Lectionary Year B
September 14, 2003
Mark 8:27-38

Step I: Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation


A. Comparing Translations

(JFC) Comparing and contrasting the English Standard Version, the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version:

30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. - ESV
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. - NIV
And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. - NRSV

36 For what does it profit a man - ESV
What good is it for a man - NIV
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? - NRSV

38 For whoever is ashamed of me - ESV
If anyone is ashamed of me - NIV
Those who are ashamed of me - NRSV

B. Textural Criticism

(JFC) 28 For ei=pan auvtw/| le,gontej, several significant witnesses have apekriqhsan, while others read apekriqhsan autw leg., and still others retain the text as printed, seemingly sensible at least. Why change words? Do they not mean the same thing? Or, does apekrinwmai mean more of a reply than usually it gets discerned/translated? At the end of 29, some editors add, o uioj tou qeou and/or o uioj tou q. tou zwntoj, which seems, admittedly, to be copied from the parallels, as unnecessarily as unexpected in Mark's custom. "The shorter text is undoubtedly original", writes Vincent Taylor. 33 Some notable parts of the tradition replace the first person pronoun, mou, with the second person, sou, which seems to make for confusion if not next to no sense. 34 A couple of witnesses and a majority of (Byzantine) constant witnesses change ei; tij, to read ostij, while many more reliable editions retain the text as received, prudently, even if/since the former seems more interrogative a term. Then, several Alexandrian and Western relaibles replace the present, active, infinitive avkolouqei/n, "to follow, to accompany, to become a disciple", with the parallels' elqein, an aorist, active, infinitive of ercomai, "to come", which might have too much nearly the same meaning, although possibly the received text, might well get at more what Mark was meaning. And, very nearly the same number of significant editors, including Papyrus 45, retain the printed text as original. 36 For kerdh/sai, several important witnesses read, with the parallels, ean kerdhsh t. k. o. k. zhmiwqh, while an equal number retain the printed version as original, which Metzger (TCGNT) claims, too, seemingly prudently. 37 For the aorist, active, subjunctive, of didwmi, doi/, some few constant witnesses read another aorist, active, subjunctive, dw, and others, including Papyrus 45 and other very reliable witnesses, read, dwsei, a future, active, indicative, while others retain the received text. The latter might seem more sensible grammatically to us reading English. 38 Papyrus 45 and a few other reliables omit lo,gouj, the accusative, masculine, plural of lo,goj, "words", while Metzger's Committee thought the shorter version's omission "gives good sense". Does it?

C. Rough Translation

(JFC) 27 And went this Jesus and the disciples of his into the villages of Caeserea of the Philip (territories in northeast Palestine); and on the journey/way/road he was asking [imperfect] the disciples of his saying, "Who of me [accusative = direct object] do say the men/people to be?" 28 And they said to him saying [that] John the Baptist, and others Elijah, but others that one of the prophets. 29 And he asked them, "And you who do you say of me (I am) to be? " Answering, Peter said, "You are the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One." 30 And he commanded/ordered them that no one should say/tell/speak about him. 31 And he began to teach them that it is necessary that the Son of Man much/many things to suffer and to be rejected by the elders and the high priests and the scribes and be put to death and after three days to rise from the dead; 32 And in/with openness/frankness/boldness the word he told/said/proclaimed. And welcoming/receiving/accepting him Peter began to order/command/rebuke him. 33 But he having been turned/turned around [aorist, passive, participle] and seeing [aorist, active, participle] the disciples, he ordered/commanded/rebuked Peter and says [present, active, indicative] "You go away from me, Satan, because not do you think/are you minding the things of the God but/rather those of men/people. 34 And calling/summoning/inviting the crowd with the disciples of his, he said to them, "If anyone wishes/desires after me to follow/become a disciple, he must disown/denounce himself and take up the cross of his and follow me. 35 For any one desiring/wishing the life of his to save shall loose it; but whoever will destroy/kill/loose the life of his for the sake of me and the gospel shall save/rescue it. 36 For what shall it gain/profit a man to gain/profit/win the world whole and loose/forfeit/suffer loss of the life of his? 37 For what would it give/offer/pay a man exchanging the life of his? 38 For whoever would be ashamed of me and the words of mine the generation this adulterous and sinful, also the son of man will be ashamed [future, passive, indicative] of him, when he would/might [aorist, active, subjunctive] come in the glory of the father of his with the angels of the holy.



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