The Gospel according to Mark:
Literary Features & Thematic Emphases

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

For a brief outline of the whole Gospel, click here.
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Paratactic Style:

Parataxis - stringing together (lit. “placing next to”) short loosely connected episodes, like pearls on a string.
- An amazing 410 of the 678 verses in the original Greek version of Mark’s Gospel begin with the word “And” (Gk. kai)!
Immediacy - Mark’s Gospel emphasizes action, as seen in the frequent use of the Greek word euthys (“immediately, right away, at once, as soon as”),
used an astounding 42 times, especially near the beginning of the Gospel (1:10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, 42, 43; 2:8, 12; 3:6; 4:5, 15, 16, 17, 29; 5:2, 29, 30, 42; 6:25, 27, 45, 50, 54; 7:25; 8:10; 9:15, 20, 24; 10:52; 11:2, 3; 14:43, 45, 72; 15:1).
- One could feel exhausted after reading Mark’s Gospel, so quickly does the action seem to occur!

Thematic Groupings:

Mark sometimes places similar stories together for thematic continuity, even if the events related might not have occurred one right after the other, chronologically speaking. Examples:
- Several miracle stories interconnecting Jesus’ preaching and healing activity are in the first chapter (1:21-45)
- Five controversy stories involving various opponents are in a connected block (2:1—3:6)
- Three parables and further teachings about Jesus’ parables are in one chapter (4:1-34)
- Four more miracles stories (of different types) are found together (4:35—5:43)
- Three “passion predictions” are near the middle of the Gospel (8:31—10:45)
- Seven controversy dialogues with or about Jesus’ opponents in Jerusalem (11:35—12:44)
- Many of Jesus’ eschatological teachings are collected in one chapter (13:1-37)
Mark also periodically encapsulates or summarizes the action, in contrast to telling individual stories:
- 1:14-15 - Jesus’ initial preaching about the Kingdom/Reign of God
- 1:32-34 - Jesus heals many different people one evening
- 1:39 - Jesus goes throughout Galilee preaching and exorcizing
- 3:7-12 - Great crowds acknowledge Jesus’ power
- 6:6b - Jesus goes throughout the villages of Galilee teaching
- 6:12-13 - Jesus’ disciples go out preaching, exorcizing, and healing
- 6:53-56 - Mark summarizes Jesus’ healing activity

Three-fold Patterns, often with Progressive Heightening:

Three reactions to the baptism of Jesus: heaven opens, spirit descends, voice is heard (1:10-11)
Three times Jesus calls his core disciples to follow him: four fishers, Levi, the Twelve (1:16-20; 2:14-17; 3:13-19)
Three times Mark emphasizes Jesus as a teacher teaching (4:1, 2a, 2b)
Three times Jesus says he must suffer, die, and rise again after three days (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34)
Three times Jesus says "all things are possible" - for God or for one who has faith (9:23; 10:27; 14:36)
Three times Jesus warns, “If your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble…” (9:43, 45, 47)
Three times Jesus returns and speaks to the sleeping disciples in Gethsemane (14:32-42)
Three times Peter denies knowing Jesus or being his disciple (14:66-72; as Jesus predicted in 14:30)
Three specific times are mentioned as Jesus is crucified: the third, sixth, and ninth hours (15:25, 33, 34)
Three groups of people deride Jesus as he is hanging and dying on the cross (15:29-30, 31-32a, 32b)
Three witnesses react to the death of Jesus: temple curtain, Roman centurion, Galilean women (15:38, 39, 40)
Other groups of three:
- Peter, James, and John (9:2; 14:33)
- Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (9:4-5)
- chief priests, scribes, and elders (11:27; 14:43)
- Mary Magdalene and two other women (15:40; 16:1)
Periods of three days are also mentioned in 8:2; 14:58; and 15:29.

Inclusios and Intercalations:

Inclusio - bracketing or “enclosing” a story or section by using the same or similar words, phrases, or themes at the beginning and the end
Intercalation - enclosing or “sandwiching” one story in the middle of a different story (forming an A1, B, A2 pattern), so that each affects the interpretation of the other
Examples of inclusio and intercalation in Mark, some of which involve larger blocks of material:

A1) 2:1-5 – A paralytic is brought to Jesus B) 2:6-10 – Dispute over Jesus’ authority to forgive sins A2) 2:11-12 – Jesus heals the paralytic	A1) 3:20-21 – Jesus’ family goes out to restrain him B) 3:22-30 – the Beelzebul controversy A2) 3:31-35 – Jesus’ family arrives; who is his “true family”?
A1) 4:3-8 – Jesus tells parable of the sower and the seed B) 4:10-12 – Why does Jesus speak in parables? A2) 4:13-20 – Jesus explains parable of the sower and the seed	A1) 5:21-24 – Jairus asks Jesus to heal his dying daughter B) 5:25-34 – a hemorrhaging woman touches Jesus’ clothes A2) 5:35-43 – Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus to life
A1) 6:7-13 – Jesus sends out the twelve apostles on a mission B) 6:14-29 – the death of John the Baptist is recalled A2) 6:30-31 – the apostles return, reporting what they had done	A1) 8:22-26 – Jesus gives sight to a blind man near Bethsaida B) 8:28—10:45 – three passion predictions; discipleship teachings A2) 10:46-52 – Jesus gives sight to blind Bartimaeus near Jericho
A1) 9:1 – the coming of the Kingdom of God in power B) 9:2-8 – the Transfiguration of Jesus A2) 9:9-13 – the coming of Elijah and of the Son of Man	A1) 11:12-14 – Jesus curses a fig tree outside of Bethany B) 11:15-19 – Jesus expels sellers and buyers from the Temple A2) 11:20-25 – the fig tree is withered; the importance of faith
A1) 14:1-2 – chief priests want to arrest and kill Jesus B) 14:3-9 – a woman anoints Jesus at Bethany A2) 14:10-11 – Judas arranges to betray Jesus to the chief priests	A1) 14:54 – Peter enters the courtyard of the high priest, and sits by a fire B) 14:55-65 – Jesus is interrogated by the council of the chief priests A2) 14:66-72 – in the courtyard, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times

Use of “Literary Echoes” for retrospectives or foreshadowing:

Literary Echoes within the Gospel narrative:
- 1:7 – someone will come who is “more powerful” than John the Baptist (see 1:21-28; 3:27)
- 1:14 – “after John is arrested” (imprisonment narrated more fully in 6:14-27)
- 2:20 – “the bridegroom will be taken away” (cf. Passion narrative, 14:43—16:3)
- 3:6 – Pharisees and Herodians plot to destroy Jesus (cf. 8:15; 11:18; 12:13; 14:1)
- 8:19-20 – Jesus recalls previously feeding the 5000 & 4000 (cf. 6:30-44; 8:1-10)
- 8:27-28 – a discussion of Jesus’ identity recalls previous opinions of his being a prophet (6:14-16)
- 8:31; 9:31; 10:32-33 – Jesus predicts his upcoming passion (cf. 14:43—16:3)
- 9:7 – a voice from heaven again declares that Jesus is God’s beloved Son (cf. 1:11)
- 14:17-21 – Jesus foretells his betrayal by Judas (cf. 14:10-11; 14:43-50)
- 14:26-31 – Jesus foretells the disciples’ desertion and Peter’s denial (cf. 14:50-52; 66-72)
Foreshadowing of events beyond the narrative:
- 1:8 – “He will baptize with the Holy Spirit”
- 1:16-20 – “I will make you fish for people”
- 10:38-39 – the deaths of James and John
- 13:2 – the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
- 14:25 – “until that day… in the Kingdom of God”

Repetition of Key Words and Phrases:

Key Words used throughout Mark’s Gospel:
- Gospel / Good News – 1:1, 14-15; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9; [16:15]
- Christ – 1:1; 8:29; 9:41; 12:35; 13:21; 14:61; 15:32
- Son of God – 1:1; 3:11; 5:7; 15:39; cf. 1:11; 9:7; 13:32; 14:61
- Teacher / Teaching – 1:21, 22, 27; 2:13; 4:1, 2, 38; 5:35; 6:2, 6, 30, 34; 8:31; 9:5, 17, 31, 38; 10:1, 17, 20, 35; 11:17, 18, 21; 12:14, 19, 32, 35, 38; 13:1; 14:14, 45, 49
- Authority / Power – 1:22, 27; 2:10; 3:15; 6:7; 11:28-33; 13:34
- Kingdom of God – 1:15; 4:11; 4:26, 30; 9:1; 9:47; 10:14-15; 10:23-25; 12:34; 14:25; 15:43
- Believe / Faith – 1:15; 2:5; 4:40; 5:34, 36; 9:23, 24, 42; 10:52; 11:22, 23, 24, 31; 13:21; 15:32; 16:13, 14, 16, 17
- Follow / Behind – 1:17, 18, 20; 2:14, 15; 3:7; 5:24; 6:1; 8:33, 34; 9:38; 10:21, 28, 32, 52; 11:9; 14:13, 54; 15:41
- The Way / Road – 1:2-3; 2:23; 6:8; 8:3, 27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32; 10:46, 52; 11:8; 12:14
Phrases repeated in close proximity:
- “rise, take up your mat, and walk/go” (2:9, 11, 12)
- “he appointed twelve” (3:14, 16)
- “healed of her disease” (5:29, 34)
- “the head of John the Baptist... on a platter” (6:24, 25, 28)
- “Don’t you understand?” (8:17, 21)
- “If your [hand/foot/eye] causes you to stumble…” (9:43, 45, 47)
- “How hard it is... to enter the Kingdom of God” (10:23, 24, 25)
- “Son of David, have mercy on me” (10:47, 48)
- “Call him... They called him... He is calling you” (10:49)
- “their testimony did not agree” (14:56, 59)

Realism in Narrative Details:

Long and detailed narratives:
- Some of Mark’s narratives are much longer and more detailed than the parallel stories in Matthew or Luke:
- the healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20; contrast Matt 8:28-34)
- the double-healing of Jairus’ daughter and a hemorrhaging woman (Mark 5:21-43; contrast Matt 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56)
Use of the “historical present” in narration:
- Throughout Mark’s Gospel, the Evangelist prefers the grammatical present tense while narrating past events;
- in contrast, Matthew and Luke often switch to a past tense in their versions of the same stories;
- for example, contrast the Greek text of Mark 1:12 with Matt 4:1 and Luke 4:1; or Mark 1:21 with Matt 4:12; Luke 4:31; and John 2:12
Realism about Jesus’ emotions and reactions:
- Mark’s comments about Jesus’ emotional states are often omitted in the parallel stories of Matthew and/or Luke::
- compassion (1:41); strong displeasure (1:43); amazement at disbelief (6:5); sighing deeply (8:12); indignation (10:14); love (10:21)
Realism of his family’s opposition and his disciples’ weaknesses:
- The family and closest disciples of Jesus are often portrayed quite negatively in Mark;
  many of the following details are omitted in the parallel stories of Matthew and/or Luke:
- Jesus disciples “hunt” for him (1:36)
- his family wants to restrain him, thinking he’s crazy (3:21)
- disciples fail to understand (4:13); they are afraid and lack faith (4:40)
- they don’t understand because their hearts are hardened (6:52)
- they have eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear (8:18-19)
- Peter is called “Satan” (8:33; also in Matt 16:23)
Use of Aramaisms:
- Mark often includes Aramaic and/or Hebrew words and phrases, which makes the narratives and dialogues more vivid. Given in Greek transliteration and often (but not always) followed by a translation, most of these words are omitted or replaced by Matthew and/or Luke, although a few are retained in the later Synoptic Gospels:
- Boanerges - “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17; omitted in Matt 10:2 and Luke 6:14)
- Beelzebul - (not translated in Mark 3.22; also used in Matt 12:24, 27, and Luke 11:15, 18-19)
- talitha cum - “Little girl, get up” (Mark 5:41; omitted in Matt 9:25 and Luke 8:54)
- Corban - “an offering to God” (Mark 7:11; omitted in Matt 15:5; no parallel story in Luke)
- ephphatha - “be opened” (Mark 7:34; omitted in Matt 15:29-31; no parallel in Luke)
- rabbi - (not translated in Mark 9:5; replaced by “Lord” in Matt 17:4; replaced by “master” in Luke 9:33)
- Bartimaeus - “son of Timaeus” (Mark 10:46; omitted in Matt 20:30 and Luke 18:35)
- rabbouni - (not translated in Mark 10:51; replaced by “Lord” in Matt 20:33 and Luke 18:41)
- hosanna - (not translated in Mark 11:9-10; used in Matt 21:9; omitted in Luke 19:38)
- rabbi - (not translated in Mark 11:21; omitted in Matt 21:20; no parallel in Luke)
- abba - “father” (Mark 14:36; omitted in Matt 26:39, 42 and Luke 22:42)
- rabbi - (not translated in Mark 14:45; used in Matt 26:49; omitted in Luke 22:47)
- Golgotha - “the place of a skull” (Mark 15:22; used in Matt 27:33; omitted in Luke 23:33)
- Eloi eloi lema sabachthani - “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; used in Matt 27:46, omitted in Luke 23:45-46)

Latinisms:

Mark's Greek contains many words and phrases that seem to be borrowed from or influenced by Latin;
- this may support the early Christian tradition that Mark's Gospel was closely connected with the city of Rome.
Individual Words borrowed from Latin:
- μοδιον = modius = bushel basket, bowl, tub (4:21)
- χορτος = herba = blade, shoot, stalk (4:28)
- λεγιων = legio = legion (5:9, 15)
- σπεκουλατωρ = speculator = soldier, executioner (6:27)
- δηναριον = denarius = coin of daily wage (6:37; 12:15; 14:5)
- ξεστης = sextarius = pot, jug, pitcher (7:4)
- κηνσος = census = census tax (12:14)
- κοδραντης = quadrans = penny, small coin (12:42)
- φραγελλοω = fragello = to scourge, flog (15:15)
- πραιτωριον = praetorium = palace, governor’s headquarters (15:16)
- κεντυρίων = centurio = centurion, officer (15:39, 44, 45)
Expressions influenced by Latin:
- οδον ποιειν = iter facere = to make one’s way (2:23)
- συμβουλιον εδιδουν = consilium dederunt = to deliberate, give counsel (3:6)
- εσχατως εχει = in extremis esse = to be at the point of death (5:23)
- ειχον... οτι = habere = to think, lit. “to have/hold that” (11:32)
- ραπισμασιν… ελαβον = verberibus acceperunt = to strike/beat, lit. “to receive with blows” (14:65)
- συμβουλιον ποιησαντες = consilium capere = to deliberate, lit. “to make counsel” (15:1)
- το ικανον ποιησαι = satisfacere = to satisfy, lit. “to make enough” (15:15)
- τιθεντες τα γονατα = genua ponentes = to kneel down, lit. “to place the knees” (15:19)

The “Messianic Secret”:

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus frequently tells people not to tell others about his healings or exorcisms:
- After performing exorcisms, he silences the demons and forbids them from speaking (1:23, 34; 3:11-12)
- He warns a leper not to speak publicly about his cleansing (1:43-45)
- He tells the family of Jairus not to tell of their daughter’s raising (5:43)
- After healing a deaf man, he orders the witness to tell no one (7:36)
- He tells a blind man to go home, rather than going into his village (8:26)
- One exception: Jesus tells the Gerasene demoniac (a Gentile!) to tell his relatives (5:19)
The Markan Jesus also admonishes his disciples not to tell others that he is the Messiah:
- After Peter’s “Confession of Faith” at Caesarea (8:30)
- After coming down from the Mount of the Transfiguration (9:9)
Somewhat related is the distinction Jesus makes between his disciples and “outsiders”:
- “To you has been given the secret (or mystery) of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything comes in parables...” (4:10-12)
- Similarly, while Jesus is teaching his disciples inside a house, his family remains “outside” (3:31-32)

Special Relationships of Narrator and Reader:

Eyewitness Narrator:
- the Evangelist Mark was not himself an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry, but rather a 2nd-generation Christian (most likely a follower of Peter)
- yet the “internal narrator” of the story writes as if he had personally witnessed all the action.
Omniscient Narrator: the narrator has lots of “inside information”:
- details about people’s private thoughts, feelings, or plans (1:41; 2:6-8; 5:28; 6:2; 6:52; 14:4)
- details about events at which no disciples were present (3:6; 14:1-2; 14:55-65; 15:1-5, 16-19)
Privileged Reader: the narrator gives the reader special insights:
- certain things that the characters inside the story do not know, or only find out much later (e.g., that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God; 1:1)
- extra information that he thinks the reader might need (e.g., 7:3-4, 19, about Jewish ritual practices; or 13:14, saying, “let the reader understand”)

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The Gospel according to Mark: Literary Features & Thematic Emphases