Category: Characters in the Christian Scriptures
Michael Kok: John Mark as a Composite Creation of the Author of Acts
Michael J. Kok, The Gospel on the Margins: The Reception of Mark in the Second Century (Fortpress Press, 2015), 158-159. The John Mark of the book of Acts is a composite creation, the result of harmonizing the earlier accounts of Mark as a Pauline coworker… Continue Reading “Michael Kok: John Mark as a Composite Creation of the Author of Acts”
Musings on Mark: Another Reason to Doubt Peter Was Behind Mark’s Gospel
In addition to my regular Bible reading schedule and my verse-by-verse translating of the Gospel of Mark, I’ve also been reading a Markan pericope a day each weekday. Today I was in Mark 14:43-52 and something struck me as really odd. Jesus is in… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: Another Reason to Doubt Peter Was Behind Mark’s Gospel”
Donahue and Harrington: Satan’s Testing of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark
John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Mark, Sacra Pagina (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 37. The testing of Jesus by Satan (1:12-13) alerts the reader to Mark’s conception of Jesus’ ministry as a struggle against the cosmic forces of evil.… Continue Reading “Donahue and Harrington: Satan’s Testing of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark”
Elizabeth Struthers Malbon: The Key to the Markan Plot
Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 17. Conflict is the key to the Markan plot. As Markan characterization does not depend on psychological development within the characters, so the plot does not… Continue Reading “Elizabeth Struthers Malbon: The Key to the Markan Plot”
Mark 1:9-11, AEV
Previously I had posted my own translation with notes of Mark 1:1-8. Today’s post will be of Mark 1:9-11. Though only three verses in length, it is an important episode in the ministry of the Markan Jesus. Here we see his baptism both in… Continue Reading “Mark 1:9-11, AEV”
Mark 1:1-8, the Amateur Exegete Version (AEV)
Part of my daily routine includes spending time in the Greek New Testament. Since last year I’ve been going verse-by-verse in the Gospel of Mark. For a time I was simply reading the text, consulting a couple of commentaries, and taking notes on anything… Continue Reading “Mark 1:1-8, the Amateur Exegete Version (AEV)”
Index for “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer”
Below is an index to the six posts that made up my brief series discussing Judas Iscariot in the four Gospels. The series was entitled, “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer.” If you don’t have time to read all six parts, my recommendation is… Continue Reading “Index for “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer””
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 6
This is the final post in our brief series on Judas Iscariot. We’ve looked at Judas from the vantage point of each of the Gospels as well as the book of Acts. What have we learned? Here are a few things. Setting Up the… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 6”
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 5
In our last four posts we’ve looked at Judas Iscariot in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke as well as in the book of Acts. In Mark, we aren’t told why he betrays Jesus only that he does. In Matthew, we are told… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 5”
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 4
In our last post we covered how the Gospel of Luke portrayed Judas Iscariot. The Lukan Judas was possessed by Satan himself and so the betrayal of Jesus by Judas is couched in terms of a demonic possession and a demonic attack on Jesus.… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 4”
The Amateur Exegete 