Kata Markon

["George Young" <gwyoung AT morgan.ucs.mun.ca>]

> Jeffrey Gibson wrote:
>
> I've just read quickly through yesterday's digest and was rather surprised
> at the discussion on the above topic. I really think that most of the
> speculation about the young man who escaped naked from the scene of the
> arrest in Mark's gospel is rather worthless.

I agree, insofar as we are seeking obscure symbolic meanings that, from a
hermeneutical point of view, can logically go on forever, i.e., we can
continually assign new symbolic meanings to NEANISKOS and SINDONA.  But
these will always lack an original narrative context.


> While admitting that I don't
> know with any confidence whatsoever what it means, I don't think it was
> left in as a remnant of Secret Mark

Why not? Secret Mark explicitly refers to the NEANISKOS (4x) and the SINDONA
(1x).  While there may be problems with the acceptance of Secret Mark within
the Guild, the text does provide a *narrative context* for the young man's
appearance within the canonical Gospel of Mark.  Should we ignore this?
After all, despite many attempts to discredit Secret Mark, it has not gone
away nor has it been proven to be a forgery.  Furthermore, it is interesting
that Jesus discloses the mystery of the Kingdom to the NEANISKOS, the
same(?) NEANISKOS who is 'with Jesus' at the garden (14:51-52) and first at
the tomb (16:5) -- "But the youth, looking upon him, loved him and began to
beseech him that he might be with him [always]" (S.M.).

George W. Young, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
Queen's College Faculty of Theology
210 Prince Philip Drive
St. John's  NF
CANADA   A1B 3R6
Tel. (709) 753-0116
Fax. (709) 753-1214
email: gwyoung AT morgan.ucs.mun.ca