Jesus' defeat of death: persuading Mark's early readers

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
CONTENTS......Page 11
PREFACE......Page 13
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 15
NOTE ON THE RENDERING OF PAPYROLOGICAL/INSCRIPTIONAL TEXTS......Page 16
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 17
General orientation to the topic......Page 23
General orientation to the method......Page 24
Text to (implied) reader......Page 25
The (flesh-and-blood) readers to the text......Page 29
Jesus’ defeat of death......Page 32
The role of the suppliants......Page 33
The role of the disciples: ‘weak’ identification......Page 34
Distance......Page 38
Telling and showing......Page 39
Focalisation......Page 40
Sympathetic alignment......Page 41
Strong identification in Mark......Page 42
Mark’s reading dynamics: a model......Page 44
The suppliants and the real world......Page 45
Illness......Page 48
The shadow of death......Page 49
The treatment protocol......Page 53
A magical renaissance......Page 56
Unused sources......Page 57
A widespread phenomenon......Page 58
A first-century phenomenon......Page 59
Magic and death......Page 60
Apotheosis......Page 61
The ruler as the source of life......Page 62
Life from the dead......Page 63
Mark’s alternative......Page 64
Procedures......Page 65
Mark’s title (1.1)......Page 66
The prologue (1.2–13)......Page 68
Text to reader......Page 70
Reader to text......Page 71
Text to reader: unclean spirits obey......Page 72
Unclean spirits I......Page 75
Daimones and the dead......Page 76
Literature......Page 77
Magical practices......Page 79
Hellenistic-Jewish literature......Page 81
Unclean souls......Page 82
Interfering unclean ghosts......Page 85
Daemonic fear (v.24b)......Page 86
The muzzling (v.25)......Page 87
The expulsion......Page 88
Daemonic knowledge......Page 90
The violence......Page 91
The spirits’ question......Page 93
Significance in the narrative......Page 95
Text to reader: raised from her bed......Page 96
Fever......Page 98
The fear of fever......Page 100
Fever the killer......Page 101
The perception of the killer......Page 103
Fever: the shadow of death......Page 104
Fever as ordeal......Page 106
The fear of fever-as-curse......Page 107
Fever and the dead......Page 108
Raised from the dead?......Page 109
Jesus’ fame expands (1.32–39)......Page 110
A leper’s doubt (v.40)......Page 111
Jesus’ willingness (vv.41f.)......Page 112
Unofficial publicity (vv.43–45)......Page 113
Impact......Page 114
Leprosy......Page 115
Leprosy and death......Page 116
Banishment......Page 117
Leprosy and the dead......Page 121
Jesus and the leper......Page 123
Text to reader: a paralytic raised......Page 124
A paralytic......Page 126
A condition of the sinews......Page 127
Death invading the body......Page 128
The sinews and ‘the bonds of the soul’......Page 129
Paralysis as curse......Page 131
Paralysis and the dead......Page 136
Lameness and the imperial power......Page 137
Suppliant 5: life instead of death (3.1–6)......Page 138
Text to reader: life on the Sabbath......Page 139
Withering and death......Page 141
A withered hand and the dead......Page 142
Withered hand and the imperial power......Page 143
The call of the twelve (3.7–19)......Page 144
The accusation......Page 145
The Prince of the daimones......Page 146
The releaser of daimones......Page 149
Jesus and the strong man......Page 150
Listening for the kingdom (4.1–34)......Page 151
The sea......Page 153
Caesar as ‘master of land and sea’......Page 154
‘Master of land and sea’: Jesus?......Page 156
Text to reader......Page 157
Perishing at sea......Page 158
Fear at sea......Page 159
The fear of death......Page 160
The ruler of the waves......Page 161
Who then is this?......Page 163
The man from the tombs......Page 165
The clash of the spirits......Page 166
The aftermath......Page 167
The significance for the narrative......Page 168
His strength......Page 169
The attempts to bind......Page 170
The clash of spirits......Page 171
The fear of a changed location......Page 172
The pigs into the sea......Page 173
Jesus cares for the perishing......Page 175
Text to reader: life from the brink of death......Page 176
Expendable children?......Page 177
Burying your children......Page 180
Dying young......Page 181
Dying young and the fear of ghosts......Page 182
Curses and the family......Page 183
Love magic gone wrong?......Page 184
Curses and death......Page 186
Text to reader: a woman saved......Page 189
Bleeding to death?......Page 192
Bled to death......Page 193
Bleeding and the dead......Page 195
Turning to someone new......Page 196
Text to reader: a daughter raised from the dead......Page 197
Death: the end......Page 200
The tragic end of pain......Page 201
Death as nothingness......Page 202
Death as the relocation of the soul......Page 203
The mysteries......Page 205
The will to live......Page 207
Hope......Page 208
The denial of resurrection......Page 209
Magical resurrection?......Page 210
Raised from the dead......Page 211
Galilean leadership (Mark 6.1–7.23)......Page 212
Journey 2: the heart problem (Mark 6.45–8.10)......Page 216
Text to reader: a daimon leaves a Greek......Page 218
The woman’s race......Page 220
Jesus and the Caesar......Page 221
Text to reader: a deaf man healed......Page 222
The suppliant and death......Page 226
The suppliant and the dead......Page 227
The suppliant and Jesus......Page 230
Suppliant 11: a blind man sees (Mark 8.22–26)......Page 231
Text to reader: a blind man sees......Page 232
Blindness......Page 233
Blindness and death......Page 234
Blindness and the dead......Page 236
The new gods......Page 237
Sight to the blind......Page 238
Prediction 1: the Son of Man must die (8.27–9.29)......Page 239
Text to reader: suffering before the kingdom......Page 241
Features of translations......Page 242
The Caesars......Page 244
Text to reader: a boy is raised......Page 246
Epilepsy and death......Page 251
The deaf and dumb spirit......Page 252
Epilepsy and the dead......Page 253
Boys and magic......Page 254
Death and resurrection......Page 255
Prediction 2: entering the kingdom (Mark 9.30–10.31)......Page 256
Prediction 3: the way to the kingdom (Mark 10.32–52)......Page 257
Text to reader: a blind beggar......Page 258
Blindness, death, and the dead......Page 264
The imperial comparison......Page 265
Day 1: the coming kingdom of David (11.1–11)......Page 266
The explanation: the figtree (11.20–26)......Page 267
The explanation: the temple (11.27–12.12)......Page 268
Rendering to God (12.13–17)......Page 269
The resurrection of the dead (12.18–27)......Page 271
A messianic puzzle (12.35–37)......Page 272
The plunder of Israel (12.41–44)......Page 273
The explanation: the Son of Man (13.1–37)......Page 274
Preparation for the passion narrative......Page 275
Passover predictions (14.12–31)......Page 276
Alone in the will of God (14.32–42)......Page 277
Trials within and without (14.53–72)......Page 278
The death of the king (Mark 15.1–39)......Page 279
The women from Galilee (15.40f.)......Page 281
Time for a proper burial......Page 282
A hero?......Page 283
Real bodies; insubstantial shades......Page 284
Apotheosis of virtuous souls......Page 285
Bodily?......Page 286
The crucified one is risen......Page 287
Risen......Page 288
The kingdom in power......Page 289
Conclusions on method......Page 291
Jesus’ defeat of death......Page 293
Jesus’ defeat of death and Mark’s early readers......Page 294
Jesus’ defeat of death as ‘gospel’ for the early readers......Page 295
Mark’s narrative impact on early Graeco-Roman readers......Page 298
Mark’s Gospel: Jesus’ defeat of death......Page 300
Literary sources......Page 302
Other Primary Sources & Translations......Page 322
Secondary Sources......Page 326
INDEX OF BIBLICAL REFERENCES......Page 343
INDEX OF ANCIENT SOURCES......Page 351
INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS......Page 372
SUBJECT INDEX......Page 376