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[[File:Carracci The Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ.jpg|thumb|The true ending of the [[Gospel of Mark]] without the subsequent vandalism of its text, as depicted by [[Annibale Carracci]], ''The Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ'', circa 1597-98.]]

[[File:Carracci The Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ.jpg|thumb|The true ending of the [[Gospel of Mark]] without the subsequent vandalism of its text, as depicted by [[Annibale Carracci]], ''The Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ'', circa 1597-98.]]

The '''Mark ending''' — the final chapter 16 to the [[Gospel of Mark]] — is the most spectacular in all of history and literature, in its original form. But it has been polluted by [[liberal]] vandalism with [[liberal denial]], similar to soot obscuring a great work of art.  The soot on an Old Master's painting can be removed to restore the artwork to its original splendor.  Similarly, the sensational original ending to the [[Gospel of Mark]] can be restored, as depicted by this Master's painting -->

The '''Mark ending''' — the final chapter 16 to the [[Gospel of Mark]] — is the most spectacular in all of history and literature, in its original form. But it has been polluted by [[liberal]] vandalism with [[liberal denial]], similar to soot obscuring a great work of art.  The soot on an Old Master's painting can be removed to restore the artwork to its original splendor.  Similarly, the sensational original ending to the [[Gospel of Mark]] can be restored, as depicted by this Master's painting to the right:

There is extensive scholarly commentary demonstrating that verses 16:9–20 are not authentic: they are not in the earliest manuscripts and consist of doubtful doctrine.<ref>Renowned scholar Bruce Metzger explained that Clement of Alexandria and Origen in the early third century show no knowledge of the existence of these verses 9-20; Eusebius and Jerome confirm that the passage was absent from almost all Greek copies of Mark known to them.  ''See'' Bruce Metzger, ''A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament'' (2d ed. Hendrickson Publishers, 2005).  Also, the style of Greek is not Mark's, and the doubtful addition appears to copy closing sections of the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. [https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-strange-ending-of-the-gospel-of-mark-and-why-it-makes-all-the-difference/]</ref>  But equally important is to recognize and remove the [[liberal claptrap]] inserted as the last clause of verse 16:8.  '''''The second half of 16:8 is not authentic, and obscures the powerful original ending by [[Mark]]'''''.  

Appreciation of the original ending to the [[Gospel of Mark]] can help overcome [[addiction]], and motivate to achieve. This real ending, stripped of the [[liberal denial]], is a phenomenal collision of disbelief and [[faith]], with faith prevailing.  It is also a surprise encounter and uniting of masculinity and femininity.

== Authentic ending ==

 

== Authentic ending - without contradicting the preceding verse ==

The authentic ending of Mark is an unexpected encounter by three women looking for [[Jesus]] at the tomb, and an [[angel]] taking the form of a young man.  It is best translated as follows (Mark 16:2-8a):

The authentic ending of Mark is an unexpected encounter by three women looking for [[Jesus]] at the tomb, and an [[angel]] taking the form of a young man.  It is best translated as follows (Mark 16:2-8a):

{{cquote|And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, ''and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid''.}}

{{cquote|And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, ''and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid''.}}

The "and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" is contradictory with the instruction by the [[angel]] in the immediately preceding verse, and contradictory with [[Mark]] recording what they women saw.  The angel said at {{bibleref|Mark|16|7}}:

This tacked-on phrase "and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" '''''is contradictory with the instruction by the [[angel]] in the immediately preceding verse''''', and contradictory with [[Mark]] recording what the women saw.  The angel said at {{bibleref|Mark|16|7}}:

{{cquote|But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.}}

{{cquote|But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.}}

== Uncharacteristic use of the concept of fear by Mark ==

== Uncharacteristic use of the concept of fear by Mark ==

[[Mark]] uses variations on the Greek word for fear -- ἐφοβοῦντο -- about a dozen time through his Gospel, but none of his other uses is about any women being afraid of [[Jesus]].  Rather, the [[Gospel of Mark]] is notably for its boldness, and for describing the fear by [[Herod]], [[Pharisee]]s and others in positions of power of Jesus and the people.

[[Mark]] uses variations on the Greek word for fear -- ἐφοβοῦντο -- about a dozen times throughout his Gospel, but none of his other uses is about any women being afraid of [[Jesus]].  Rather, the [[Gospel of Mark]] is notable for its boldness, and for describing the fear by [[Herod]], [[Pharisee]]s and others in positions of power of Jesus and the people.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|δὲ γυνὴ '''φοβηθεῖσα''' καὶ τρέμουσα

|δὲ γυνὴ '''φοβηθεῖσα''' καὶ τρέμουσα

|But the woman fearing and trembling,

|But the woman fearing and trembling,

|

|Here Mark used "τρέμουσα" as the word for trembling in fear by a woman, so that is not what Mark meant in Mark 16:8 when he used "τρόμος"

|-

|-

|Mark 5:36

|Mark 5:36

"The transition from verse 8 to verse 9 is awkward," explains another in-depth analysis.<ref>https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/75642/does-the-phrase-%CE%BF%E1%BD%90%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BD%E1%BD%B6-%CE%BF%E1%BD%90%CE%B4%E1%BD%B2%CE%BD-%CE%B5%E1%BC%B6%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BD-in-mark-168-mean-that-the-women-could-not</ref>

"The transition from verse 8 to verse 9 is awkward," explains another in-depth analysis.<ref>https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/75642/does-the-phrase-%CE%BF%E1%BD%90%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BD%E1%BD%B6-%CE%BF%E1%BD%90%CE%B4%E1%BD%B2%CE%BD-%CE%B5%E1%BC%B6%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BD-in-mark-168-mean-that-the-women-could-not</ref>

== Mark's Greek ==

== Appears copied from later-written Gospels ==

 

It is known that the [[Gospel of Mark]] was written before the [[Gospel of Luke]] and the [[Gospel of John]], but sentences in Mark 16:9-20 appear to be copied from them, such as the statement about demons and [[Mary Magdalene]] which [[Mark]] is unlikely to have known.

Particular characteristics of Mark's Greek include the following:<ref>Citing Ben Witherington in ''The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary'' (pp. 18-9) [https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/2021/what-evidence-suggests-that-greek-was-not-marks-first-language].</ref>

 

*Use of first-person plural as the narrative

*Use of a singular verb to follow an impersonal plural verb

*Anacoluthon - "syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence,"<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anacoluthon</ref> but the one at the end of Mark 16:8 is not really Mark's

==References==

==References==

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{{Mark}}

{{Mark}}