[B-Greek] EKBALLEI: simple word in strange context (Mk 1:12)?
waldo slusher
waldoslusher at yahoo.com
Fri Feb 21 10:50:27 EST 2003
Here is basically how I see authorial approaches to
any commentary of Mark, or other gospels for that
matter;
1. Speculate as to whether or not Mark wrote his
gospel first, second, etc...
2. Try to sort out the hypothetical Q source
3. Speculate as to what OT passages are driving Mark
to say what he does
4. Guess how many later redactors changed Mark from
what he originally said
5. Speculate that Mark wrote first the gospel in
Aramaic and then he or some other redactor rewrote
Mark, with several errors, changes, inaccuracies
6. Speculate as to how many different documents Mark
was using, could he have had some authentic documents,
could he have had inauthentic documents, speculate as
to which sources he used for a particular pericope
7. On and on we go....
And worst of all, interpret Mark based on the
accumulated subjective results of all the above
speculations. And then color your entire commentary
based, not on what has been preserved for us in the
existing manuscripts, but on one's hunches and
brilliant insights into what most mortal men could
never have figured out.
I would like to see, therefore, a commentary on simply
what we have in front of us today. What does the text
say. Then, and only then, fill the commentary with
footnotes that reflect the results of all speculative
inquiry and conclusions. I speak only for myself, but
I am not terribly interested in the author's guesses
and reconstructions of what must have been the case
despite contrary historical and manuscript evidences.
Finally, if one is a Greek scholar, then list for us
mortals not ONLY what you believe the text (whatever
text you use or invent) says, but what are viable
options, primarily in regard to grammatical choices.
I think Moo was trying to do some of this in his
commentary on Romans. He actually gives alternate
grammatical options and theological positions. Then he
gives his view.
=====
Waldo Slusher
Calgary, AB
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