{"id":59669,"date":"2023-03-05T08:08:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-05T14:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=59669"},"modified":"2023-03-05T08:08:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-05T14:08:07","slug":"evidence-for-marks-longer-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/evidence-for-marks-longer-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"Evidence for Mark’s Longer Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Perry Hall<\/p>\n

Should we accept Mark’s longer ending (Mark 16:9-20), or instead concur with a popular scholarly conclusion that verse 8 is the proper ending? Here I will present one argument for why I think the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel.<\/p>\n

Notice the claim: “the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel”. One way this fits Mark is his use of 3’s throughout the book, including the resurrection scene.<\/p>\n

For example, the ending includes the third time Jesus is anointed:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First Anointing – Jesus’s baptism where the Spirit descends upon him (Mark 1:10). This is an anointing scene although the word “anoint” is not used. Prophets were anointed at the beginning of their ministries.<\/li>\n
  2. Second Anointing – Woman’s anointing (murizo<\/em> – Mark 14:8) Jesus with perfume (Mark 14:3-9). Jesus claims this is for his burial.<\/li>\n
  3. Women at the tomb (Mark 16:1) came to anoint (aleipho<\/em>) Jesus. The third anointing is a failure since Jesus has already risen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The third anointing being a failure fits three failures within the resurrection scenes of Mark. So again, a series of 3’s:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. First Failure – Mark 16:8 – They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.<\/li>\n
    2. Second Failure – Mark 16:11 – When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.<\/li>\n
    3. Third Failure – Mark 16:13 – They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      All three times there is a reaction that is not acceptable by God’s standards after a telling:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. First Failure – The angel tells the women to tell others, but they fail to obey.<\/li>\n
      2. Second Failure – When Mary Magdalene does finally tell, the apostles fail to believe.<\/li>\n
      3. When the two men tell “others”, they fail to believe.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If this is a later addition, the additional writer was a scholar on Markan writing.<\/p>\n

        Is this definitive proof of the longer ending? No. But what it does show is it is fitting, by including a common Markan “mark” of a series of 3’s.<\/p>\n

        I accept Mark’s longer ending. There are far more reasons than the one presented here. But isn’t it amazing how what some consider unnecessary redundancy, actually fits into a very authentic writing style of Mark that would be missing using Mark’s shorter ending?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        by Perry Hall Should we accept Mark’s longer ending (Mark 16:9-20), or instead concur with a popular scholarly conclusion that verse 8 is the proper ending? Here I will present one argument for why I think the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel. Notice the claim: “the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel”.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[568,130,121],"class_list":["post-59669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-canon","tag-mark"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56401,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-genuineness-of-mark-169-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":0},"title":"The Genuineness of Mark 16:9-20","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 29, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dudley Ross Spears The last verses from Mark's gospel, (Mark 16:9-20) have been called \"The Longer Ending of Mark.\" The first time I came across this criticism it was in response to quoting verses 15 and 16. Mark 16:16 affirms, \"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":627,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-authenticity-of-mark-169-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":1},"title":"The Authenticity of Mark 16:9-20","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 11, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim Snapps II \"Does\u00a0Mark 16:9-20\u00a0belong in the Bible?\" The church has answered \"Yes\" for centuries. Many in the church still do. But in the 1800s, scholars questioned the originality of these 12 verses. Many scholars today take it for granted that the Gospel of Mark originally did not contain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/10\/64ManuscriptsChart.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/10\/64ManuscriptsChart.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/10\/64ManuscriptsChart.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/10\/64ManuscriptsChart.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":623,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-mark-169-20-spurious-or-genuine\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":2},"title":"Is Mark 16:9-20 Spurious or Genuine?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 11, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"by Howard See Truth Magazine XIX: 29, pp. 454-455,\u00a0May 29, 1975 In a recent, late-night television interview of a snake-handling preacher from East Tennessee, the text of Mark 16:9-20 was attacked as being spurious. This was an effort to try to offset the teaching in Mark 16:18, \"'They shall take\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4374,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-explain-some-apparent-contradictions-in-the-gospel-accounts\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":3},"title":"Can you explain some apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 28, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Matthew 8:28 records two men who were demon-possessed. Mark 5:1-2\u00a0and\u00a0Luke 8:26-27\u00a0record one man. Why? And how do you defend this to someone? Also, Matthew records Jairus' daughter was dead in Matthew 9:18, but Mark records it at the point of death in\u00a0Mark 5:23. Why? Also, Mark records Jesus as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33351,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-mark-169-20-inspired\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":4},"title":"Is Mark 16:9-20 Inspired?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kyle Pope via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 9, No. 8, August 2009 Many students of the New Testament have found themselves puzzled by notes encountered at the close of the Gospel of Mark, claiming, \"The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20\"[1]. Should we question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85568,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-anointing\/","url_meta":{"origin":59669,"position":5},"title":"The Anointing","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him\" (I John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}