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I initially thought I would most likely explore the stories of these two women in separate chapters. But having looked at them closely, I don\u2019t think it is just the author of the Gospel of Mark who forces them to be connected. Unless Mark, our earliest source, is completely off base, they are inherently related to one another. Mark, to be sure, uses his characteristic method of sandwiching one story between the beginning and end of another to prompt us to interpret them in conjunction with one another. But the fact that the author likes to do this doesn\u2019t mean that he is wrong to think it appropriate. In this instance, at any rate, interesting things happen when we follow Mark\u2019s prompting. Mark also depicts the young girl as being around 12 years old, and the woman has having had her hemorrhaging for 12 years. Surely the storyteller expects us to ask what the connection is! I\u2019m increasingly persuaded that the Gospels were memory aids for early Christian storytellers, and that the audience was expected to notice intriguing details and ask about them. I have come up with my own answer to the question of what the intrinsic connection between these two women is. I will share that in the book. What\u2019s yours?<\/p>\n