Did Mark Write Mark 16:9-20? A Textual Criticism Case Study
Introduction
The final goal of textual criticism is the recovery of the words of the original writers of Scripture out of the many manuscripts of the New Testament available to the scholar today. Since the Scriptures are the very foundation of Christian belief, there can surely be no more important a task than using the gifts of knowledge and of materials—in the form of thousands of manuscripts—to discover once again the very words our Lord inspired the authors of Scripture to write. There is scholarly agreement that, for the vast majority of the New Testament, one can have the assurance that these were the words the authors originally wrote. However, there are still some passages of Scripture in which the wording is by no means clear. Indeed, there are a couple of places where there is question whether an entire passage is original. John 7:53-8:11 is one of those passages; another is the passage under examination in this paper.
The purpose of this brief paper is to examine the textual evidence for the authorship of Mark 16:9-20 and come to a determination with regard to its authorship, at least in terms of the evangelist Mark. One cannot do in-depth textual study of this kind without a dependence upon the original languages. For this reason, the meat of this paper may not be readily accessible to those without facility in Greek and at least some understanding of text critical methodology. However, it is the hope of this author that the conclusions will be of interest and benefit to the entire body of Christ.
Context
The passage in question falls right at the end of Mark’s Gospel. Without it, Mark’s narrative ends thus:
1 Now when the
Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary
the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first
day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (NASB)
Did Mark Write Mark 16:9-20? A Textual Criticism Case Study – Alpha and Omega Ministries
It's also stated in the New Testament.
