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<\/a><\/p>\nQ.\u00a0 What do you mean by saying this Gospel has an apocalyptic character or flavor, especially in certain revelatory scenes like the one at the baptism or the Transfiguration? Is this somehow related to Mark\u2019s famous \u2018messianic secret\u2019 motif?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
CCB: \u201cApocalypticism\u201d is among the most misunderstood phenomena in biblical interpretation. Partly that\u2019s because in everyday English the term often carries very narrow, constrictive connotations: \u201ccatastrophic doom\u201d or \u201cthe world\u2019s complete annihilation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Literally, an apocalypse is a revelation: a \u201cpulling away\u201d of the veil to disclose what is real but hidden. Some episodes in Mark are blatantly apocalyptic by ancient Jewish norms. You\u2019ve mentioned two of them. The baptism of Jesus<\/strong> (Mark 1:9\u201311) is accompanied by the rending of the heavens (compare Isaiah 64:1; Ezekiel 1:1; John 1:51; Acts 7:56; Rev 4:1), the descent of the divine Spirit (1 Samuel 10:6, 10; Revelation 1:10; 4:2), and the bath\u2013qol<\/em>, or heavenly voice (Daniel 4:31; Josephus, Jewish Antiquities<\/em> 13.10.3; John 12:28; Acts 9:4; 10:13; various rabbinic tractates). Jesus\u2019 transfiguration<\/strong> (Mark 9:2\u20138) takes place on a high mountain, where, in the Old Testament, divine revelation typically occurs (Exodus 19:3-25; 24:12-18; 1 Kings 19:8). Dazzling radiance is another apocalyptic trope (Daniel 7:19; 12:3; Matthew 13:43; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Revelation 3:5). Attending Jesus in Mark 9:4 are Elijah and Moses, heavenly messengers in Malachi 4:5\u20136 and Sirach 45:1\u201322; 48:1\u201316.\u00a0 As in Mark 1:11, the divine voice in 9:7 declares Jesus as God\u2019s Son. In his marvelously ironic manner, Mark pretzels these revelatory tropes in 15:33\u201339 and 16:1\u20138: Jesus\u2019 acclamation as God\u2019s Son occurs in darkness or at daybreak, after curtains are split and boulders rolled away, and is ratified by unexpected witnesses under the most preposterous of circumstances: crucifixion. In such Jewish books as Isaiah (26:19) 2 Maccabees, 1 Enoch, and 2 Baruch, resurrection of the dead is an intrinsically apocalyptic belief. All these episodes\u2014Jesus\u2019 baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion\u2013resurrection\u2014are tent poles that support a narrative in Mark that is apocalyptic through and through. Jesus is the vanguard of God\u2019s kingdom, which is routing the forces of Satan (1:12\u201313; 3:22\u201335). History is pushing forward to the Son of Man\u2019s return to judge those ashamed of him (8:34\u20139:1) and to deliver those faithful to the gospel (10:29\u201331; 13:1\u201337). The wildest aspect of Mark\u2019s apocalypticism is its confounding mystery: a kingdom that appears as little more than seed blithely sown (4:3\u20138, 26\u201332), whose anointed emissary dies by the most excruciating humiliation, whose character of self-sacrifice ridicules ancient and modern cultures of narcissistic success (8:24\u201337; 10:42\u201345).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Q.\u00a0 What do you mean by saying this Gospel has an apocalyptic character or flavor, especially in certain revelatory scenes like the one at the baptism or the Transfiguration? Is this somehow related to Mark\u2019s famous \u2018messianic secret\u2019 motif? \u00a0 CCB: \u201cApocalypticism\u201d is among the most misunderstood phenomena in biblical interpretation. Partly that\u2019s because in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":57084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13586],"class_list":["post-57422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-apocalypse-back-then"],"yoast_head":"\n
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