The Past, Present, and Future of the Markan Community: A Socio-rhetorical Approach to the Gospel of Mark 14:51–52; 16:5–7

Abstract

This article analyzes Mark 14:51–52 and 16:5–7, in which a young man (νεανίσκος) appears who is only mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, through a socio-rhetorical approach, and argues that the texts are self-descriptions of the Markan community. Mark 14:51a represents the ideal past of the Markan community when a young man wears a blanket around his bare body and follows Jesus. Mark 14:51b–52 represents the present appearance of the Markan community in crisis when the young man abandons the blanket and flees from Jesus. Moreover, Mark 16:5–7 represents the hopeful future of the Markan community when the young man wears white and commands the women from the right of the place where Jesus lay.