V. Style and Diction. — The style of Jlark may be characterized as vigorous and abrupt. His tenns of connection and transition are terse and lively ; he is fond of employing the direct for the indirect (iv, 39 ; v, 8, 9, 12; vi, 23, 31, 37; ix, 25, 33; xii, 6), the present for the past (i, 25, 40, 44 ; ii, 3, 4, 5 ; iii, 4, 5, 13, 20, 31, 34; iv, 37, etc.), and the substantive instead of the pro- noun ; he employs the cognate accusative (iii, 28 ; vii, 13; xiii, 19; iv, 41; v, 42), accumulates negatives {ov- Ktri oi'Seig, vii, 12 ; ix, 8 ; xii, 34 ; xv, 5 ; oi'iciri oxi fxtj, xiv, 25 ; /AijKiri ^tti£iic, xi, 14), and for sake of emphasis repeats what he has said in other words, or appends the opposite (i, 22, 45; ii, 27; iii, 26, 27, 29; iv. 17, 33, 34), and piles up synonymes (iv, 6, 8, 39 ; v, 12, 23 ; viii, 15 ; xiii, 33; xiv, 68), combining this forcible style with a conciseness and economy of expression consistent with the elaboration of every detail.
Mark's diction is nearer to that of Matthew than to that of Luke. It is more Hebraistic than the latter, though rather in general coloring than in special phrases. According to Davidson {Introcl. i, 154), there are forty- five words peculiar to him and Matthew, and only eigh- teen common to him and Luke. Aramaic words, espe- cially those used by our Lord, are introduced, but ex- plained for Gentile readers (iii, 17, 22 ; v, 41 ; vii, 1 1 , 34 ; ix, 43; x,46; xiv, 36; xv, 22, 34). Latinisms are more frequent than in the other Gospels : KivTvpiwv, xv, 39, 44, 45; (TTrfKovXdTwp, vi, 27; to iKarov -Tr-oifjtTai, xv, 15; ^iaTJjg, vii, 4, 8, are peculiar to him. Others — £t]i'dpioi', K»/j'(TOf, \tyiiov, TTpaiTwpiov, (ppaytWvu), KoCpdvTi]g — he has in common with the rest of the evangelists. He is fond of diminutives — S:vydTpiov, Kopdaiov, Kvvdpia, u)Tdpiov — but they are not peculiar to him. He employs unusual words and phrases (c. g. dXaXdZtiv, iiri(Tvi'rptx(tv, Kio/ioTToXig, ^tyi(jTuv(c, vdp- Sog TriaTiKij, i'oinnx^i'g, natctoStv, TrXoidptov, Trpopi- pij.ivm', Tpi'i^iaXia, vTroXi]riov, CToifidg, nixvpinZvpit'oq o'ivog ; avv^Xifitiv, tveiXtlv). Of other noticeable words and expressions we may remark, dKd2:aprov ■Kvivjjia, eleven times, Matthew six, Luke three; i'jp- KaTO Xeyitv, Kpdt^tiv, twenty-five times; ^iiartlXaro, and -(T-fXAfro, five times, Matthew once; compounds oi TTOpiviaBai: e.g.fio-Trop., eight times, Matthew once, Luke four; tKTrop., eleven times, Matthew six, Luke three; Trapanop., four times, Matthew once; TrpooTrop. The verb intpwrdw occurs twenty-five times, to eight times in Matthew and eighteen in Luke; tvayyiXwv, eight times, Matthew four, but the verb not once ; ev- Bkujg, forty times, Matthew fifteen, Luke eight. Other favorite words are, Ki]pv<yaiiv, fourteen, Matthew nine, Luke nine; fuiKpoBti', five, iMatthew two, Luke four; oi'KfTi and ni]KfTi, ten, Matthew three, Luke four; rripi- liXtTTu), six times, Luke once; Triarii'tii, fourteen, IMat- thew eleven, Luke nine; Trpwt, six times, Matthew twice, John once; (ptpio, thirteen, jNIatthew four, Luke four times. Of words only found in Mark, as compared with Matthew and Luke, we may mention — d^dpT?ifta, ura^iftaTi'^^w, t^dTriva, ivKaipog and -pioc, tvaxij^uov, tlcetjog,3aftl3Ha3ai,Bvpwp6g, KTicng, Ki<Xiupoi, poyiXd- Xoc, fiopcpi/, irapofidXXtii', TrapaciyKj^ai, Trapvf.wioc, rrpoarpix'^, fi'/'Trdcria, avtyTctataarijc, ariXjSitv, okui-
MARK, GOSPEL OF
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MARK, GOSPEL OF
A»;?. Words not found at all, or found less frequently in Mark, are — ayaBoc, only twice, in the same context (x, 17, 18), Matthew sixteen, Luke fifteen times ; vufioij, TTcni, arufia, iumrip, avoiyu), d'^iog, KtXevio, ntpifivcux), IxaKc'ipioc, oftiXiti, KaXiw, only three times, to Matthew twenty-six, Luke forty-two ; TrijUTTw, only once ; Xpi- aruQ, seven, iMatthew sixteen, Luke thirteen, rublicans are only mentioned twice, Samaria and its inhabitants not once.
VI. Persons/or whom the Gospel teas wi-itien. — A dis- passionate review of the Gospel confirms the traditional statement that it was intended primarily for Gentiles, and among these the use of Latinisms, and the concise abrupt character '• suitable for the vigorous intelligence of a Roman audience" (Westcott, Introd. p. 348), seem to point out those for whom it was specially meant. In consistency with this view, words which would not be imderstood by Gentile readers are interpreted : Boan- erges (iii, 17) ; Talitha cumi (v, 40) ; Corban (vii, 11) ; Bartimoius (x, 46) ; Abba (^xlv, otj) ; Eloi lama sabach- thani (xv, 34) ; two mites '' make a farthing" (xii, 42) ; Gehenna is " unquenchable fire" (ix, 43). Jewish usages, and other matters with which none but Jews could be expected to be familiar, are explained, e. g. the washing before meals (vii, 3, 4) ; in the days of unleavened bread the Passover was killed (xiv, 12) ; at the Passover the season of tigs had not come (xi, 13) ; the preparation is " the day before the Sabbath" (xv, 42) ; the Mount of Olives is " over against the Temple" (xiii, 8) ; Jordan is a "river" (Mark i, 5; Matt, iii, C) ; the Pharisees, etc., " used to fast" (Mark ii, 18 ; Matt, ix, 14) ; the Saddu- cees' worst tenet is mentioned (Mark xii, 18) ; and ex- planations are given which Jews would not need (Mark XV, 0, 16). All reference to the law of Moses is omitted, and even the word vo/xoq does not occur ; the Sabbath was appointed for the good of man (ii, 27) ; and in the quotation from Isaiah (Ivi, 7) he adds " of all nations." The genealogy of our Lord is likewise omitted. Other matters interesting chietiy to the Jews are similarly passed over, such as the reflections on the request of the Scribes and Pharisees for a sign (Matt, xii, 38-45) ; the parable of the king's son (Matt, xxii, 1-14) ; and the awful denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt, xxiii). Matter that might offend is omitted, as Matt. X, 5, G ; vi, 7, 8. Passages, not always pecidiar to jMark, abound in his Gospel, in which the antagonism between the Pharisaic legal s|3irit and the Gospel come out strongly (i, 22 ; ii, 19, 22 ; x, 5; viii, 15), which hold out hopes to the heathen of admission to the kingdom of heaven even without the Jews (xii, 9), and which put ritual forms below the worship of the heart (ii, 18 ; iii, 1-5 ; vii, 5-23). Whilst he omits the invective against the Pharisees, he indicates by a touch of his own how Jesus condemned them "with anger" (iii, 5). Mark alone makes the Scribe admit that love is better than sacrifices (xii, 38). In conclusion, the absence of all quotations from the O. T. made on his own authority, with the exception of those in the opening verses from Mai. iii, 1 ; Isa. xl, 3 (xv, 28 being rejected as interpo- lated), points the same way. The only citations he in- troduces are those made by our Lord, or by those ad- dressing him.