Re: errors

From: Rod Decker (rdecker@inf.net)
Date: Wed Dec 06 1995 - 08:38:36 EST


Edgar M. Krentz wrote (interspersed with quotes >> from my msg):

>I have been reading the submissions on Mark's Greek with some interest. The
>judgment about his stylistic and linguistic level is not a judgment about
>the content of his gospel, but about his own linguistic background and,
>perhaps, about that of his original readers. Hence this submission.
>
>Rodney Decker wrote:
>
>>I think it is an overstatement to view Mark's style as "so bad" (comparing
>>it with substandard English) as to contain "ignorance or careless lapses."
...
>
>This is a generally helpful evaluation. I agree with Rod Decker that one
>should compare Mark to writers of Greek in the early Roman empire, not to
>English style. But that is the very reason for commenting that Mark is, as
>Rod says, not literary in style.
>
>>I doubt very many on this
>>list are qualified to judge much beyond that. What may appear to be poor
>>Greek may as often as not be the judge's problem! (I note that my students
...
>
>Here I differ with Rod. Carl Conrad has read a good bit of Greek
>literature, as have Fred Danker and I [sometimes in the same graduate
>seminar]. And that includes reading ancient grammarians, literary critics,
...
>IMHO, one ought not pass judgment on Mark's literary ability unless one has
>read extensively in later Greek literature, Greek inscriptions, and papyri.

I think the difference is not that great. Note that I didn't say that
_none_ were qualified! There are several on this list that do have the
appropriate credentials upon which to judge this issue--you have correctly
identifed several of those for whom I have considerable respect in this
regard. (There are a few others also [e.g., Ed Hobbs], but most of us are
not on the "short list"--hence the point of my caution.)

Your list or Markan characteristics (paratactic style, redundancy in
expression, and popular, not literary vocabulary) are all well-taken
examples. I'm not sure I'd call any of them "errors" (the point of the
original query), but they def. identify Mark as "non-literary."

Rod

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rodney J. Decker Calvary Theological Seminary
Asst. Prof./NT 15800 Calvary Rd.
rdecker@inf.net Kansas City, Missouri 64147
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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