literally hundreds
of
> other significant differences between other Homeric and Markan stories
that
> MacDonald discusses, but these differences are of no real consequence, as
far
> as I'm concerned. What matters is that a great many of the same
ingredients,
> or elements, appear--in this case, eleven--not that they're used in the
same
> way, or in the same order, or even that the messages in the parallels are
> similar.

Thanks to Dr. MacDonald for his response to which I'll get to in a moment.
But just to note that the "ingredients" are the same and in the same order
is rather like saying Steak and Kidney pie is an influence on Sour Cream
cake: both use flour, eggs, milk, an agent to make the dough rise, a pie
plate, an oven set at 350 degrees.  But they are very different dishes
indeed.

The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and at least these allusions are
so general, and generalized, as to be unconvincing.  As you note, there
are hundreds of details difference, including and especially plot
differences, that it is hard to believe direct influence.  In fact, if we
took this seriously we would actually have more allusions in Mark to Homer
than Virgil does in some episodes of the Aeneid that are so obviously
dependent on Homer.

Regards,
Larry Swain
===============
=

In the case of the parallels noted in "The Beheading of John the Baptist",
http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/john_baptist.html, eleven significant plot
elements are lifted out of a story that takes Homer only about 300 words to
tell, and used by Mark to tell a similar tale in about as many words.  If
someone can find some other tale of comparably short length that is just as
packed with elements in common with the Markan story, I'll believe all of
this was just coincidental.

Regards,

Joe Alward
=============
Joseph F. Alward, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of the Pacific
Stockton California
e-mail:  JFAlward AT aol.com



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