The anger 01- jesus in mark's gospel

Abstract

The textual variants in Markan passages depicting the anger of Jesus coupled with Matthaean and Lukan amendments to and omissions from them, suggest that discomfort at the thought of Jesus' anger is no merely modern phenomenon. Nevertheless its possibility still strikes some as bizarre and some as impossible. However, in this thesis I argue that, far from being extraneous or peripheral. Jesus' anger is integral to Mark's presentation of the gospel First, it illustrates Mark's claim that Jesus was the son of God. Many of the themes associated with God's anger in the Old Testament are discernible also in Mark's Gospel. Furthermore, in Mark Jesus alone expresses 6prn . and, while the indignations of others are invariably condemned, Jesus' expressions of anger are always cast in a positive and even divine light. Secondly the anger of Jesus highlights the importance of the various issues which were the subject of intense debate between Christians and Jews, within Judaism itself and among his own followers. The status of the law, the nature and purpose of miracles, the meaning of suffering, the roles of children, outsiders and Gentiles are all very much to the fore in the Markan pericopae which depict Jesus' anger. His anger proclaims their seriousness and the urgency with which they should be tackled The notion of Jesus' anger involves, inevitably, some recognition of the mystery surrounding his character and his relationship with God However, one of Mark's main points seems to be that Jesus is an enigma only to the hard of heart and the blind in perception. In the six Markan passages, which are the subject of this thesis, Jesus lays down clear principles for faith, action and discipline. His anger underlines their importance and his own authority.