A TERM PAPER SUBMITTED ON THE COMPLETION OF A SECOND

SEMESTER COURSE IN 2016/2017 SESSION TOWARDS MASTER

DEGREE

BY
OLOTU, EBENEZER OLUWASEUN

COURSE NAME: THE TEXT AND THEOLOGY OF ST. MARK

COURSE CODE: RES 730

TOPIC:
WOMEN IN THE GOSPEL OF SAINT MARK

LECTURER-IN-CHARGE:
DR. O. O. OBIJOLE

APRIL, 2018.
 TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Introduction

2. Women in Mark’s Gospel

3. Can Mark’s Gospel have Women’s Narrative Source?

4. Conclusion

5. References
 INTRODUCTION

The Gospel of St. Mark was authored by a disciple of note called John Mark; studies
beyond his authorship of the gospel had established a fact that he enjoyed strong connection with
both Peter and Paul. Both the internal and external evidences on the gospel linked him to both
Peter and Paul. His gospel’s sharp urgency, vividness and primitiveness further linked him to a
testifying source we can probably called a primitive tradition. This vividness character of St.
Mark’s gospel had been linked to his connection with Peter and the primitive witnesses.

A study of Mark compels us to look into the Acts of the Apostles and elsewhere for more
information. ‘John Mark’ was mention thrice (Acts 12:12, 25, Acts 15: 37) in close connection
with both Peter and Paul in Acts of the Apostles. Mark’s closeness to Paul was also broadly
emphasized by Guthrie. Guthrie noted that Paul identified him as the cousin of Barnabas in the
Colossian epistle and that Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on part of their first missionary
journey but left before the work was done which drew Paul’s anger to him, but in Paul’s
Colossians and Philemon epistles he had reunited with Paul.1 (Col. 4:10; Phm. 24) Guthrie2 also
noted that the New Testament had his name ‘Mark’ mentioned severally. (Acts 15: 39; Col. 4:10;
2 Tim. 4:11; Phm. 24; 1 Pet. 5:13).

Papias’ tradition quoted by Eusebius revealed that Mark was Peter’s interpreter. 3Papias’
report goes thus:

Mark, who became the interpreter of Peter wrote accurately as

much as he remembered, but not in order, of the things said and
done by the Lord … Peter used to do teaching as there was need,
but did not make, as it were, an arrangement of the Lord’s sayings,
so that Mark did not go wrong in writing down single points as he
remembered them.4

1
D. Guthrie, 1970, New Testament Introduction, Reprint 1978, Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press 71.
2
D. Guthrie, 1970, New Testament Introduction, Reprint 1978, Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 71.
3
E. D. Freed, 1994, The New Testament a critical introduction, 2 nd ed., Great Britain: SCM Press 98; Eusebus HE iii.
39, 15.; D. Guthrie, 1970, New Testament Introduction, Reprint 1978, Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press 61;
4
D. Guthrie, 1970, New Testament Introduction, Reprint 1978, Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press 61; E. D.
Freed, 1994, The New Testament a critical introduction, 2nd ed., Great Britain: SCM Press 98; History 3: 39:15; 6:
14:6.
 Papias’ tradition linking John Mark to Peter pointed to Roman origin of the
gospel even though some scholars posited and argued for other places such as Galilee.5

The main task of this research is to deduce Markan’s Jesus attitudes and views to women.
In this gospel we have various accounts of women’s ministrations carried out by unidentified
women who often moved and travelled about with Jesus unmentioned. The interest at stake is to
objectively pursue how Mark portrays women in the gospel and to study how his gospel to some
extent might have been influenced by women narratives, if there be anything like that.

Finally, it is expedient to mention Guthrie’s assumption that, it is very probable that his
mother was a person of substance since according to Acts 12, her house was regarded as a
rendezvous for many members of the primitive church Acts 12:12.6

And when he had considered the thing” he came to the house of

Mary the Mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many
were gathered praying. Acts 12:12

John Mark occupied a strategic place within the history of the early church, as its
member, he is a living custodian of miracles which transpired within the church and by virtue of
the position occupied by his mother in the Church he could have unfettered access to some
firsthand information with regards to Jesus’ ministry as well. Though Papias’ tradition saw him
as Peter’s interpreter the possibility of having adequate and reliable information from women;
one among which is likely to be his mother is a welcome idea this piece of research is likely to
have a romance with.

Every Jesus’ points of contact with women during his three and half years’ ministry shall
be well taken care of in the section of Women in St. Mark’s gospel while the possibility of Mark
having women’s narrative source shall be given adequate attention in the section of can Mark’s
gospel have women’s narrative source?

5
Donald Guthrie, 1970, New Testament Introduction, Reprint 1978, Leicester, England: Inter-varsity Press 71.
6
 WOMEN IN ST. MARK’S GOSPEL

This section envisages distinctive roles women played as they encountered Jesus. Mark’s
accounts of women’s encounter with Jesus are hereby listed below:

(1) The healing of Simon’s mother-in-law (1:29-31).

(2) Jesus’ mother and His family.
(3) The healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mk.
5: 21-43).
(4) Herodias and her daughter (6: 14-29).
(5) The Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter (7: 24-30)
(6) The poor widow (12: 41-44)
(7) The woman who anoints Jesus (14:3-9)
(8) The woman who challenges Peter (14: 53-54; 66-72)
(9) The women at the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus (15: 40-41, 47)
(10) The women at the tomb (16: 1-8)

THE HEALING OF SIMON’S MOTHER-IN-LAW (MK. 1: 29-31)

Here is the passage of Jesus’ first encounter with a woman in the gospel, an event which
was both recorded by Matthew and Luke (Mt. 8: 14-17, Lk. 4:38-41). The synoptic gospels
account of this healing event led to the theme of service, that immediately the fever left her Kau

What should interest us in this passage is the theme of service, which John Mark in later
passage as we read on would further emphasized. The picture we had in this passage denoted a
woman who had just been healed, now in the service of Christ and his disciples, ministering for
their needs, and probably getting into the kitchen with other women to ensure that Jesus and his
disciples ate before they left Simon’s home.

The background of Markan’s narration in this passage is the women’s service behind the
stage. If we put out the kitchen’s factor, to serve Jesus and his disciples may also entail, washing
their feet, a regular custom of the Jews to visitors, waiting on them to be send on an errand, or
waiting on them to meet their needs.

In conclusion, this passage indirectly bring into light women’s service in the ministry of
Jesus, Mark in the last chapter would later informed us how they travel along with Jesus and how
they have ministered as fellow disciples with the twelve disciples and had witnessed what other
male disciples could not witness based on their fears of been arrested by the chief priests.

JESUS’ MOTHER AND HIS FAMILY (MK. 3: 31-35)

Mark’s presentation of this passage according Witherington III is to emphasize and

distinguish the differences and tension between the physical family and the family of faith. 7
Mark’s Mary pericopes ideally is invaluably useful for the expanding early church. We should
remember he wrote the gospel to serve the appetite of the new converts who wanted to know
more about Christ.

The physical family of Jesus comprising of his mother and brothers came to Jesus when
they got wind of him in town. They were troubled about him and considered him beside himself
while he cast out demons and performed other kinds of miracles and multitudes of people
thronged and pressed themselves about him everywhere. They had hoped to talk some senses to
him and perhaps shut down the ministry and Mary perhaps had hoped she would recover her son
back from the society which had stolen him away.

In a nutshell, we discover that Mark had intentions beyond the primary presentation of
the event. The members of Jesus who came to him then in the early ministry of Christ to
dissuade him had by the time of Mark’s writing of the gospel become members of the family of
faith. Mark no doubt employed the periscope to encourage and strengthen those whose family
members persecuted them and asking them to stop associating with Christianity, he perhaps
might as well want to tell the new converts that even Jesus’ family rejected him.

7
B. Witherington III, 1988, Women in the earliest churches, Society for New Testament Studies. Monograph Series.
G. N. Stanton. Gen. Ed. Series 59. Digital Reprint. 2003. 159.
 The family of faith therefore encompasses women, men and women, brothers and sisters,
boys and girls who have come to hear about the kingdom; not forsaking fellowship with one
another are the true family members of Jesus Christ. This may also accounted for the care and
love shown to every member of the early church by virtue of their having everything in common
since they are but one family of faith in Christ.

THE HEALING OF THE WOMAN WITH THE FLOW OF BLOOD AND THE
RAISING OF TAIRUS’ DAUGHTER (MK. 5: 21-43)

Healing narrative presented to us in this passage is quite unique as well, because here is
the first encounter of Jesus with a woman and a young girl. The theme of the passage is Faith.
The woman exhibited a kind of Faith which brought her dumbfounding miracle; she was able to
draw the healing power from Jesus even when none else is aware of her deed. Mark portrayed
her as Faith’s portrait worthy of being emulated; she a woman was able to reach a mark of faith
which the twelve disciples knew nothing about. Mark portrayed as being highly spiritual even
than the twelve disciples of Jesus. She moved her mountain by her faith.

The theme of faith as exhibited by the woman with an issue of blood put the disciples of
Jesus particularly the twelve in a tight corner and vividly revealed their carnal nature, faithless
and very insensitive to the spiritual ongoing process among them. Another fact which can be
drawn from this narrative is how lackadaisical the core disciples were on the nature of Christ’s
words, Mark displayed their ignorance and inability to deduce the exact thing Jesus meant when
he said “someone touched me”.

In the second section of the narrative, we heard Jesus telling the ruler of the synagogue in
Mark 5:36. Be not afraid, only believe. That was post-death event statement because his only
daughter had died, for the issue of the woman with flow of blood and the trekking of Jesus from
where he was to the Jewish synagogue ruler’s house where the sick girl laid surely compounded
the timely intervention of Jesus, possibly Jesus intentionally delayed it just as we read in gospels’
Lazarus account. Mourners’ disbelief as well necessitated that comment from Jesus, which
further established the theme of the whole narrative which is faith. Behind the mourning’s at the
ruler’s house should be the Jewish women, here we see the unbelieving Jewish woman mocked
and laughed Jesus to scorn that he said, the little girl is alive and only sleeping.

Mark however though yieldingly revealed the mocking we are left with little trace of who
and who the mockers were, but a cursory look into Jewish custom, we knew that the mocking
mourners were mostly women probably paid mourners (like the Greek custom of mourning) or
those women closely related or associated with the Jewish synagogue’s ruler or women members
of the synagogue itself.

HERODIAS AND HER DAUGHTER (MK. 6: 14-29)

The Markan’s narrative in this passage had to do with Herodias and her daughter, a
completely strange woman unlike those before and after her. The external and internal evidences
on this passage indicated that the earlier texts of the Western and Alexandrian manuscripts above
implied that “the daughter of Herodias” even though we can also say “the daughter who is who
Herodias herself”.

Herodias and her daughter were the only women John Mark painted wickedly negative in
the whole gospel. Her prospect throughout the narrative is being wicked, unrepentant, fiendish
and murderous. The banquet’s setting of Herod’s birthday filled to the brim with the cream of
Galilee. We came to another textual problem with Herodias as a name, in the Greek text Mk.
6:22.

Revenge and lack of repentance reared up in this passage and really painted the woman
and her daughter as evil and licentious. Though Jesus never come near her perhaps until his trial
when he was brought to Herod who chose to dress him in a royal robe. If she is in Jerusalem
during the trial of Jesus with her husband she might have the opportunity of seeing Christ. One
thing pertinent is that, Christ avoided Herod Antipas and has nothing to say about his wife
Herodias.
 The justification of mentioning this narrative in the course of accounting for women’s
roles or parts in Jesus ministry in St. Mark’s gospel is that, the disciples returned and gave Christ
the report, on how they took the headless dead body of John the Baptist away for burial and
Jesus departed and left that territory.

THE SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN AND HER DAUGHTER (MK. 7: 24-30)

The woman who took the show in this narrative is a Greek Syro-Phoenician woman, and
the theme exhibited is Faith. She had a daughter possessed and troubled by unclean spirit, this
brought her to Jesus that he might cast out the devil troubling her daughter.

The logical battle of words won her the breakthrough she needed, she logically battle
with Christ over the fate of the children and the dogs based on meeting their needs, agreeing with
Christ implied that she believed Jesus came to heal the Jews, was specifically sent unto the Jews,
but that, the fame of Christ’s deeds being spread abroad, is an indication that, the children have
been well fed, the Jews on daily basis are being healed with diverse miracles performed among
them, therefore, the woman felt justified, though as an outsider or as a dog after the crumbs
falling from the children’s feed came to seek the help of Jesus.

Another theme is that of courage, she had the courage and Mark vividly revealed this
positively in her. It should be observed that every step taken by the woman is that of faith. She
heard about him, came and fell at his feet imploring him to heal her possessed daughter, her
action connotes faith. That she put her faith in action by logically wrestling for her miracle is
another sign of faith in her. That she left for home without doubt or request for his disciples to go
with her crown her faith and made her meet her daughter in a calm state, the devil gone out of
her.

The textual issue in the passage would not blur the transmission of Markan’s message
directly to us. That Christ says “it is not good” to give the children’s bread unto the dog, was
believed to have been a later addition by A, W, f13, majority text. The message like others
before and after except the last passage give less textual difficulties.

THE POOR WIDOW (MK. 12: 41-44)

The poor widow might never have the chance to meet the Lord, but unknowingly for her
the Lord took notice of her widow’s mite. The theme in this section is about giving. Charity even
unto fault characterizes the manner with which the poor widow gave her two mites which
perhaps escapes the eyes of most people but not the Lord.

There is need to postulate what and what made John Mark to put down this event in one
of the most desired book designed for a fast growing new movement like the early Church. The
farthing or mites she gave perhaps is to encourage the members to give toward the expansion of
the gospel and the need to meet church’s demands and needs particularly during the famine
which happened in Judea. We should remember that the early church practiced communism, a
form of mutual sharing among one another.

There is no doubt that such temple event is historical because Jesus must be in Jerusalem
now and for the first verse of the next chapter, Mark 13:1, to read that, “And as he went out of
the temple” Mark must have carefully placed the event before and very close to the heart of the
climax event in Jesus’ ministry, the passion narrative events. The passion narrative events in the
early church actually should be the most sought after events by the new converts and a careful
plot of the story of the widow’s mite at its gateway serves some purposes.

The emphasis therefore may not be on the widow as it seems to be, but on her giving, the
period John Mark wrote this gospel, perhaps, on one hand was the time the Church needs help
from her wealthy members who mostly were Greeks, Romans or the proselytes, or on the other
hand, this passage, might be aimed at the poor who may not want to give on the excuse that they
are poor. Such a narrative is enough to challenge giving in the early church if at all such
situations envisaged actually occur. It is expedient to however note also that, if Papias tradition
stands true Peter and not Mark might have been the brain behind the constructive placing of the
widow’s event next to passion narratives.

This is observable because Peter or John Mark placed this event very close to the
beginning of his apocalyptic and passion narratives. He perhaps believed such event close to the
heart of the most wanted narratives (events) the new converts would love to read, no doubt,
would have long lasting effects on the new convert thereby boosting charity.

THE WOMAN WHO ANOINT JESUS (MK. 14: 3-9)

We have come to a special construction, plot and setting where we can briefly examine
Markan’s genius in presenting the passion narratives. This preliminary event before the trial and
arrest of Jesus was a careful plot of Mark.

The woman who anointed Jesus with ointment of spikenard very precious and expensive
would be mentioned wherever the gospel and in particular its passion narratives is to be
preached. John’s gospel John 12: 1-11 vividly informed us that the woman is Mary, Lazarus
sister whom Jesus raised form the dead. The only difference between the two accounts is the
place of setting, while Mark placed the setting of the event at Simon’s the leper home, John
accounted that it all happened in Lazarus home. Lazarus home if an abridgement need be made
may also be the same vicinity as that of Simon the leper and that smooth the whole information.

What have we learned from this event? If in the light of John, her deed symbolized
another self-sacrifice’s service performed by a grateful woman for what Christ did in
resurrecting her brother. Her deed according to Christ is prophetic and memorial for wherever
the gospel of Jesus Christ would be preached her good deeds of anointing Jesus with ointment of
spikenard would be remembered of her.
 THE WOMAN WHO CHALLENGES PETER (MK. 14: 53-45; 66-72)

Within the ambit of the topic beforehand it is proper and even mandatory to make
mention of this woman, even though she perhaps may have no bodily contact with Jesus while
Christ was been tried in the house of the High Priest.

Here we have an unknown woman who was a challenger probably known beforehand by
the Lord as one who would challenge Peter, a woman bold enough to tell Peter twice that he
belong to the group of Jesus. Her queries made Peter denied Christ thrice, cursed himself and
wept even why his Galilean dialect seems to be exposing him.

Mark presented Peter who later championed the cause of the gospel on the day of
Pentecost as a weakling who denied his master. Peter’s courage is fake that is why it failed to
stand the test of time, even though he managed to follow the master into the courtyard of the
high Priest’s home. Such an event as this might perhaps come from Peter but the colourful part
of it was that the woman brought out Christ foreknowledge that Peter would denied him thrice
before the rooster crowed thrice.

THE WOMEN AT THE CRUCIFIXION AND THE BURIAL OF JESUS

(MK. 15: 40-41; 47)

The women at the crucifixion and burial of Jesus raised some controversies when
compared with other gospels in the Bible.

Mark gave us only three names of women who were present and aware of where Jesus
was laid. These women were among those who had followed Jesus and served him in Galilee
before accompanying him on the way to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. They were the last
remaining followers of Jesus who stood by him despite the seeming failure of his mission.
 Fiorenza identifies the women as the true disciples who have continued to follow him up
to the time of his death.8 Tolbert favourably described the women’s presence at the crucifixion, a
hopeful sign.9

Scholars have questioned why these women’s names and the credits given them as
evidence of discipleship were a late-coming references despite that they have continually serve
in the ministry of Jesus unrecognized.

Mary Magdalene a Galilean is identified by her hometown just as we have Simon of

Cyrene and Joseph of Arimathea (15:21, 43). Magdala is her hometown, on the northwest coast
of the Sea of Galilee. It was in Luke’s account we heard that Jesus cast out seven demons from
her. (Luke 8: 2) Mary, mother of James the younger and of Jones as well is among the witness at
the burial of Jesus. The third woman is identified only by the name of Salome with no extra
information added, but probably she is likely to be John Mark’s mother and lack of further
description of her in the passage might buttressed this observation.

Mark’s mentioning of their names emphasizes their significance and importance in the
account of Jesus death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and firmly establish their relevance
within the early Church. Their accounts of the passion narratives if used by Mark might indicate
the reason why Mark revealed they became afraid upon hearing that Jesus had resurrected and
did not tell anyone.

The presence of the women as co-travellers of Jesus to Jerusalem should raise no

question of whether they are married or not, it is expedient that Jesus movement from Galilee to
Jerusalem is purely based on religions purpose. Jesus is in Judea because of the Passover festival,
a customary feast every Jew is expected to keep and observe by coming to the temple for
worship.

Corley proposed that the three named women only accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem on
the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. These women as well exhibited some amount of fear because they
watched Christ on the cross from a distance (15:41). Perhaps the high tense of security (Roman
soldiers) heightened their fears.

8
9
 THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB (MK. 16: 1-8)

The women at the tomb exhibited more courage than the male disciples who went into
hiding, for the fear of being arrested. His male disciples were still in Jerusalem and they feared
been made scapegoats after the order of Jesus.

The women deserved being seen as courageous even though Mark interrupted with a
clause in Mk. 16:8 that “for they were afraid”. “ephorbounto”.

The women at the tomb met a stranger who informed them on the resurrection of Jesus.
They left hurriedly ephorbounto, and scholars have remarked that it seems Mark wanted us to
know that they failed to tell of his resurrection and the empty tomb.

They had bought the spices they intend to use before the night (Sabbath) and the
following morning they rushed down to the tomb, for Joseph prior to Sabbath had hurriedly
buried Jesus without anointing his body, the women were there and as good observers, felt Jesus
had not been given befitting burial.

To fill the missing gap, they stepped out very early to accomplish this mission. However
they encountered a dumbfounding strange event, the tomb they visited yesterday had changed,
probably the reason they hurried away out of fear and dismay. The whole essence of the shock,
fear and probably their refusal to tell anyone in Jerusalem pointed to the fact Jesus whom they
saw being crucified prior to the Sabbath, was dead prior to Sabbath, was buried while they are
there as onlookers all prior to the Sabbath, is now resurrected. The awe made them depart in
haste and probably made Mark to halt if that ended his gospel.

Various explanations were given by some scholars to explain away the empty tomb.

(1) Jesus was only unconscious and later revived.

(2) The women made a mistake and went to the wrong tomb
(3) Unknown thieves stole Jesus’ body
(4) The disciples stole Jesus’ body
(5) The religious leaders stole Jesus body to produce it later.
 CAN MARK’S GOSPEL HAVE WOMEN NARRATIVE

SOURCE?

There is need to emphasize a fact at this junction which most scholars often overlook or

even avoided, which is nothing but the relationship between John Mark and Salome. Most

scholars of the Quest for Historical Jesus can be charged with subjectivity in the course of

carrying out their researches. It is appalling to hear that the Quest for Historical Jesus had

reached the third stage! We read of the first two quests for the Historical Jesus originally

pioneered by Bultmann.

It is expedient to also emphasize that Markan’s passion narrative has within it the women

voices. The accounts of his burial and the resurrection no doubt must be a woman’s narrative

who actually was an eye witness of the whole event. If Mark’s mother is Salome as Acts of the

Apostles indicated and she as well was present at the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection

events of Jesus she must