Jesus' Defeat of Death: Persuading Mark's Early Readers (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)

Peter Bolt explores the impact of Mark's Gospel on early readers in the first-century Graeco-Roman world. Focusing upon the thirteen characters in Mark who come to Jesus for healing or exorcism, Bolt analyzes their crucial role in the communication of the Gospel. Enlisting a variety of ancient literary and non-literary sources, this book recreates the first-century world of illness, magic and Roman imperialism. This new approach to Mark combines reader-response criticism with social history. 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 "Peter Bolt explores the impact of Mark's Gospel on its early readers in the first-century Graeco-Roman world. His book focuses upon the thirteen characters in Mark who come to Jesus for healing or exorcism and, using analytical tools of narrative and reader-response criticism, explores their crucial role in the communication of the Gospel. Bolt suggests that early readers of Mark would be persuaded that Jesus' dealings with the suppliants show him casting back the shadow of death and that this in itself is preparatory for Jesus' final defeat of death in resurrection. Enlisting a variety of ancient literary and non-literary sources in an attempt to illuminate this first-century world, this book gives special attention to illness, magic and the Roman imperial system. This is a new approach to Mark which attempts to break the impasse between narrative and historical studies and will appeal to scholars and students alike."--Jacket Peter Bolt explores the impact of Mark's Gospel on its early readers in the first-century Graeco-Roman world. His book focuses upon the thirteen characters in Mark who come to Jesus for healing or exorcism and, using analytical tools of narrative and reader-response criticism, explores their crucial role in the communication of the Gospel. Bolt suggests that early readers of Mark would be persuaded that Jesus'dealings with the suppliants show him casting back the shadow of death and that this in itself is preparatory for Jesus'final defeat of death in resurrection. Enlisting a variety of ancient literary and non-literary sources in an attempt to illuminate this first-century world, this book gives special attention to illness, magic and the Roman imperial system. This is a different approach to Mark, which attempts to break the impasse between narrative and historical studies and will appeal to scholars and students alike. Peter Bolt explores the impact of Mark's Gospel on its early readers in the first-century Graeco-Roman world. He focuses upon the thirteen characters in Mark who come to Jesus for healing and, using analytical tools of narrative and reader-response criticism, explores their crucial role in the communication of the Gospel