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Mark Chapter 16

Mark Chapter 16

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The empty tomb
  1. And the Sabbath having passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that having gone to the tomb, they might anoint Him.
  2. And they go to the tomb very early on the first day of the week, the sun having already risen.
  3. And they were saying among themselves: “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
  4. And having looked up, they see that the stone has been rolled away (for it was exceedingly large).
  5. And having entered into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right *clothed with a white robe and they were alarmed.
  6. And he tells them: “Don’t be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the One who has been crucified.  He was raised!  He isn’t here!  Behold, the place where they laid Him.
  7. “But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee.  You will see Him there, just as He told you.”
  8. And having gone out, they fled from the tomb, for trembling and amazement was gripping them.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were frightened.
The disputed “Longer ending” of Mark

Translator’s notefnModern scholarly consensus is that verses 9-20 were added to the Gospel of Mark at a very early date and weren’t original to Mark.  To support this, they will point out that this passage isn’t present in the earliest copies of the New Testament, and that some early church fathers (such as Eusebius) explicitly reject it.  Further, some manuscripts which include it suggest that it’s absent from even earlier manuscripts.  The existence of the “intermediate ending” (see note on the following section) is also cited as evidence against it being original.  The typical reason offered for the addition is because Mark ending at verse 8 seems unfinished and unsatisfying.  On the other side, those who favor its inclusion will cite Irenaeus (circa ~180) who quotes it as scripture, and who is earlier than our earliest manuscripts.  They will also point out that it’s present in the vast majority of manuscripts, including many early manuscripts.

  1. And, having arisen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
  2. Having gone, that woman reported it to the men who had been with Him, who were mourning and weeping.
  3. And having heard that He lives and was seen by her, those men disbelieved her.
  4. And after these things, He appeared in another form to two of them while they’re walking, traveling into the country.
  5. And having gone, those men reported it to the rest, and they didn’t believe them either.
  6. But later while they are reclining at the table, He appeared to the eleven and rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they didn’t believe the men who saw Him *risen [from the dead].
  7. And He told them: “Having gone into the entire world, proclaim the good news to all creation.
  8. “The man who believed and was baptized will be saved, but the man who disbelieved will be condemned.
  9. “And, these signs will follow the men who believed: They will cast out demons in My name, they will speak new tongues,
  10. and they will pick up snakes [with their hands], and if they drink anything deadly, it definitely won’t hurt them.  They will lay hands on the sick and they will be well.”
  11. Therefore after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was indeed taken up into heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God.
  12. And having gone out, those men proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the signs following them.
The highly disputed “intermediate ending” of Mark

Translator’s notefnThere is essentially no scholarly support for this “intermediate ending” being original to Mark, and the overwhelming vast majority of translations don’t include it.  It has only been included here for completeness.  This ending’s existence has been cited as evidence that Mark ended at verse 8.  The reasoning is because if Mark ended at verse 20, then there would be no reason for this section to exist in the first place.

  • [And they concisely proclaimed all these things which were *instructed to Peter and the men with him.  And through them, from east to west, Jesus Himself sent out the sacred and imperishable proclamation of the salvation of ages.  Amen.]

 

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