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Nick Elder

Mark 4.1-11: Anointing the Passion Narrative

The Iliff School of Theology

10.24.2011

PassionNarrativeProperIntroductoryRemarks

-Occupies15%ofGospelTradition

-IssuesofHistoricalReliability(EspeciallyinregardstoOTallusions/quotations)

-JohannineParallelsargueforcommonPassionNarrativeUrtext

TheFormCriticalIssue

AHistoryoftheDebate

-BeginswiththeClassicalFormCritics(Dibelius,Bultmann,Schenke)-In1970EtaLinnemannfirstarguesforMarkanCompositionoratleastsomeform

ofMarkanComposition

-1976Kelber,etalpublishThePassionInMarkwhichisaratherconvincingwork

whichfurtherstheMarkanCompositionThesis

-AfterRudolfPesch(1979)theconsensusofscholarshiphasmostlybeentheform

criticsside

-Collins:ItislikelythatMarkusedawrittensourceincomposinghispassion

narrativebutthatthesourcewasatransitionaltext(betweenoralandliterary

productionandperformance)andwasprobablydiscardedeventually(Mark,

625)

WhatsatStake?

-AnumberofMarkanthemescometoaheadinthePassionNarrative:passionChristology,mealChristology,titularChristology,MessianicSecret,Temple

theology,KingdomEschatology,discipleshipfailure,Petrineopposition,anti-

Jerusalemtheme,Galileanthesis,theleitmotifGospel,Christological/Eschatologicalundercurrent

-Whatdoesthissayinregardstocomposition?

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QuestionsAfterReadingChapter14:

Whatdoesitdowhenweread14.1-2;12-16asoneunit? Whatdoesitdowhenweread3-9asasinglepericope? Whenwereaditalltogether?

WhythisAnointingInterruption? Heightenssuspense ContrastJudasTreacherywiththeWomansFaith

AnointingJesus(IntertextuallyandOtherwise)Option#1:MessianicAnointing

-Leviticus8.10-12(renderedfromtheHebrew )LXX:

Lev 8.10

Lev 8.11 .

Lev 8.12 .

NRSV:

Lev8.10ThenMosestooktheanointingoil

andanointedthetabernacleandallthatwa

it,andconsecratedthem.Lev8.11Hesprinkledsomeofitonthealtarseventimes,andanointedthealtarandalli

utensils,andthebasinanditsbase,to

consecratethem.

Lev8.12Hepouredsomeoftheanointingo

onAaronsheadandanointedhim,toconsecratehim.

-Psalm132.2LXX(133.2MTandNRSV)(renderedfromtheHebrew )Ps 132.2 ,,

Ps133.2Itislikethepreciousoilonthe

head,runningdownuponthebeard,

onthebeardofAaron,runningdown

overthecollarofhisrobes.

-SongofSongs1.3-4(cf2.5,4.10)(renderedfromtheHebrew )Song 1.3 , .

,Song 1.4 , . ., .

Song1.3 youranointingoilsarefragrant,yournameisperfumepoured

out;thereforethemaidensloveyou.Song1.4Drawmeafteryou,letusmake

haste.Thekinghasbroughtmeintohis

chambers.Wewillexultandrejoicein

you;wewillextolyourlovemorethan

wine;rightlydotheyloveyou.

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Option#2:JesusAnointedforthePassoverFeast

Amos6.4-7(MTisrendered )

LXXAmos 6.4 ,Amos 6.5 Amos 6.6 .Amos 6.7 , .

NRSVAmos6.4Alasforthosewholieonbeds

ofivory,andloungeontheircouches,andeatlambsfromtheflock,andcalves

fromthestall;

Amos6.5whosingidlesongstothe

soundoftheharp,andlikeDavid

improviseoninstrumentsofmusic;Amos6.6whodrinkwinefrombowls,

andanointthemselveswiththefinest

oils,

butarenotgrievedovertheruinofJoseph!

Amos6.7Thereforetheyshallnowbe

thefirsttogointoexile,andtherevelry

oftheloungersshallpassaway.

Psalm22.5LXX(23.5MT)(MTisrendered )LXX

Ps 22.5

, .

NRSV

Ps23.5Youprepareatablebeforeme

inthepresenceofmyenemies;youanointmyheadwithoil;mycup

overflows.

Isa.25.6-7(MTisrendered )LXX

Isa 25.6 . , , .Isa 25.7

.

Isa25.6OnthismountaintheLORDof

hostswillmakeforallpeoples

afeastofrichfood,afeastofwell-agedwines,ofrichfoodfilledwithmarrow,of

well-agedwinesstrainedclear.

Isa25.7Andhewilldestroyonthis

mountaintheshroudthatiscastoverall

peoples,thesheetthatisspreadoverallnations;hewillswallowupdeath

forever.

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Option#3:JesusAnointedforDeath/Burial

2Chronicles16.13-14

LXX

2 Chr 16.13

,2 Chr 16.14 , , .

NRSV

2Chr16.13ThenAsasleptwithhis

ancestors,dyingintheforty-firstyearof

hisreign.2Chr16.14Theyburiedhiminthetombthathehadhewnoutforhimselfinthe

cityofDavid.Theylaidhimonabierthat

hadbeenfilledwithvariouskindsof

spicespreparedbytheperfumersart;

andtheymadeaverygreatfireinhis

honor.

Luke23.56

NA27

Luke 23.56 . .

NRSV

Luke23.56Thentheyreturned,andpreparedspicesandointments.Onthesabbaththeyrestedaccordingtothe

commandment.

-ArgumentfromSocialCriticismthatJesusmusthavebeenanointedinregardstohonor/shameandMediterraneanburialpractices

-Explainswhythebottlewasbroke-tocoverJesuswholebody

-Explicitin14.8andtheparalleltextofMatthew25.6-13

QuestionsConcerningIntertextuality: Howmuchverbalresonanceisnecessarytoinfera

allusionary/intertextualrelationship?

Doesanyofthethreeapproachesstretchtheboundsofallusion? Whichbackdropismostconvincingtoyou?Why?

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ComparingMark14.3-9andJohn12.2-8

NA27Mark 14.3 ,

, .Mark 14.4 ;Mark 14.5

.Mark 14.6 ;.

Mark 14.7 , .Mark 14.8 .Mark 14.9

, , .

NA27

John 12.2 , ,

.John 12.3 .

John 12.4 [] , John 12.5 ;John 12.6

, .John 12.7 , John 12.8 , .

Harmony

Mark14.3Whilehewas

atBethanyinthehouseof

Simontheleper,ashesat

atthetable,awomancamewithanalabasterjarofverycostly

ointmentofnard,andshe

brokeopenthejarand

pouredtheointmenton

hishead.

Mark14.4Butsomewere

therewhosaidtoone

anotherinanger,Why

wastheointmentwasted

inthisway?Mark14.5Forthisointmentcouldhavebeen

soldformorethanthreehundreddenarii,andthe

moneygiventothepoor.

Andtheyscoldedher.Mark14.6ButJesussaid,

Letheralone;whydo

youtroubleher?Shehas

performedagoodservice

forme.Mark14.7Foryoualways

havethepoorwithyou,

andyoucanshow

kindnesstothem

wheneveryouwish;but

youwillnotalwayshave

me.

Mark14.8Shehasdonewhatshecould;shehas

anointedmybody

beforehandforitsburial.Mark14.9TrulyItellyou,

whereverthegoodnewsisproclaimedinthe

wholeworld,whatshe

hasdonewillbetoldin

remembranceofher.

Harmony

John12.2Theretheyga

adinnerforhim.Marth

served,andLazaruswa

oneofthoseatthetablewithhim.John12.3Marytooka

poundofcostlyperfum

madeofpurenard,

anointedJesusfeet,and

wipedthemwithherha

Thehousewasfilledwi

thefragranceofthe

perfume.

John12.4ButJudas

Iscariot,oneofhisdisciples(theonewhowasabouttobetrayhim

said,John12.5Whywasthi

perfumenotsoldforth

hundreddenariiandthmoneygiventothepoo

John12.6(Hesaidthis

becausehecaredabout

thepoor,butbecauseh

wasathief;hekeptthecommonpurseanduse

tostealwhatwasputin

it.)

John12.7Jesussaid,

Leaveheralone.She

boughtitsothatshemi

keepitforthedayofm

burial.John12.8Youalwaysh

thepoorwithyou,buty

donotalwayshaveme.

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-Very probably, the earliest tradition was that Jesus had been buried anointed, like acommon criminal, dishonorably, by night. This tradition was unbearable to believers.

(David Daube, The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism, 314.)-Bottle is broken with the inference that the oil covers Jesus whole body. (Daube,New

Testament, 315)

-a good work is a technical for almsgiving, putting up strangers, visiting the sick,burying the dead, and the like (Daube,New Testament, 315)-In Mark the incident takes place after the entry into Jerusalem and very near Passover-

as near the actual burial as possible. (Daube,New Testament, 315)

MyThesis

Markisheavilyindebtedtotheoraltraditionsusedinliturgicalsettingsin

formulatinghisPassionNarrative,ofwhich14.3-9wasnotoriginallyapart.This

pericopeispartoftheMarkantextforthepurposeofdemonstratingJesuscoming

actioninhissufferinganddeath.Itfunctionssociallyinregardstoburialtraditions,messianicallyinregardstoanointingofthemessiahinSeptuagintaltexts,and

providesaseamlesstransitiontothePassoverFeasttotakeplacefollowingin

chapter14.

Bibliography

Collins,AdelaYarbro.TheBeginningoftheGospel:ProbingsofMarkinContext.

Minneapolis:FortressPress,1992.

Collins,AdelaYarbro.Mark:ACommentary.Hermeneia.Minneapolis:FortressPress,

2007.

Donahue,JohnR.andDanielJ.Harrington,eds.TheGospelofMark.SacraPagina2.

Collegeville,MN:TheLiturgicalPress,2002.

Daube,David.TheNewTestamentandRabbinicJudaism.London:TheUniversityof

LondonPress,1956.

Kelber,WernerH.ThePassioninMark:StudiesonMark14-16.Philadelphia:Fortress

Press,1976.