Comparison of Interpretation Biblical Texts on Example of the Gospel of Mark

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The use of various hermeneutic techniques
The evaluation of various methods
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

The interpretation of the Holy Scripture or biblical hermeneutics as it is also known has always been a subject of heated debate among theologians, scholars, and even literary critics. It is possible for us to single out several methods of analysis, such as for instance, contextual, cultural, lexical-syntactical techniques and so forth. It is necessary to show how various authors interpret biblical texts and how they approach this issue. In particular, we may focus on the Gospel of Mark, which is the shortest and probably the most controversial of the Christian volumes. For example, we may take such works as the article, A Case Study of Resurrection Revised, written by Allen Wesley, additionally, we may consider Johnsons Commentary on Mark 16 and finally, the interpretation of this pericope, presented by James Tracy at the site Anatheist.net. It is of crucial importance to show the perspective, from which they analyze the Gospel according to Mark.

The use of various hermeneutic techniques

Historic and cultural approaches

As far as Allen Wesley is concerned, it is worth mentioning that the scholar gives preference to historical and cultural approaches while interpreting this text. He focuses on the audience of the Gospel and the impact, which it should produce on them. We should probably elaborate this statement: according to the author, Mark appeals mostly to the early Christians, the first followers of Jesus, who should build the new Temple of God or create a new religion, which would be different from Judaism (Wesley, p. 3).

Allen Wesley believes that this is arguably the most important aspect of this text. Yet, we cannot limit his work to only historical and cultural frameworks, because he also examines the symbolism of the Gospel. Namely, he attracts our attention to such concepts as the temple and the empty tomb. In his view, Mark wants to tell Christians that they should seek Jesus (who has already departed the tomb) and follow his teaching in order to resurrect. Allen Wesley attempts to combine both allegorical and historic hermeneutics because such an approach provides room for discussion and enables us to advance various interpretations of this text. At first glance, it may appear that his treatment is the most objective because it incorporates both historical context and allegory, however, one disagrees with it by claiming that the Gospel of Mark and the Bible, in general, should be discussed within the historic framework.

In addition to that, we need to say that the author does not fully adhere to the principle of inerrancy, which means that different parts of the New Testament never contradict one another. On the contrary, Allen Wesley believes that these controversies are primarily caused by various intentions of the disciples.

Logical analysis

In sharp contrast with him, James Tracy in his article The Empty Tomb Two Gospel of Mark discusses this biblical text from a logical standpoint, particularly; the writer argues that there are some inconsistencies within the pericope, which, in fact, cast doubt on its credibility. First and foremost, we need to take it into consideration that logical analysis is not always the best way of interpreting the Bible, because it always seeks a clear and concise explanation, but this book does not always give such an explanation: more likely, it makes us form our own conclusions.

Nonetheless, such an approach to Hermeneutics cannot be entirely rejected. Thus, the main argument, which James Tracy puts forward, is that Mark cannot possibly know about the events, which he so eloquently describes. The main reason for it is that three women who saw the empty tomb were frightened and they did not tell any person about it. It can be observed that his analysis contradicts theological canons. Apart from that, James Tracy suggests that Mark employs Christological interpretation of the Old Testament, for instance, the scholar points out that some lines in the gospel bear striking resemblance to the Book of Daniel (Tracy, p. 1). Thus, we may conclude that the author alternates several methods of hermeneutics: logical analysis and the lexical-syntactic method.

It is rather difficult to assess the strengths and weaknesses of his interpretation. Certainly, such methods are quite applicable if we are speaking about some historical documents or literary works. It has to be admitted, they are probably the most effective, yet, they are inappropriate to religious texts, which convey their message in the form of allegory and various symbols. As regards James Tracy and his work, we need to say that the author explicitly states that this Gospel takes its origins from some other biblical texts. He suggests that the “historicity of this pericope does not close scrutiny” (Tracy, p. 1). The question arises whether we can treat the New Testament as a historic document.

Allegorical Interpretation

If we try to compare the approaches, taken by Allen Wesley and James Tracy we can argue that both scholars pay extra attention to this historic background. The main difference between them is that Allen Wesley does not question the validity of this text, whereas Tracy emphasizes the idea that the historicity of the resurrection is not evidence-based.

The evaluation of various methods

We may compare these interpretations to Johnsons commentary on the Gospel. This article suggests that Mark is not particularly concerned with the image of an angel. In his opinion, the disciple of Jesus Christ wants to convey our attention to the fact; the Savior reveals himself to Mary Magdalene but not to his pupils as one may expect him to do. According to Johnson, this is probably the most crucial moment in the Gospel, because it indicates that Jesus Christ came to save sinners (Johnson p 1). It should be borne in mind that he cast out seven demons out of her. This message can be found throughout the New Testament in which Jesus often says that he came to the aid of those people who are weak, and fragile.

We should mention that Johnson prefers the allegorical interpretation of this pericope; his main purpose is to analyze its main ideas but not the form in which they are presented. It seems that such technique is the most beneficial because it enables the reader to understand the main message, which Mark tries to convey. The only disadvantage is that the allegory often has several layers of meaning and it can be misunderstood.

Conclusion

To conclude, these works illustrate the use of various hermeneutic techniques such as logical, cultural, and allegoric interpretations. The authors prefer to focus on various aspects of the Gospel. James Tracy considers it as a historic document and suggests that it has several logical inconsistencies. Allen Wesley focuses on the cultural impact of this text and its main idea, the quest for Jesus Christ, whereas Johnson places emphasis on the idea that Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. It is not permissible to give preference to any of these interpretations, because all of them have some rational points. However, while analyzing any religious text, a person should first identify its major message but not its formal elements.

Bibliography

Allen, O Wesley, Jr. “Mark 16:1-8: a case study of resurrection revised.” Homiletic 28.2 (2003): 7-15. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. [EBSCOhost], [Oxford]
Johnson, Barton W. “Commentary on Mark 16“. “People’s New Testament”.1891. Web.
Tracy James. “AnAtheist.net”.2009.

Click Here To Order Now!