Writing with Scripture: Scripturalized Narrative in the Gospel of Mark

Description

Nathanael Vette proposes that the Gospel of Mark, like other narrative works in the Second Temple period, uses the Jewish scriptures as a model to compose episodes and tell a new story. Vette compares Mark’s use of scripture with roughly contemporary works like Pseudo-Philo, the Genesis Apocryphon, 1 Maccabees, Judith, and the Testament of Abraham; diverse texts which, combined, support the existence of shared compositional techniques. This volume identifies five scripturalized narratives in the Gospel: Jesus’ forty-day sojourn in the wilderness and call of the disciples; the feeding of the multitudes; the execution of John the Baptist; and the Crucifixion of Jesus. This fresh understanding of how the Jewish scriptures were used to compose new narratives across diverse genres in the Second Temple period holds important lessons for how scholars read the Gospel of Mark. Instead of treating scriptural allusions and echoes as keys which unlock the hidden meaning of the Gospel, Vette argues that Mark often uses the Jewish scriptures simply for their ability to tell a story. Cover Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chapter 1 Introduction Mark’s use of the Jewish scriptures: expositional or compositional? Studies on the use of the Jewish scriptures in the Gospel of Mark The compositional use of the Jewish scriptures in the Gospel of Mark Chapter 2 Scripturalized Narrative in Second Temple Literature The Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum Jair and the fiery furnace: LAB 38 and Daniel 3 The Genesis Apocryphon 1 Maccabees Judith The Testament of Abraham Summary Chapter 3 Scripturalized Narrative in the Gospel of Mark Jesus and Elijah in Mark 1:2-20 Jesus and Elisha: Mark 6:35-44, 8:1-9 and 2 Kings 4:42-44 Antipas and Ahasuerus: Mark 6:21-28 and Esther The Jewish scriptures in the Passion Narrative The use of the Jewish scriptures in Mark 14:1–15:20 Summary Chapter 4 Conclusion Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors