MARK, GOSPEL OF
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MARK, GOSPEL OF
But while the element of divine power is that which specially arrests our attention in reading his Gospel, there is none in which the human personality is more conspicuous. The single word o TtKriov (vi, 3) throws a tlood of light on our Lord's early life as man in his native village. The limitation of his knowledge is ex- pressly stated (xiii, 32, ovSe o Tide); ^"'^l we continu- ally meet with mention of human emotions — anger (iii, 5; viii, 12, 33; x, 14), wonder (vi, 6), pity (vi, 34), love (x, 21), grief (vii, 34 ; viii, 12) ; and human infirmities — sleep (iv, 38), desire for repose (vi, 31), himger (xi, 12).
Ill ]\Iark we have no attempt to draw up a continuous narrative. His Gospel is a rapid succession of A'ivid pictures loosely strung together (usually by Kai, Kctl TraXiv, or tvBiwQ'), without much attempt to bind them into a whole, or give the events in their natural se- ijuence. This pictorial power is that which specially characterizes this evangelist ; so that, as has been well said, " if any one desires to know an evangelical fact, not only in its main features and grand results, but also in its most minute and, so to speak, more graphic delin- eation, he must betake himself to Mark"' (Da Costa, Four Witnesses, p. 88). This power is especially apparent in all that concerns our Lord himself. Nowhere else are we permitted so clearly to behold his verj' gesture and look ; see his very position ; to read his feelings and to hear his very words. Ix is Mark who reveals to us the comprehensive gaze of Christ (jrtpi(i\ti\jajiivoc, iii, 5, 34; V, 32; x, 23; xi, 11); his loving embrace of the children brought to him {tvayKaKiaafiivoc, Ix, 36; x, IG) ; his preceding his disciples, while they follow in awe and amazement (x, 32). We see him taking his seat to address his disciples (/caSicrac, ix, 34), and turn- ing round in holy anger to rebuke Peter (l:7narpa(psiQ, viii, 33) ; we hear the sighs which burst from his bosom vii, 34 ; viii, 12), and listen to his very accents (" Tali- tha cumi," v, 41; "Ephphatha," vii, 34; "Abba," xiv, 36). At one time we have an event portrayed with a freshness and pictorial power which places the whole scene before us with its minute accessories — the para- lytic (ii, 1-12), the storm (iv, 36^1), the dajmoniac (v, 1-20), Herod's feast (vi, 21-29), the feeding of the 6000 (vi, 30-45), the lunatic child (ix, 14-29), the young ruler (x, 17, 22), Bartimjeus (x, 46-52), etc. At another, details are brought out by the addition of a single word (Kin//rtc, i, 7 ; (Tx<?o/j£j/oiJc, i, 10 ; (T7T\ayxvi<TBeiQ,i,'il; Tolg 1^(0, iv, 11; 7rpo(Twpi.ii(T^r](yav, vi, 53; lauBiv, i'£,uiBtv, vii, 21, 23; Kpd'^at;, anapd^ag, ix, 26; arv- yvdcac;, x, 22; avi'Tpiil/aaa, xiv, 3; i^ifSXtipaaa, xiv, 67), or by the substitution of a more precise and graphic word for one less distinctive (ticfidWti, i, 12; t^iaraa^ai, ii, 12; yif^iZerrSrat, iv, 37; t^ijpdv^t], v, 29; cnrora^d- l^iivog,\], 46; d^ertire, vii, 9; tK^aiilSncrBai, xiv, 33). It is to Mark also that we are indebted for the record of miimte particulars of persons, places, times, and num- ber, which stamp on his narrative an impress of authen- ticity.
(L) Perso7w.—i, 20; ii, 14; iii, 5, 17, 32, 34; iv, 11; V, 32, 37, 40; vi, 40, 48; vii, 1, 25, 26; viii, 10, 27; ix, 15, 36; X, 16, 23, 35, 46; xi, 21, 27; xiii, 1, 3; xiv, 20, 37, 65; XV, 7, 21, 40, 47; xvi, 7.
(2.) Places.— i, 28 ; iv, 1, 38 ; v, 11, 20, 21 ; vi, 65 ; vii, 17, 31 ; viii, 10, 27; ix, 30; xi, 4; xii, 41; xiv, 66; xv, 16,39; xvi, 5.
(3.) Time.— \, 32, 3b; ii, 1,26; iv,.35; v, 2, 18, 21 ; vi, 2; xi, 11, 19, 20; xiv, 1, 12, 17, 30, 68, 72; xv, 1, 25, 33, 34,42; xvi, 1,2.
(4.) Xumber.—v, 13, 42; vi, 7; viii, 24; xiv, 30, 72.
Other smaller variations are continually occurring. Here a single word, there a short parenthesis, some- times an apparently trivial accession — which impart a striking air of life to the record ; e. g. Zebcdee left with the hired servants (i, 20) ; our I»rd praying (i, 35) ; the paralytic Iwrne of four (ii. 3) ; the command that a ship should wait on him (iii, 9) ; "thy sisters" (iii, 32) ; our Lord taken " even as he was m the ship" (iv, 36) ;
" other little ships with them'' (ibid.) ; Jairus's daugh- ter ''walked" (v, 42); "divers came from far" (viii, 3); only " one loaf" in the ship (viii, 14) ; " so as no fuller on earth can white" (ix, 2) ; the danger of trusting in riches (x, 24) ; " with persecutions" (x, 30) ; " no vessel suffered to be carried through the Temple" (xi, 16) ; " a house of prayer for all nations" (xi, 17) ; " she hath done what she could" (xiv, 8) ; Barabbas, one of a party of insurrectionists all guilty of bloodshed (xv, 7).
We cannot conclude our remarks on this head better than in the words of Mr.Westcott (/?i??-of/. p. 348) — that " if all other arguments against the mythic origin of the evangelic narratives were wanting, this vivid and sim- ple record, stamped with the most distinct impress of independence and originality, would be sufficient to re- fute a theory subversive of aU faith in histon,-."