Lessons from retranslated Gospel of Mark

Lessons learned from retranslated Gospel of Mark include a realization that like Shakespeare's works, the Gospel of Mark has subtle humor and cleverness greater than its simplicity of wording. Reading the Gospel of Mark straight through, without verse numbers and in modern terminology, is a wonderful experience. nclud New lessons learned include:

• the withering of the fig tree is recounted in a very clever, dramatic, captivating, and humorous way
• Mark's sharp criticisms as a teenager of the older, adult Apostles are witty
• Mark's multiple references apparently to himself are artfully subtle, including Jesus's Apostles finding a boy who had a little food for the Multiplication of the loaves
• the original Gospel of Mark has an intriguing ending where the women told no "man" of what they found at the empty tomb after the Resurrection, as though only Salome told his young son Mark
• English translations fail to be as strong against addiction as the original:

• nearly all English translations omit the disparaging reference to gambling, by calling it the archaic "casting lots"
• nearly all English translations refer to wine in a favorable way, when it could be translated as grape juice

• the Multiplication of the loaves is recounted twice in a dramatic manner
• reinforcing the likelihood that Salome was the mother of Mark, he explains that Salome's group purchased spices for Jesus in Mark 16:1
• Mark artfully explains how faith can cause action at Mark 11:23: "that man's words will become true," providing a glimpse similar to the Ontological argument to prove the existence of God.

See also

• Gospel of Mark (Translated)