Read a portion of the Gospel of Mark and a parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew. Which version of the passage (if either) seems to you to be most likely the original version? Why?You might find the online Gospel synopsis here some help, since it allows you to scroll through each gospel and put parallel passages side by side.
9 comments:
Holly Jones
Matthew 16:5-12 vs Mark 8:14-21
I chose the passage on Jesus teaches against wrong teaching. The passage is about how the disciples had forgotten to bring along food for the boat ride, but find one loaf of bread for the 12 of them. They can't or won't believe that one thing (bread-evil) can bring to the entire group.
I enjoyed the passage in Mark much better than in Matthew. Mark's audience was mostly non Jewish so they understand more on the Leader "Herod" than to the Sadducees (Jewish people).
Mark incorperates more of the "actual" passage my belief only because of the audience he was writing for.
The writings in Mark flow also more like a play. It almost stays in a line like our modern plays do today.
Matthew 13:10 and Mark 4:10 both talk about why Jesus speaks to people in parables.
Matthew seems to be the obvious choice as the "original" version of the story. At first glance, Matthew is much longer than the passage in Mark. Also, Matthew gives more details. In Matthew 13:11-13 it states, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." In contrast, Mark 4:11-12 states, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven."
Essentially, Matthew provides more details, whereas Mark just clumps certain details together.
I read the parallel about the "accusations of Jesus". I honestly didn't know if I realized which one would be the the more accurate one.
In this parallel people accuse Jesus of being the devil and dispersed out demons when he heals someone. The one difference that I really noticed was the name given to the group of accusers. Matthew calls them Pharisees and Mark calls them scribes down from Jerusalem. I don't know if this is just so that the different audiences addressed understand better.
I see it as Mt. being more accurate because they directly set out the group and don't sugarcoat the name with a generic view.
Joe Adam
What I read for this extra credit assignment was Matthew chapter 21 and Luke chapter 11. These are the chapters where Jesus goes into Jerusalem and he gets angry about what people are doing in the house of God and they are doing things such as selling goods and Jesus says to them "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves".
Now the weird thing that i noticed about this verse is that it is mentioned in Matthew and not Mark, Mark just mentions that they went into Jerusalem and they looked at there surroundings and then left to Bethania.
Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52
I choose the sections in Matthew and Mark where they talk about Jesus walking water. Matthew’s account is much more detailed and includes Peter joining Jesus and not believing strong enough so that he begins to fall. Matthew’s account seems to me to be the ‘original’ since it contains more of a message. That if we do not believe whole-heartedly, we fall short of receiving the blessing God has in store for us. Mark’s version seems to be a summary of Matthew’s account and tends to leave me wanting the rest of the story. Mark appears to be leaving out vital information - if, in fact, Matthew's version is the original.
Matthew 4:1-11 vs Mark 1:12
Matthew goes into much greater detail. I feel that it must be closer to the original. Matthew goes into great description on the Temptation of Christ. Matthew tells his audience of the power of Satan, but that Jesus Christ is even more powerful. Matthew spells out the terrible things that Jesus went through "a baptism by fire" so to speak. Even though he did not have to prove his greatness or power over the devil, to anyone. He put himself in that position to show his power not just over the devil but all of the temptations that could be thrown at him. Matthew also has a warning: Do not try to tempt/trick Jesus! Mark goes into very little detail on these events for his audience.
I believe that with the Gospel of Matthew detailing more about Christ than the Gospel of Mark, that the former was written first.
The first chapter of Matthew details Jesus' ancestry, which would have been easier to confirm closer to Jesus's life. The first chapter of Mark recaps the confirmed prophecy of Jesus' arrival to the world.
For the most part, the Gospel of Matthew touches up on Jesus' view of the Law, while the Gospel of Mark tells of Jesus' miracles and teachings. Matthew tells the story in great detail as if he were present during Jesus' life, and it is as if Mark writes about Jesus' legacy following his crucifixion and resurrection. Mark also reviews mainly the last years of Jesus Christ.
Ruth Wilson
The Fig tree withered.
This account in Matt. left much to be desired, not much detail at all. The account in Mark was FULL of detail, which makes it seem to be the origional manuscript and Matthew just skipped over the detail.
My question is, why does it matter which was written first? Are both not valid? It would make the most sense if the deciples had gotten together, as Prof. Marmostein has suggested, to write the whole thing down. Now it looks as if Mark was the general picture of things, Matthew was the same, but geared tward the Jews, Luke to the well educated Gentiles. That covers every major group of people in that time. Everyone who would need to hear the good news. Its to well planned out be random, every base covered.
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