Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

gmark - Re: Mark's Young Man is Homer's Elpenor

gmark AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Kata Markon

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: JFAlward AT aol.com
  • To: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Mark's Young Man is Homer's Elpenor
  • Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 01:02:20 EST

In a message dated 3/14/01 9:01:02 PM Pacific Standard Time,
rpickett AT lsps.edu writes:


As a number of responses have indicated, this enigmatic figure or symbol can
lead to endless speculation. But Mark's narrative is so tight, that in
order for an interpretation of any particularly pericope to be persuasive
it needs to relate somehow to how the narrative works as a whole. In that
respect I guess it is ultimately a matter of what we think about the
rhetorical strategy or use of this Gospel in its original setting.

Regards,

Ray Pickett


My interpretation has been guided by a single theory: Mark went out of his
way to convince readers that Jesus was the one the Lord said would sit on the
throne of the house of David, and that he was as holy, or holier, than other
holy men in scripture, and almost as holy as the Lord.  He scoured the Old
Testament for things the Lord did, and events in the lives of persons that he
could have Jesus emulate.  And, he did I pretty good job, as far as I can
see.  Virtually every event in Mark is has an Old Testament antecedent.  
Matthew tried to do the same thing, but he was clearly overly ambitious, and
he made some hilarious errors of interpretation of scripture, such as in his
virgin birth prophecy-fulfillment story, the potter's field story, and the
donkey and colt story, to name a few.  But, that's Matthew, and this is Mark,
so we won't get into that.


Regards,

Joe



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page