Kata Markon

[JFAlward AT aol.com]

In a message dated 3/13/01 5:43:57 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
rpickett AT lsps.edu writes:


> This is just one possibility, but it seems to me that the "young man" in the 
> tomb requires as much of an explanation as the "young man" in 14:51-2.
>  
> Ray Pickett

MacDonald believes Mark uses the young man to foreshadow Jesus' death.   The 
Greek-speaking readers of his time would know the traditional story of the 
naked Elpenor's going off to Hades, so they would connect the presence of the 
naked young man with death--or the foreshadowing of a death.  At Jesus' 
capture, Mark has this young man appear out of nowhere, lose his clothes (his 
soul sheds his body), and run away. The young man symbolizes Jesus, and the 
loss of his clothes represents Jesus' death.   After the foreshadowing of 

Jesus' death by the flight of the naked young man, Jesus is taken away and 
killed, but MacDonald says that Mark is not yet done with that young man; he 
will bring him back to his readers later, when he puts him in Jesus' empty 
tomb.  (Excerpted from "Odysseus and Jesus" at 
http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/Odysseus_and_Jesus_Visit_Hades.html)
    
MacDonald notes that Mark uses "young man" (neaniskos) only twice in his 
gospel: Once, when referring to the young man fleeing naked at Jesus' arrest, 
and again in describing the young man at the tomb Mark uses the words 
"clothed, clothed with, cast about, put on" (periballo) only twice in his 
gospel, each time referring to the manner of dress of the young man at the 
arrest and at the tomb.  This is circumstantial evidence that Mark 
wanted--indeed, expected--his readers to know that the two men are the same. 
 (Excerpted from "The Young Man at the Tomb" at 
http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/Jesus_and_Elpenor.html)

    
Regards,

Joe Alward