Kata Markon

[Steve Black <sblack AT axionet.com>]

It is improbable that the young man represents the Jewish leadership, 
or Jerusalem - that is an arbitrary assignment of meaning with no 
basis in the text itself! The young man is clearly to be associated 
with the disciples, a very important group within the overall plot of 
the narrative.

Historically this young man was seen a a cameo appearance (I can't 
help but think of Hitchcock...) of the evangelist himself. This view 
is not popular in scholarship any more, if for no other reason than 
it seems clear that the gospel was NOT written by an eye-witness.

So who is this man, and what's the point of his appearance?

The theory of Canonical Mark being a shortened version of Secret 
Mark, with this episode as a leftover is indeed suggestive. It seems 
more plausible, however, to see Secret Mark as itself being inspired 
by this odd incident.

The very strangeness and "disconnectedness" of the story may be 
suggestive of something in the tradition that Mark received, but who 
knows.

Sometimes its best to simply say we don't know. This is perhaps one 
of the weirdest little spots in GMark - perhaps it will just have to 
remain as such.

I have to say as a closing remark, that I think we can get overly 
wooden and rigid in attempts to find literary parallels for every 
poricope in the gospel. Was there no tradition from which Mark drew 
materials?
--
Steve Black

Dig deep for dreams, or you will be toppled by slogans...
                                        ee cumings