Category: Characters in the Christian Scriptures
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 3
So far we have looked at how the Gospels of Mark and Matthew portrayed Judas Iscariot. In Mark he is simply the foil of Jesus and he only says but one thing: “Rabbi!” In Matthew, Judas has a few more lines and his character… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 3”
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 2
The previous post in this series examined the references to Judas Iscariot in the Gospel of Mark, particularly with how the Markan author connects the verb paradidómi to Judas. I began with Mark because it was the first of the four Gospels to have been… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 2”
Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 1
“So he appointed…Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” Mark 3:16a, 19, NRSV Of all the characters in the Gospels, few stand out like Judas Iscariot. It isn’t because he is as verbose as Peter can be nor is it because he stands out like James… Continue Reading “Satan Entered Judas: The Great Betrayer, part 1”
Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (2) – Baptized in the Spirit
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11b, NRSV In my first post covering Jesus’ baptism I argued that the baptism Jesus underwent implied that he too needed to repent of his sins (Mark 1:4). Not only is… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (2) – Baptized in the Spirit”
Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (1) – Jesus the Penitent
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Mark 1:9, NRSV The very first story we read in the Gospel of Mark isn’t about Jesus; it’s about John the Baptist. But unlike what we find… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (1) – Jesus the Penitent”
Musings on Mark: The First Witness to the Empty Tomb
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. Mark 16:5, NRSV The ending of Mark’s Gospel is famous for what it doesn’t have, namely appearances of the risen… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: The First Witness to the Empty Tomb”
Musings on Mark: Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark?
My personal library has close to a thousand volumes. No, it isn’t much and it used to be a bit bigger but it gets the job done. Let’s say I pick a random book of the shelf like The Revenant. The cover has a bear attacking… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark?”
Musings on Mark: John the Locust Eater
καὶ ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐνδεδυμένος τρίχας καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐσθίων ἀκρίδας καὶ μέλι ἄγριον. Mark 1:6 I have a memory of ten-year old me riding on my bike in my neighborhood and accidentally inhaling a fly. For some… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: John the Locust Eater”
Musings on Mark: Conflict Among the Synoptics
Καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλει εἰς τὴν ἔρημον. καὶ ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ, καὶ ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ. Mark 1:12-13 In the last “Musing on Mark” post, we addressed the “wild animals” comment that… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: Conflict Among the Synoptics”
The Amateur Exegete 