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The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text

The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text

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Category: Performance of the play

“Jericho” in the Gospel of Mark: A new explanation

Posted on December 18, 2021December 21, 2021 by Danila Oder

Summary Did Mark write a scene set in Jericho, now missing (Mk 10:46)? In my book, The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text, I assumed that he did. I’ve changed my mind. There was never a scene set in Jericho in the Gospel of Mark. The audience saw a large crowd (the Chorus) carrying…

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Flavia Domitilla donated the use of catacombs; Mark’s play enhanced the event

Posted on November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

Executive Summary I begin in Flavia Domitilla’s world. I see the performance of Mark’s play from her point of view. In my book, The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text, I proposed that Flavia Domitilla produced a play that was privately performed for Mark’s Roman congregation. Flavia and her husband Titus Flavius Clemens were…

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What is the meaning of “Boanerges”?

Posted on July 22, 2021October 31, 2021 by Danila Oder

In Mk 3:17 Jesus gives two disciples the nickname “Boanerges”; the text explains that the meaning of “Boanerges” is “Sons of Thunder.” The problem is that “Boanerges” is not good Aramaic. As Wikipedia says, “Given the Greek translation that comes with it (‘Sons of Thunder’), it seems that the first element of the name is…

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Flavia Domitilla’s children in Mark’s play

Posted on June 4, 2021November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

At the time of Mark’s play c. 95 CE, Flavia was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had borne seven children, with the maximum age of 16 (we don’t know if all survived infancy). Here, I identify the roles for children in Mark’s play, propose that Flavia Domitilla’s children did play those roles,…

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The Bethsaida section, Part I: The blind man of Bethsaida scene

Posted on January 13, 2021October 31, 2021 by Danila Oder

Summary This post extrapolates from the discussion of the blind man of Bethsaida scene in my book, The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text. Here, I review elements of the scene (Mk 8:22-26). I imagine how the scene was staged. I conclude that the scene made sense only in the world of the audience….

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The Joseph of Arimathea scene in the Gospel of Mark, revisited

Posted on December 25, 2020November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

Summary When I wrote my book, The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text, I assumed that the received text of the Joseph of Arimathea scene in the Gospel of Mark (Mk 15:42-46) preserved the performance of Mark’s play. I assumed that the audience heard the spoken words “Iōsēph ho apo Harimathaias.” I assumed that…

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Dramatic enactment of the Gospel of Mark by actor Max McLean

Posted on October 8, 2020November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

A YouTube search yields several dramatic readings of the Gospel of Mark, including an excellent one by actor David Suchet. But the dramatic enactment of the Gospel of Mark by actor Max McLean is in a class by itself. McLean dramatizes the dialogue. He uses the stage and all of the actor’s craft to keep…

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The fig tree episode in the Gospel of Mark is an editorial overwrite

Posted on September 30, 2020November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

Summary The episode of the cursing of the fig tree in the Gospel of Mark is not good theater. It follows the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and brackets the Temple Incident (TI). The fig-tree episode should have some relationship to either the triumph or to Jesus’s actions in the Temple. But instead, Jesus explains to…

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Reconstruction of the Pilate scene in the Gospel of Mark

Posted on July 9, 2020November 1, 2021 by Danila Oder

Executive Summary In the Pilate scene in the Gospel of Mark, Mark invoked a name, “Pilate,” that had meaning to the audience of his play. We can assume that Mark expected the audience (in Rome 90-95 CE) to bring their knowledge of Pilate, that he was hard or even cruel. But the Passover Privilege presents…

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In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus appear in Galilee?

Posted on September 5, 2019October 31, 2021 by Danila Oder

In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus appear in Galilee, and not in some other place? There are three good reasons why Jesus appears in Galilee. First, the Sea of Galilee borders the Galilee. Mark can have characters in his story who are fishermen. He can stage scenes that use a boat, such as…

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Recent Posts

  • Review of Varieties of Jesus Mythicism: Did He Even Exist?
  • “Jericho” in the Gospel of Mark: A new explanation
  • My scenario for Mark explains official orthodox history
  • Why I think Mark wrote a play
  • Varieties of Jesus mythicism anthology is now published

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Recommended links

  • The blog Vridar
  • Michael Turton's Historical Commentary on GMark
  • Early Christian Writings, a resource
  • Russell Gmirkin, writer and editor
  • Nailed, a popular introduction to Jesus mythicism
  • Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
  • Robert M. Price's site
  • Earl Doherty's Jesus Puzzle site
  • Dissect Designs, my cover designer
  • Far Stones, an excellent historical novel I proofread
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