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Re: Weeden
When I mentioned that Weeden's thesis about Mark had failed the test of
time, I had primary reference to what I recall was Weeden's primary
thesis= that Mark intended to trash the 12 as representing a form of
Christianity against which Mark was polemicizing. The ABUNDANT number of
studies of Markan treatment of disciples/discipleship that were published
in the 70s and early 80s tended to form a consensus that Weeden's
treatment was overly simplistic.
Of course, Mark treats Jesus' family critically (a feature the
other Synoptics play down in appropriating Markan tradition). The
question is why, and though the sort of rather simple polemical motive
suggested should be considered, I suggest that the reasons are probably
more radical, to wit, a desire to present Jesus as both "divine" and as
the template for discipleship. Thus, as should be expected of Jesus'
followers per Mark, Jesus too forsakes his family to follow his mission.
This is in fact merely one feature of a rather rich number of features in
Mark that amount to making Jesus the pattern of disipleship.
Larry Hurtado, Religion, Univ. of Manitoba
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