Prepare the Way of the Lord: Towards a Cognitive Poetic Analysis of Audience Involvement with Characters and Events in the Markan World (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift ... neutestamentliche Wissenschaft Book 180)

This study analyzes an oral performance of the entire Gospel of Mark, with emphasis on involvement with characters and events, the emotional effects of such involvement, and how these processes maintain or shape the identity of those who hear the Gospel. Insights from cognitive poetics and psychonarratology are employed to illuminate the complex, cognitive processes that take place when audience members experience an oral performance of the Gospel. Consequently, this study expands previous research on the Gospel of Mark which was conducted on the basis of narrative criticism, orality criticism, and performance criticism by including cognitive aspects. Cognitive poetics and psychonarratology have to my knowledge not been extensively employed to illuminate an oral performance of the Gospel of Mark previously. This investigation provides: (1) An original, coherent theoretical and methodological framework; (2) An analysis of mechanisms which promote involvement with characters and events in the Markan narrative; (3) An examination of the prospective emotional effects of such involvement; (4) Reflections on the potential of these mechanisms with regard to identity maintenance or formation through cultural memory; (5) A cognitive poetic commentary on the entire Gospel of Mark. Acknowledgements Part I Introduction I.1. Prepare the Way of the Lord I.2. Oral Performance and the Gospel of Mark I.3. For Whom Was the Gospel ofMark Performed? I.4. The LiteraryCharacter ofMark I.5. The Markan World as a Conceptual World I.6. Involvement with the Markan World I.6.1. Involvement with Markan Characters through Identification I.6.2. Involvement with Markan Characters through Sound I.6.3. Involvement with the Narrative World through Visualization I.7. Short Comments on the Approach Chosen for This Study Part II Theories and Methods That Explain Involvement with the Markan World II.1. Introductory Remarks II.2. Conventional Theory about Characters II.3. Mental Representations of Narratives II.3.1. The Communicative Aspect II.3.2. The Discourse Aspect II.3.3. The Suggestion Aspect II.3.4. The Realization Aspect II.3.5. The Event/Story Aspect II.3.6. Short Summary II.4. Mimesis II.4.1. Mimesis as Performance: Mimesis of Performance, Mimesis through Performance II.4.2. Mimesis as Transportation II.4.3. Mimesis as Simulation II.5. Audience Members Cast as Invisible Witnesses, Addressees, and Side-Participants II.5.1. Focalization and the Invisible Witness II.5.2. Focalization – Psychology and Ideology II.5.3. Speech Acts – Addressee or Side-Participant II.5.4. Involvement with Characters: Empathy and Identification II.6. Narrative Impact II.6.1. Narrative Impact Part One: Emotions and Literature II.6.2. Narrative Impact Part Two: Beliefs, Behavior, and Identity II.7. The Parables as Hypodiegetic Narratives II.7.1. Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Blending Theory II.7.2. Blending Theory II.7.3. Local Context and Grounding Box II.7.4. Interpretation of the Blend and Its Cultural Foundation in the Suggestion Structure II.7.5. Blending Theory and Linear Presentation of lnformation during an Oral Performance Event II.8. Summary Part III The Structure of the Gospel of Mark III.1. A Linguistic Approach III.1.1. An Overview ofNarrative Markers III.2. An Outline of the Gospel of Mark Part IV Analysis of Involvement with Characters and Events in the Markan World 1:1: Title 1:2–13: In the Wilderness 1:2–3: Isaiah’s Prophecy 1:4–11: John the Baptist and Jesus at the River Jordan 1:4–8: The Ministry of John the Baptist 1:9–11: Jesus Is Baptized by John 1:12–13: Jesus and Otherworldly Beings in the Wilderness 1:14–8:26: Jesus in Galilee and the Surrounding Areas 1:14–15: Jesus Arrives in Galilee 1:16–20: Jesus Calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John by the Sea of Galilee 1:21–34: Jesus, Simon, Andrew, James, and John in Capernaum 1:21–28: Jesus in the Synagogue 1:29–34: Jesus, Simon, Andrew, James, and John at the House of Simon and Andrew 1:35–38: Jesus, Simon, and His Companions at a Desolated Place 1:39–45a: Jesus Enters Synagogues Throughout All of Galilee 1:39: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits 1:40–45a: Jesus Is Approached by a Leper 1:45b: Jesus Stays in Desolated Places 2:1–12: Jesus in the House in Capernaum 2:13–14: Jesusbythe Sea 2:15–22: Jesus in His House 2:23–3:6: Jesus and the Pharisees on the Sabbath 2:23–28: Jesus and His Disciples Pass through the Grainfields 3:1–6: Jesus Enters a Synagogue 3:7–12: Jesus by the Sea 3:13–19: Jesus and the Twelve on the Mountain 3:20–35: Jesus in a House 4:1–34: Jesus Teaches by the Sea 4:1–9: Jesus Teaches the Crowd from the Boat 4:10–20: Jesus Teaches “Those Around Him Along with the Twelve” 4:21–34: Jesus Teaches the Crowd and “Those Around Him Along with the Twelve” 4:35–41: Jesus and the Disciples in the Boat When the Evening Had Come 5:1–20: Jesus in the Country of the Gerasenes, at the Other Side of the Sea 5:21–43: Jesus on the Other Side of the Sea 5:21–24: Jesus and Jairus 5:25–34: Jesus and the Woman Who Had a Flow of Blood 5:35–43: Jesus and Jairus 6:1–13: Jesus and His Disciples in Jesus’ Hometown and the Surrounding Villages 6:1–6a: Jesus in the Synagogue on the Sabbath 6:6b–13: Jesus and the Twelve Teach in the Surrounding Villages 6:14–29: King Herod 6:30–31: The Apostles Gather Together with Jesus 6:32–33: They Go Away to a Deserted Place 6:34–44: Jesus, His Disciples, and the Crowd at the Deserted Place 6:45–52: On the Way to Bethsaida 6:53–7:23: Jesus at Gennesaret 6:53–56: Jesus Is Recognized and Heals 7:1–13: Jesus Debates with the Pharisees and Some of the Scribes 7:14–15: Jesus Calls the Crowd 7:17–23: Jesus and the Disciples in a House 7:24–30: Jesus in the Region of Tyre 7:31–8:9: Jesus Departs from the Region of Tyre and Arrives by the Sea of Galilee 7:31–37: Jesus Heals a Deaf and Tongue-Tied Man 8:1–9: Jesus and the Disciples Feed the Multitude 8:10–12: Jesus Debates with the Pharisees in Dalmanutha 8:13–21: Jesus and His Disciples on the Way to the Other Side 8:22–26: Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida 8:27–11:10: Jesus Is on the Way Which Ends in Jerusalem 8:27–9:29: Jesus and His Disciples on Their Way to the Region of Caesarea Philippi 8:27–9:1: Jesus Speaks to the Disciples and the Crowd 8:27–33: Jesus Speaks to the Disciples 8:34–9:1: Jesus Speaks to the Crowd and the Disciples 9:2–13: Jesus, Peter, James, and John on a High Mountain Six Days Later 9:14–27: They Return to the Disciples 9:28–29: Jesus and His Disciples in a House 9:30–50: Jesus and His Disciples Go Trough Galilee 9:30–32: Jesus Teaches the Disciples 9:33–50: Jesus Teaches the Disciples, the Twelve, and John in a House in Capernaum 9:33–37: Jesus, the Disciples, and the Twelve 9:38–50: Jesus and John 10:1–11:10: In the Region of Judea and Beyond the River Jordan 10:1–9: Jesus Teaches the Crowds and Debates with the Pharisees 10:10–16: Jesus, His Disciples, and Children in a House 10:10–12: Jesus and His Disciples 10:13–16: Jesus, the Disciples, and the Children 10:17–31: When Jesus Was Setting Out on the Way 10:17–22: Jesus Speaks to the Rich Man 10:23–27: Jesus Speaks to His Disciples 10:28–31: Jesus Speaks to Peter 10:32–11:10: Jesus, the Twelve, and the Disciples on the Way to Jerusalem 10:32–34: Jesus Speaks to the Twelve 10:35–40: Jesus Speaks to James and John 10:41–45: Jesus Summons and Teaches the Ten as well as James and John 10:46–52: Jesus Goes Out of Jericho 11:1–10: They Were Approaching Jerusalem 11:11–16:8: Jesus in Jerusalem and the Surrounding Areas 11:11: Jesus Enters the Temple and Departs for Bethany Together with the Twelve 11:12–19: The Next Day 11:12–14: They Depart from Bethany 11:15–19: Jesus Is in the Temple in Jerusalem 11:20–13:37: The Next Day 11:20–25: In the Morning 11:27–12:44: They Enter Jerusalem and Jesus Walks in the Temple 11:27–12:12: Jesus Debates with the Chief Priests, Scribes, and Elders 12:13–17: Jesus Debates with Some of the Pharisees and Herodians 12:18–27: Jesus Debates with the Sadducees 12:28–34: Jesus Debates with One of the Scribes 12:35–37a: Jesus Teaches in the Temple 12:37b–40: Jesus Speaks to the Crowd 12:41–44: Jesus Opposite the Treasury 13:1–37: Outside the Temple 13:1–2: Jesus and the Disciples Went Out of the Temple 13:3–37: Jesus, Peter, James, John, and Andrew on the Mount of Olives 14:1–11: Two Days before Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread 14:1–2: The Chief Priests and the Scribes 14:3–9: Jesus in Bethany in the House of Simon the Leper 14:10–11: Judas Iscariot and the Chief Priests 14:12–72: On the First Day of Unleavened Bread, When the Passover Lamb Was Being Sacrificed 14:12–16: Jesus and His Disciples Plan and Organize the Passover 14:17–25: Jesus and the Twelve Come in the Evening 14:26–31: They Went Out to the Mount of Olives 14:32–52: Jesus and the Disciples at Gethsemane 14:32–42: Jesus, Peter, James, and John 14:43–52: Judas and the Crowd Arrive 14:53–72: Jesus and Peter at the High Priest’s Residence 14:53: Jesus Is Led to the High Priest 14:54: Peter Is in the Courtyard of the High Priest 14:55–65: Jesus, the ChiefPriests, and the Council 14:66–72: Peter 15:1–47: Earlyin the Morning 15:1: Jesus Is Led Away and Handed Over to Pilate 15:2–15: Jesus, Pilate, the Chief Priests, and the Crowd in Front of Pilate’s Residence 15:16–20a: Jesus Is in the Courtyard Together with the Whole Roman Cohort 15:20b–21: Jesus Is Led Out to Be Crucified 15:22–41: Jesus at Golgotha 15:22–24: Jesus Arrives at Golgotha 15:25–32: From the Third to the Sixth Hour 15:33: From the Sixth to the Ninth Hour 15:34–41: Jesus Dies at the Ninth Hour 15:42–47: When the Evening of the Preparation Day Had Come 15:42–45: Joseph of Arimathea Went to Pilate 15:46–47: Joseph Lays Jesus in a Tomb 16:1–8: When the Sabbath Was Over 16:1: Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome Buy Spices 16:2–7: Very Early on the First Day of the Week They Came to the Tomb 16:2–4: Outside the Tomb 16:5–7: They See a Young Man in the Tomb 16:8: They Flee from the Tomb Part V Conclusion V.1. A Short Recapitulation of the Main Sources of lnspiration for This Study, Including My Suggested Improvements V.2. The Approach of This Study and Its Relation to Ancient Poetics and Progymnasmata V.3. Results Pertaining to the Performance Situation, Theory, Method, and Analysis V.3.1. The Performance Situation and Audience Members V.3.2. Mental Representations of the Markan World V.3.3. Transportation to the Markan World V.4. Markan Parables and the Way ttey Facilitate Simulation of Text-Internal and Text-External Target Inputs V.5. Cultural Memory and the Gospel of Mark V.6. The Limitations of This Study: Suggestions Regarding Theory, Method, and Analysis V.6.1. The Limitations of This Investigation Pertaining to the Historical Situation of Audience Members V.6.2. The Limitations of This Investigation Pertaining to Important Features of the Performance Situation V.6.3. The Limitations of This Investigation Concerning the Cultural Memory Which Constitutes the Suggestion and Realization Aspect V.7. The Gospel of Mark as Cultural Text and Erinnerungsfigur V.7.1. Place and Time V.7.2. Group Affairs and Identity Bibliography Appendix Index of Modern Authors This study analyzes an oral performance of the entire Gospel of Mark, with emphasis on involvement with characters and events, the emotional effects of such involvement, and how these processes maintain or shape the identity of those who hear the Gospel. Insights from cognitive poetics and psychonarratology illuminate the cognitive processes that take place during the performance. Consequently, previous research on the Gospel of Mark, which was conducted on the basis of narrative criticism, orality criticism, and performance criticism, is expanded with cognitive aspects. Kirsten Marie Hartvigsen, University of Oslo, Norway