The Designations in Mark 7
Aramaic form * Rabbi ' occurs, however, but seldom in his narrative, and only on the lips of Jesus' disciples (9^ 11^^; 14^^, Judas in betraying Him) ; although the parallel form ' Rabboni ' occurs once on the lips of a petitioner for healing (10^^). In its place stands customarily its simplest and most usual Greek ren- dering, 'Teacher' {dcddaxaXs) .^ The general synon- omy of the forms of address, ' Teacher,' ' Master,' * Lord ' (^diddaxahy i-cavdra, xopct")^ as all alike Greek representatives of ' Rabbi,' is fully established by a comparison of the parallel passages in the Synoptics, as well as by such defining passages as Jno J 38 20I6.10
What is to be noted here is that in his re- port of the forms of address employed by those con- versing with Jesus, Mark confines himself among Greek formulas to 'Teacher' [dcddaxaXe) as his standing representation of ' Rabbi.' The use of 'Lord' (xopie) in 7^^ is not strictly an exception to this, since the speaker on that occasion was a heathen, and * Lord ' (xupis) may be best viewed as indica- tive of this fact. It is the common Greek honorific address, equivalent In significance to the Jewish ' Rabbi ' or ' Teacher.'"
The address ' Teacher '^^ Is used by Mark broadly, and is put upon the lips both of our Lord's disciples
^ See esp. Dalman, The Words of Jesus, xiv., E. T., pp. 331^^5'.
1° Cf. Swete, on Mark 4^^; Dalman, 327, 336.
" Cf. Wellhausen, in loc: " The address xopie is found in Mark only in this passage, in the mouth of a heathen woman." Swete goes astray here in paraphrasing, " True, Rabbi," — " Rabbi " is out of place.
12 The rendering of SiddtrxaXo^ (after the Vulgate, Magtster) by "Master" is, as Westcott remarks (on John 3^), "apt to suggest
8 The Designations of Our Lord
in their ordinary colloquy (4^^ 9^^ 10'^ 13^) > obviously as their customary form of addressing
igm cance f^jj^, . ^nd of Others who approached
of 'Teacher' ,,. ' . , , o- ,-
Him tor every variety ot reason (5"'' 9 '
jq17,2o J2i4,i9.32^^ Thcrc does not necessarily lie in this mode of address, therefore, anything more than a general polite recognition of our Lord's claim to be a teacher and leader of men, although of course this recognition may rise on occasion above mere courtesy and become the expression of real reverence and de- pendence and a recognition of His authority and sov- ereignty. When something like this was insincerely or frivolously expressed, our Lord was offended by it, as in the case of the rich young ruler who addressed Him flatteringly as 'Good Teacher' (lo^"^).^^ But when the expression was sincere it was received by Jesus in good part and the recognition of His authority involved in it welcomed and responded to, even when the authority suggested far exceeded that of an ordi- nary Rabbi and involved at least Messianic claims ^jq35 ^38 ^38^^ jsJq^ Qj^jy ^j^gg j^g acccpt this designa- tion; He even adopts it, instructing His disciples to speak of Him to others as 'the Teacher' (14^^), — and there is involved perhaps in this adoption of the title all that is expressed in the declarations of Mt 23*'^^ Although not necessarily recognized as all that He was by every one who approached Him saying * Teacher,' yet under this designation He certainly is
false associations." Yet the implication of authority is present in it ; and that might be missed in rendering it ' Teacher ' ; cf. Schoettgen, Hor. Hebr. on Mt 10*0, Jno 15I*, Gal 419.
13 Dalman, p. 337: "This address was at variance with actual usage, and moreover in the mouth of the speaker, it was mere insolent flat- tery." Cf. Swete in loc: but see also Alexander and Weiss-Meyer.
The Designations in Mark 9
recognized as claiming and certainly does claim an
authority above that of those who shared the title of
'Teacher' with Him (i^^.st etc.).
Similarly we are not quite at the end of the matter
when we say that the heathen woman In addressing
Him as 'Lord' (7"^) only makes use
Signi cance ^£ ^^^ common Greek honorific address, of 'Lord' .
When one comes to a religious teacher