Narrative Analysis as a Text Critical Tool: Mark 16 in Codex W as a Test Case

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2009

Keywords

Codex W, Freer Logion, History of transmission, Narrative analysis, Narrative criticism, Textual criticism, Theological tendency

Abstract

In their description of the history of the transmission of the New Testament text, textual critics can use narrative analysis to elucidate the theological tendencies of narrative portions of an individual manuscript. The current article is an application of this methodology to the text of Mk 16.9-20 in Codex W. The article correlates the theological tendencies of this passage against the rest of the text of Mark in W with the outcome that there is reasonable evidence for a Tendenz focused on the cosmic power of Christ. This, in turn, correlates well with the triumph of the church over paganism in the fourth to fifth centuries CE when W was copied.

Journal Title

Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Volume

32

Issue

1

First Page

77

Last Page

98

DOI

10.1177/0142064X09339447

First Department

New Testament

Link to Full Text

@ the James White Library

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