The Identity of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark: Past and Present Proposals

Abstract

Focusing on the question whether the Markan Jesus is viewed as a divine figure or a merely human being, this article surveys the various interpretations of the Christology of the Gospel of Mark from the late nineteenth century to the present date. Three broad periods are detected. The first is characterized by a combination of a low Christology with a high estimation of Mark as history. After the publication of Wrede’s Messiasgeheimnis this changes, and for various reasons the majority of scholars view Mark’s Jesus as a superhuman being. A new shift takes place around 1970 when the Markan Jesus again is seen as a merely human being. While this still remains the majority position there is far from a consensus in this regard, and present Markan scholarship seems to be more divided than ever before.

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