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The Religious Authorities in the Gospel of Mark
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2009
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Within the story-world of Mark, the religious authorities — the scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, chief priests, elders, and Sadducees — form a united front opposed to Jesus61 and therefore constitute, literary-critically, a single, or collective, character. If Jesus is the protagonist, they are the antagonists, and both Jesus and they exhibit a ‘root character trait’, that is, a character trait from which all other traits spring. Thus, Jesus, as the Messiah Son of God, is characterized as ‘uniquely related’ to God. As such, he is endowed with divine authority and ‘thinks the things of God’, which is to say that he views reality from a divine perspective. In contrast, the religious authorities are characterized as being ‘without authority’, which is to say that they ‘think the things of men’ and view reality from a purely human perspective. Consequently, the conflict between Jesus and the authorities in Mark's story is an extended clash over ‘authority’. Instead of receiving Jesus as God's Messiah and Son, they oppose him throughout his ministry.
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References
1 Two studies of the authorities that, at the writing of this article, were not yet available are those of E. S. Malbon (‘The Jewish Leaders in the Gospel of Mark: A Literary Study of Marcan Characterization’, JBL 108 [1989] 259–81)Google Scholarand Saldarini, A. J. (‘The Social Class of the Pharisees in Mark’, The Social World of Formative Christianity and Judaism: Essays in Tribute to Howard Clark Kee [ed. Neusner, J. et al. : Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988] 69–77).Google ScholarOther studies that concentrate not on the religious authorities as such but on some or all of the controversies in Mark are, e.g., Thissen, W., Erzählung der Befreiung: Eine exegetische Untersuchung zu Mk 2,1–3,6 (FB; Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 1976);Google ScholarHultgren, A. J., Jesus and His Adversaries (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1979);Google ScholarDewey, J., Markan Public Debate (SBLDS 48; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1980);Google ScholarMundla, J.-G. Mudiso Mbâ, Jesus und die Führer Israels (NTAbh 17; Münster: Aschendorff, 1984).Google Scholar
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9 On this understanding of narrative plot, see already Aristotle, Poetics, 7.1–7.Google Scholar
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24 It should be noted, however, that even the friendly scribe, who Jesus says is ‘not far’ from the kingdom, is still described as ‘outside’ and not ‘inside’ the kingdom (12. 34).Google Scholar
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40 Mark, 1.13; 8.11; 10. 2; 12.15.Google Scholar
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50 In the expression ‘the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod’ (8. 15), Mark does not explain how he intends the term ‘leaven’ to be understood. In parallel passages, Matthew refers to ‘the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ and defines leaven as ‘teaching’(Matt 16. 6, 12); Luke, in turn, refers to ‘the leaven of the Pharisees’ and defines leaven as ‘hypocrisy’ (Luke 12. 1). While commentators advance numerous conjectures on the meaning of ‘leaven’ in Mark 8. 15.Google ScholarSchweizer, (Evangelium nach Markus, 86) speaks for most in taking it, in line with rabbinic thought, to connote in some sense the workings of the ‘evil inclination’ (cf., e.g., Taylor, St. Mark, 365: ‘evil disposition’; Pesch, Markusevangelium, 1. 413: ‘[political] way of thinking’;Google ScholarGnilka, , Evangelium nach Markus, 1. 310–11: ‘[negative] influence’;Google ScholarGrundmann, W., Das Evangelium nach Markus [THKNT 2; 7. Auflage; Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 1977] 209: ‘corrupting power’).Google Scholar
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61 The exception to this ‘rule’ is, of course, the ‘friendly scribe’ (12. 28–34), who, as we observed above, is an ‘ironic character’.Google Scholar
62 Again, the ‘friendly scribe’ is the exception.Google Scholar
63 Cf. Mark, 12. 9; 13.10; 14. 9, 28; 16. 7.Google Scholar
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