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Chapter 2
THE MINOR PROPHETS IN MARK'S GoSPEL
Cilliers Breytenbach
Introduaion
Mark's
1
indebtedness to the Book of Isaiah is well known but his use of
the Minor Prophets has received comparatively little attention.
2
Mark
never quotes from nor alludes to Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Haggai and Zephaniah.
3
Of greatest significance is the Book
of Zechariah, with an explicit quotation in Mk 14.27 (Zech. 13.7), as
well as allusions in Mk 11.2 (Zech. 9.9-10), Mk 13.27 (Zech. 2.10 [ET
2.6]) and Mk 14.24 (Zech. 9.11). A phrase from Mal. 3.1 appears in
the composite quotation (Exod. 23.20/Isa. 40.3) at the beginning of the
Gospel (Mk 1.2), though it is ascribed to Isaiah. Malachi is also present
in the discourse about the return of Elijah in Mk 9.11-13 (Mal. 3.22-23
[ET 4.4-5]).
4
The metaphor of the in the context of eschatological
harvest (Mk 4.29) could be an allusion to Joel4.13 (ET 3.13), while the
severity of the judgement described in Mk 13.19 has similarities with
joel 2.2. Finally, there are a number of parallels between the stilling of
the storm in Mk 4.35-41 and the story of jonah. There is no conclusive
evidence that Mark alludes to any of the other Minor Prophets.
5
With
the exception of the opening citation of Mal. 3.1, which Mark probably
Mattbaeo Koeckerto: anno sexagesimo quinto feliciter peracto coUegae carissimo
in donwn natalitiwn oblatum.
1. 'Mark refers to the author without identifying him with any historical person.
2. The major monographs on Marks use of the Scriptures give little attention to the
Minor Prophets. A. Suhl, Die Funktion der Zitate und Anspie/ungen im
Markusevangelium (Giitersloh: Giitersloher Verlagshaus, 1965) and J. Marcus, The Way of
the Lord: Cbristological Exegesis of the Old Testament in the Gospel of Mtnlc (Louisville,
KY: Westminster. 1992) focus on Zechariah and Malachi.
3. On Hosea and Amos, see below. In .Mk 15.32 the crucified is merely addressed
with o 13aotAe\,s 'lapcn}A, explaining o Xpaa-rc)s-. There is no reason to infer that the
evangelist alludes to Zeph. 3.15.
4. In Mk 9.11 a phrase from Mal. 3.23 (ET 4.5) is attributed to the scribes.
5. NA
27
lists Hos. 6.6 (Mk 12.33); Amos 2.16 (Mk 14.52); 8.9 (Mk 15.3); Zeph.
3.15 (Mk 15.32) but none of these are convincing.
28 Minor Prophets in the New Testament
took from tradition, it would appear that Mark made use of the LXX.
We begin our study with the explicit quotation of Zech. 13.7 in Mk
14.27.
6
Quotations
Zech. 13.7 in Mk 14.27
Aher the meal, Jesus and the disciples have gone back to the Mount of
Olives (Mk 14.26). Jesus predicts that all the disciples will fall away,
will be caused to stumble. Though this will happen because of him
(cf. v.l. and Mk 6.3), there is a deeper reason. Mark's Jesus grounds
his prediction by citing from the Scripture: 'for it is written'. This
introductory formula signals to the recipients of the text that words of
God, who determines the course of events, will follow. The evangelist
altered the second person plural imperative of the text he cited from
Zech. 13.7 traTataTe,7 into the first person indicative traTatc.l in Mk
14.27b in order to let the cited words appear not as God's command
but as his intention: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered'. Zech. 13.7 is also cited in the Damascus Codex (XIX,8), in
connection with the day of judgement, when God visits the earth. The
entire Jerusalem prophecy of Zechariah seems to have been applied
to the last days. The Lives of the Prophets, preserving traditions that
reach back into pre-Christian times, explicidy characterized Zechariah's
prophecy in Jerusalem as based 'on his visions about the end of the
Gentiles, Israel, the temple ... ' He announced a twofold judgement,
on the nations and on Israel.
8
Mark places the quotation in an
eschatological context.
Mk 14.28 interprets the quotation.' The dose link between the
quotation in Mk 14.27b and Mk 14.28a is signalled not only by the
contrastive aAAa, but also from v. 28, where it becomes clear that the
images of the struck shepherd and the scattered flock from Zech.13.7 are
mapped onto Jesus and his disciples in v. 27. This seems to be the reason
why the evangelist had to rewrite the text from Zechariah. In order to
make the reference to Jesus possible, he altered the plural TOUS lTOIJ.lEVas
6. lntertextuality is to be approached from the perspective of the reader; d. C.
Breytenbach, 'Das Markusevangelium, Psalm 110,1 und 118,22f. Folgetext und Pritext', in
C. Tuckett (ed.), The Old Testament in the Gospels (BETL, 131; Leuven: Leuven University
Press - Peeters, 1997), pp. 197-220, esp. 197-201.
7. Late minuscules have the Markan reading.
8. Cf. Liv. Pro. 1S.S.
9. Cf. also S. L Cook, The Metamorphosis of a Shepherd: The Tradition History of
Zechariah 11:17 + 13:7-9', CBQ SS (1993), pp. 4S3-66, esp. 463-6.
29
in Zech. 13.7 LXX into the singular TOV But what does the first
line of the metaphor mean? The verb traTaooc..J in the quotation means
'to physically strike a blow, to strike or to hit' but it can also express a
'deadly blow'. From v. 28 it is evident that Jesus is the shepherd who will
be struck, since he will be raised up. To eyepOijval J!E indisputably refers
to his resurrection, thus traTatc.l TOV in v. 27 must refer to the
death of Jesus. The shepherd will be given a deadly blow. What is the
meaning of the second line of the metaphor, TO trp0(3aTa liaam:opmo8Ji
ooVTat? One has to note the alteration in the quotation. Unlike codices
Vaticanus and Sinaiticus which read eKotraoan
10
in Zech. 13.7, Mk
14.27 has litam:opmaOr}oovTat. The verb means, like the Hebrew f1!l,
'to scatter, to disperse'. Adapting to the time of traTatc..J, the evangelist
changed from an aorist imperative second person to a future passive
third person.
11
The scattering of the flock will happen in the future. Verse
28 determines that the disciples are depicted in terms of the flock. Mter
the death of Jesus, they will be scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
This will be part of the eschatological events leading up to great suffering
of the disciples and the destruction of the temple (Mark 13). But there
is a positive announcement. The Greek verb trpooyc..J means 'to lead
forward, on, onward, to escort on the way'. So after his resurrection,
Jesus will resume his role as shepherd and lead his flock to Galilee. The
text implies that the dispersion which starts with his death will then
end.
12
Combined Quotations
Exod. 23.20 and Mal. 3.1 in Mk 1.2b
The quotation in Mk 1.2b-3 is introduced 'as it is written in the prophet
Isaiah' with no reference to Malachi. The quotation itseH has three
peculiarities. Firsdy, Mk 1.2b-c is a conflation between Exod. 23.20
and Mal. 3.1. The two texts are combined by the relative pronoun os.
Secondly, typically for Mark,
13
a second citation (from Isa. 40.3 LXX) is
10. mmaoo 'to draw out, to draw forth'.
11. The reading litacncoprrto81}aoVTat in codex Alexandrinus and in the sixth century
codex Marchalianus is clearly influenced by the Synoptics; litacncopmoOJ)n.Yaav in cOdex
Sinaiticus is due to late correction.
12. Through careful analysis of the context, D. S. du Toit, Der abwesende Herr.
Strategien im Markusevangelium zur Bewiiltigung der Abwesenheit des Auferstandenen
(WMANT, 111; Neukirchener Verlag: Neukirchen-Vluyn, 2006), p. 139, has illustrated
convincingly that litaCJKopmo8JlooVTat cannot refer to the flight of the disciples.
13. The combination of quotations is a technique by which Mark composed his text;
cf. C. Breytenbach, 'Die Vorschriften des Mose im Markusevangelium. E.rwigungen zur
Komposition von Mk 7,9-13; 10,2-9 und 12,18-27', ZNW97 (2006), 23-43.
'
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30 Minor Prophets in the New Testament
added in Mk 1.3.
14
Thirdly, the conflation in Mk 1.2b-c is a traditional
quotation, since the very same conflation between Exod. 23.20 and
Mal. 3.1 forms the basis of the independent tradition from Q.
15
Both
traditions, Mk 1.2b and Lk. Q 7.2 7b-c/Mt. Q 11.1 Ob-c have, instead of the
hi-composite verb in Mal. 3.1, the composite atroanAACI.l
and an additional phrase, trpo trpooc..ltrou aou. Although the latter comes
from Exod. 23.20a ('I am going to send a messenger in front of you'),
both Mk and Q do not follow the Greek translations of Exod. 23.20b in
the second line, but unanimously read os KaTacnceuaaea -ri}v ooov aou.
16
Their common text thus rather recalls 'to prepare a way before me' of
Mal. 3.1 than 'to guard you on the way' from Exod. 23.20. The addition
of the article before ooov signifies that the synoptic tradition focuses on
the specific path of Jesus. The second person aou, following -ri}v ooov,
might still reflect the influence of Exod. 23.20 preceding the lines taken
from Malachi in the Mk/Q tradition. It uses KaTam::euaaea ('to make
ready for some purpose, prepare') instead of im(3Ae'lJeTal ('to look
attentively at, look upon') as Mal. 3.1 LXX does. This might indicate
that the Mk/Q tradition reflects the ill!l (pi. with 1i, 'to clear a path')
of the Hebrew original.17
The early synoptic tradition, which must have been taken over by
Mark, thus expressed the role of John the Baptist through a conflated
citation (Exod. 23.20 and Mal. 3.1). It is precisely the notion from
the Hebrew text of Malachi entailed in the traditional quotation that
the messenger 'prepares' the way, which led Mark to add (Mk 1.3)
the quotation from Isa. 40.3 LXX to the tradition (Mk 1.2b-c) and to
introduce the whole complex quotation with Ka8oos yeypalTTaa ev
'Haal9 (Mk 1.2a).
18
Exodus and Malachi are not even
mentioned. The traditional quotation is taken to be part of Isaiah. For
Mark, the beginning of the Gospel (= good news) about Jesus Christ [the
Son of God] is in accordance with what has been written in the prophet
Isaiah.
19
14. Cf. the synopsis of the texts in S. Pellegrini, Elija- Wegbereiter des Gottessohnes
(HBS, 26; Freiburg: Herder, 2000), 226-7.
15. With the exception that Matthew adds iycb after ioou both texts are identical.
Even this prevented a unanimous reconstruction of a Q-text, as can be seen from the
differing proposals of the International Q-Projea and the Critical Edition of Q. Cf. F.
Neirynck, Q-Parallel.s (Leuven: Peeters, 2001), pp. 78-9.
16. Cf. Mk 1.2c//Lk.Q 7.27dMt.Q 11.10c.
17. SimilarlyTheodotion with hoaJ.laOEI.
18. Mk 1.1-la should read: 'ApxiJ ToU aiayyeAiou 'h}aoii XpaOTou [uiou 8eoii]
yiypatrTal EV T4l 'Hoaa9 T4)trpot1)Tn
19. On the importance of Isaiah for Mark, d. M. Hooker, 'Isaiah in Mark's Gospel',
in S. Moyise and M. J. J. Menken (eds), Isaiah in the New Testmnent (London and New
York: T&:T Oark, 2005), pp. 35-49.
Mark's Gospel 31
Allusions
Allusions to Hosea
20
and Amos
21
are improbable, whilst Mark's readers
might be led to recognize phrases and motives from Jonah, Malachi, Joel
and Zechariah.
]onah 1.4, 10 in Mk 4.35-41
It can righdy be asked whether the episode on the calming of the
storm (Mk 4.35-41) is narrated against the backdrop of Jonah. The
similarities between Jonah 1.4 and Mk 4.37 are striking indeed. The
corresponding detail of Jonah fast asleep, snoring in the bowels of the
ship Uonah 1.5) and Jesus sleeping in the stem on a cushion (Mk 4.38)
beg for a more detailed comparison.
22
In both narratives the wind causes
a rough sea endangering the ship. In both stories the main character
must be woken up and is reprimanded by the others on the ship. The
verbal reoccurrences from Jonah in Mark's episode are not limited to
To trAo'iov and OaAaaaa (the latter refers to the lake, cf. Mk 4.41). In
Mk 4.41 the motive of fear of those accompanying Jesus is expressed in
the same words (including 6gura etymologica) that the crew in jonah
20. The phrase 'and after six days' (Mk 9.2) marks the shift in time between the
transfiguration narrative and the preceding context. Some have suggested an allusion to
Hos. 6.2, but that phrase rather recalls ExocJ. 24.16, urging the reader to understand the
transfiguration against the backdrop of Moses' encounter with the Lord on Sinai (cf. Exocl.
24.9-18). When Jesus comments in Mk 12.33c that to love God wholeheartedly, with all
the understanding and strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, 'is much more
important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices', Mark alludes to a well-known
motive, reaching back to the times of Hosea. A direct allusion to Hos. 6.6, however,
is not recognizable. Cf. Hos. 6.6: 6acha EAws eEACil Kal oU 8ualav Kai etrlyvcooav Beou
oAOICaUTc.)pcrra ('For I will have compassion rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge
of God rather than whole burnt-offerings'). H. B. Swete, The Gospel according to Mmk
(London: Macmillan, 1902), p. 286 opted for 1 Kingdoms 15.22: elmv ei
8eAT)ToV T4)acupt"cl mi Buoiaa 6ls TO cXKoUoal acupiou ('and Samuel
asked if whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices are such a delight to the Lord, as to obey the
voice of the Lord?').
21. According to Mark's passion narrative, from the sixth (=noon) to the ninth hour,
the three hours before Jesus died, 'darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon' (Mk 15.33). The corresponding time and the motive of global darkness might
-so Irenaeus, Haer. IV 33.12- recall Amos 8.9, but the absence of the sun setting at midday
and the evangelist's choice of words do not allow the conclusion that he alludes to the
prophet's words: 'That the sun shall go down at midday, and the light shall be darkened
on the earth by day'. It is unlikely that the young man fleeing naked (Mk 14.52) alludes to
Amos 2.16 ('the naked shall flee away in that day, said the Lord'). For Swete, Gospel, p.
354, the incident recalls Gen. 39.12-19.
22. Cf. E. Lohmeyer, Das Evangelium des Markus (KEK, V2; GOttingen: Vandenhoeck
&: Ruprecht, 1963), p. 92.
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32 Minor Prophets in the New Testament
1.1023 uses (Kat oi cj>o(3ov peyav): teat EcJ>ol3n8TJOav
peyav teal eAeyov. Additionally, the outcome of both stories is
identical, in that the sea is calmed Uonah 1.15; Mk 4.39). Albeit that
the dangerous situation, caused by wind and raising waves, the fear of
the crew pleading for help, and a passenger who assists in rescuing, are
common motives of this type of narrative,
24
the similar terminology, the
contrast between the fear of the crew and the sleeping passenger make it
likely that Mark drew on the Greek version of the episode from Jonah
in telling his story,
25
thus focusing on Jesus' power as Son of God ( 1.11 ).
His word silences the natural forces. u
Mal. 3.22-23 LXX in Mk 9.11-13
Mk 9.11-13 is the second part of a larger episode (Mk 9.9-13), which
can be classified as an argument on the basis of Scripture.
27
After the
transfiguration Jesus orders Peter, John and James to tell nobody what
they have seen until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead
(Mk 9.9). The disciples seem to include the resurrection of the Son of
Man in the general eschatological resurrection of the dead.
28
Trying to
understand this, they ask what this rising from the dead could mean (Mk
9.10b). The reason for their lack of understanding becomes evident from
their question. It is put in words which allude to Mal. 3.22 LXX
2
': 'Why
do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' How can the Son of Man
rise from the dead if, according to the scribes, Elijah must first return
before there can be a resurrection of the dead? Although Mark does not
23. Mark points tO jonah 1.10 rather than 1.16 (Kai e4>oPtl8ttoav oi av6pes
wv KVplov). 8ij.evXIIgr has the Tetragrammaton.
24. Cf. the analysis of the motives by G. TheiBen, Urchristliche Wundergeschichten
(Giitersloh: Giitersloher Verlagshaus, 1974), pp. 107-11. For parallel narratives from
Greek and Jewish tradition see W. Cotter, Miracles in GrearRoman Antiquity (New York:
Routledge, 1999), pp. 132-42.
25. Cf. R. Kratz, Rettungswunder (EHS, XXDI/123; Frankfurt: Lang, 1979), 207-16.
See also A. Y. Collins, Mark: A Commentary (Hermeneia; Philadelphia: Fortress, 2007), pp.
259-60.
26. The words of the Markan Jesus 'my soul is very sorrowful' (Mk 14.34) might
rather cite Psalm 42 or 43 than allude to the words of jonah that he is 'grieved unto death'
Uonah4.9).
27. Cf. Marcus, Way, pp. 100-10.
28. I have analysed the argument and its presuppositions in some detail elsewhere. Cf.
C. Breyt=bach, oas Markusevangelium als uaditionsgebundene Erzihlung? Anfragen an
die Markusforschung der achtziger Jahre', in C. Focant (ed.), The Synoptic Gospels: Source
Criticism and the New Literary Criticism (BEll., 11 0; Leuven: Leuven University Press
- Peeters, 1993), pp. n-110, cf. pp. 102-5.
29. The verbal agreement is confined to 'HAiav and eA8iiv. Both words function
differently in both texts.
Gospel 33
quote Mal. 3.22, there are more indicators in his narrative that he alludes
to the tradition in Mal. 3.22-23 LXX, that Elijah will be sent before the
great and terrible day of the Lord. John the Baptist has been sent (cf.
Mk 1.2b). According to Mark he proclaimed baptism after conversion
(Mk 1.4). According to Malachi, the returning Elijah will restore the
relationships between father and son and neighbours (Mal. 4.6/Mal.
3.23 LXX; cf. Sir. 48.10). Mk 9.11 thus presupposes the tradition about
Elijah redivivus from Malachi. In Mk 9.12 Jesus agrees that Elijah comes
to restore 'everything' (Mk 9.12a), which will include the restitution of
the above mentioned relationships. The verbal similarities are confined
to chrotcaTao-nioet in Mal. 3.23 LXX and citrotca8tOTavet in Mk 9.12a,
but it is clear that the evangelist alluded to the Malachi tradition. Jesus'
answer draws on the common synoptic tradition that Elijah returned as
John the Baptist (cf. Lk.Q 7.27/Mt.Q 11.10) and resolves the problem
of the disciples: Since Elijah has already come as John the Baptist,
the precondition of the scribes is already fulfilled. Consequendy the
eschatological resurrection can be inaugurated by the Son of Man.
Zech. 9.9-10 in Mk 11.1-11
According to Zechariah the return of the Lord to Jerusalem will start
from the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14.4-6). Jesus sets out from Bethany on
the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives (Mk 11.1 ). Is this an allusion to
the prophet's words?l
0
There is harder evidence for an allusion to Zech.
9.9 in the next verse (Mk 11.2).
31
The Hebrew text of Zech. 9.9 wants
to stress the purity of the i1Cn ('pack animal'). The king rides on a i"JJ
('male ass' or 'colt ass'); it is the offspring of a ('filly ass'). The
Greek translation renders i1Cn adequately with utrol;Uytov 'under the
yoke', a term for a pack animal. It then, however, translates i" V with
trc.:lAov, which designates a foal, a young horse.
32
The words
('a filly of a donkey') are rendered by the adjective veov 'young'. With
trc.:lAov Mk 11.2, 4, 7 thus repeatedly takes up a term from Zech. 9.9.
Mark, however, does not specify that the trooAos- is a donkey. In both
30. The saying of the Markan Jesus 'For mortals it is impossible, but not for God;
for God all things are possible' (Mk 10.27b) presupposes a widely attested Jewish belief in
God's omnipotence (cf. Gen. 18.14; Job 42.2; jdt. 9.14; 13.4; 3 Mace. 5.51; Philo, Spec.
4.127; Abr. 175; Mk 14.36, 62) and is not confined to Zech. 8.6. That family ties will be
severed during the last days is a common apocalyptic motive (c.1 En. 100.1-l;Jub. 23.19)
shared by Mk 3.21; 13.12 and Zech. 13.3.
31. Suhl, Frmktion, pp. 57-8, denies any influence from Zecb. 9.9. Notwithstanding
his treatment of the johannine parallel, one can agree with Liihrmann that the story has
roots in Zech. 9.9. Cf. D. Liihrmann, Das Markusevangelium (HNT, 3; Tiibingen: j.C.B.
Mohr, 1987), p. 188.
32. Cf. BDAG, s.v.
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34 Minor Prophets in the New Testament
the Hebrew source and its Greek translation this is evident. In fact, it
is merely because Mark expands on the veov from Zech. 9.9 by telling
his reader in Mk 11.2 that the trc;).Aos has never been ridden (eel>' ov
ou6els o\nrCal EKcX8tOEV) that one can infer that he alludes to
the Greek translation of Zech. 9.9.
33
The royal motive of the coming
kingdom of David which Mark adds in 11.10 to the of Ps.
117.26 LXX in Mk 11.9 is clearly taken from Zech. 9.9 (t6ou o
oou EPXETat 001).
34
Matthew was certainly correct in highlighting the
allusion by quoting Zech. 9.9 in Mt. 21.5.
35
Against the backdrop of
Zech. 9.9 Mark depicts Jesus as entering Jerusalem, as the one who
comes in the name of the Lord, and whose advent fuels the hope of his
entourage that the return of the Davidic reign is imminent. What this
hope entails can be inferred from Zech. 9.10 LXX: 'And he shall root
the chariots out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem. The bow of
war shall be destroyed and abundance and peace from the nations. And
he shall govern over the waters as far as the sea, and over the rivers on
earth's end'. In 12.35-37 the Markan Jesus dashes this hope by arguing
on the basis of David's 'own words' that the Christ is not a Son of
David.
36
Since the narrator has introduced Jesus as the Christ (cf. Mk
1.1 ), the reader is left with the question: does he enter Jerusalem
as a king?' According to Mark, Jesus is the harbinger of the kingdom
of God, not that of David.
37
All his enemies will be subdued under him
(12.36); he will gather the elect from everywhere (13.27).
]oe/4.13 (ET 3.13) in Mk 4.29; ]oe/2.2 in Mk 13.19
The allusions to Joel are confined to the depiction of the final judgement.
38
Mark 4.29 depicts the moment when the final judgement commences
metaphorically with the phrase 'to send in the sickle' designating the
action with which the final judgement commences, as is the case in
Joel 4.13 (ET 3.13). Since this is not common eschatological imagery,
33. Cf. Lohmeyer, Evangelium, p. 229.
34. The Greek can be rendered as 'Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion. Announce
aloud, 0 daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your King is coming to you, he is just and liberates,
he is unassuming and riding on a pack animal, a young foal'.
35. Cf. the contribution of Clay Alan Ham in this volume.
36. Cf. Breytenbach, 'Markusevaogelium', pp. 201-14.
37. Cf. the similar exposition of L. Schenke, Das Markusevangelium (Stuttgart:
Kohlhammer, 2005), p. 264.
38. The phrase that 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken'
in Mk 13.24-5 is quoted from lsa. 13.10; 34.4. This imagery,:whicb is also used by joel
2.10 and (in the Hebrew text) in 3.4 and 4.15, is widely attested in Jewish apocalyptic
literature (cf. Sib. Or. 3.800-1; 4.346-9, 476-80; As. Mos. 10.5; 4 Ezra 5.4-5; 7.39; T.
Levi 4.13).
Mark's Gospel 35
it could be an allusion.
39
That the day of the Lord will be the darkest
and gloomiest day ever Uoel2.2) is comparable to the great tribulation
announced in Mk 13.19.
Zech. 2.10 in Mk 13.27
At the hour of judgement, Mark's Jesus will return as Son of Man at the
right hand of Power (14.62).
40
This combination of Dan. 7.13 and Ps.
110.1
41
implies that the Son of Man comes as Lord to whom all enemies
will then have been subjected (cf. Mk 12.35-37).
42
In Mk 13.27 the Son
of Man of Dan. 7.13 is again the one who 'will gather his elect from the
four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven'. Taking into
account (1) that in Mark's Gospel the 'Son of Man' and 'Lord' both refer
to Jesus' coming seated at the right hand of God, and (2) that Mk 13.27
and Zech. 2.10 LXX both have the motive of the four winds (EK
nooapCalV avEJJCalV)
43
in combination with the gathering


of the addressees, one might argue that Mk 13.27 recalls the
Greek translation of Zech. 2.10 ('from the four winds of heaven I will
gather you, says the Lord': EK TEOOcXpCalV cXVEJ.ICalV TOU oupavou ouva
UJ.ICXS' .Aeyet Kliptos), rather than Deut. 30.4.
Zech. 9.11 in Mk 14.24
It is exactly the link between the kingdom of God and Jesus which
requires that Mk 14.23-24 should be interpreted coherently with Mk
14.25. After giving the cup to the Twelve, the Markan Jesus declares:
'Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God' (14.25). In which
way is the cup associated with the dawn of God's kingdom? In Mark,
Jesus elucidates the drinking of the wine in the cup as his 'blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many'. The sharing of the cup clearly
refers to Jesus' death, but what meaning does it attribute to it? One
should not utilize Mt. 26.28 to introduce the notion of forgiveness of sin
into Mk 14.24. For Mark, Jesus' authority to forgive sin is not connected
39. Suhl, Funktion, p. 154; du Toit, Herr, p. 125.
40. See Breytenbach, 'Markusevaogelium'.
41. Cf. R. Watts, 'The Psalms in Mark's Gospel', inS. Moyise and M. j. j. Menken
(eds), The Psalms in the New Testament (London and New York: T&T Clark, 2004), pp.
25-45, esp. 41.
42. Cf. Breytenbach, 'Markusevangelium', pp. 207-8,213-4.
43. For this motive cf.1 En. 18.1-2; 4 Ezra 13.5 and Rev. 7.1.
44. For this motive cf. 4 Ezra 4.12-3; 13.5. The Greek deviates from the
Hebrew fzJi!) 'to expand' (cf. T. Ash. 7.2-7).
36 Minor Prophets in the New Testament
to his death (cf. Mk 2.5, 10). Since man can give nothing in return for
his life (Mk 8.37), it is the Son of Man who gives his life as a ransom
for many (Mk 10.45). When one places the blood of the covenant in
Mk 14.24 in its narrative context, it is best understood as an exchange
for the doomed life of many. Mark might be recalling the covenant of
Exod. 24.8 via its reception in Zech. 9.11-12
45
: 'You also, by the blood
of the covenant, have sent forth your prisoners from the pit that has no
water'.
4
6 A 11::1, a well or cistern, with no water in it, often served as a
prison (Gen. 37.20; 40.15; Isa. 24.22), which is clearly the meaning in
Zech. 9 .11. Indeed,. its translation AcXKKOS can metaphorically refer to
sheol (cf. Ps. 27.1 LXX). Both Mk 14.24 and Zech. 9.11 are followed
by a positive statement. In Mk 14.25 it is the advent of the royal reign
of God, and in Zech. 9.12 the restitution of the people, who now live on
Zion: 'You shall reside in fortresses, o prisoners of the assembly, and for
one day as expatriate, I will recompense you double'.
47
If Mk 14.24 is
read in the light of Zech. 9.11, the turn in Mark's Christology becomes
clear. The drinking of the wine in the cup symbolizes the death of Jesus
in terms of the covenant. His death sets the prisoners free, having a
ransorning effect (Mk 14.24 with Zech. 9.11). Since Peter's confession
(8.29), Mark has prepared a line of interpretation, which he now follows
through. Jesus is the Christ, but has to suffer as Son of Man (8.29, 31).
Man is not able to give any exchange for his own life (8.37). The Christ,
the Son of Man, came to serve and to give his life in exchange for all
humans (10.45). He enters Jerusalem on a foal, just, as one who saves
and is humble. As Christ he is not the Son of David (12.36), neither does
he come to reinstitute David's kingdom as the crowd expects him to do
(11.10). As the narrative develops, he recaps on the announcement that
he came to give his life as ransom (10.45) by explaining that the sharing
of the cup symbolizes his death as having, in terms of the covenant, a
ransorning effect for many (14.24). When he returns, he will gather the
elect (13.27).
Conclusion
With the exception of the traditional conflated quotation from Exod.
23.20/Mal. 3.1 in Mk 1.2b-c, Mark follows the Greek translations
45. This line of interpretation has been recognized by Lohrneyer, Evangelium, p. 307;
Marcus, Way, p. 157, and J. R. Donahue and D. J. Harrington, The Gospel of Mark (Sacra
Pagina Series, 2; Collegeville, MI: Liturgical Press, 2002), p. 399. None of the interpretations
understand the allusion in the context of Mk 8.37; 10.45 (see below).
46. Zcch. 9.11: Kai m1 iv aiiJaTI i;arrEOTEIAas ISEoiJious oou EK AaKKou ouK
xoVTos u&.lp.
47. EV OXUPWIJOTI liEOIJIOI Tils ouvaywyiis Kai aVTi IJIOS tliJEpas
rrapon:EOlOS OOU /im]..a cXVTOJToOc..low 001.
Mark's Gospel 37
of the Minor Prophets. Quotations or allusions from Jonah, Joel,
Zechariah and Malachi can be accepted with some confidence and are
used in a variety of ways. Thus for a single narrative (Mk 4.37-41), an
episode from Jonah forms the backdrop, while imagery from Joel serves
to express the final judgement (Mk 4.29; 13.19). Citations from and
allusions to Malachi are integrated into broader conceptions that draw
on Isaiah to depict John the Baptist as the one preparing Jesus' path
(Mk 1.2-3; 9.1-13). Finally, quotations from and allusions to Zechariah
play an important role in portraying the Messianic expectations that
the crowd were associating with Jesus (11.1-11), the prediction of the
dispersion and gathering of the Twelve (14.27), the ransoming effect of
the Son of Man's death (10.45; 14.24), and the announcement of his
eschatological advent (13.27). Thus, although Mark's use of the Minor
Prophets is not as extensive as the Book of Isaiah, it nevertheless plays
an important role in his narrative.