SUMMA DÆMONICA BIBLIOGRAFIA

BAWM: 2018

Zung Bawm

The Exorcisms of Jesus in Mark as Symbolic Actions for Political Liberation:

A Case Study on Mark 5:1-20

(Teză de master)

Protestant Theological University, Groningen,

13 July 2018, 70 p. (pdf.)

Contents

Acknowledgements – i, Abstract – ii, List of Abbreviations and Symbols – v, Introduction – 1, 0.1 Developing the Research Motivation, Questions and Problems – 1, 0.2 Overview of the Chapters and the Research Questions – 4, Chapter 1 Definition of Political Reading and the Political Reading of Mark – 6, 1.1 Introduction – 6, 1.2 Myers’ Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus – 6, 1.3 Horsley’s Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark’s Gospel – 9, 1.4 Parallels and Differences between Myers and Horsley – 12, 1.5 Conclusion – 13, Chapter 2 Historical and Socio-Political Setting of the Gospel of Mark – 15, 2.1 Introduction – 15, 2.2 The Probable Dating of Mark – 15, 2.2 Mark’s Place of Composition and His Community – 16, 2.3 Mark’s Gospel as Anti-Imperial Gospel in the Socio-Political Context of the Roman Empire – 18, 2.4 Conclusion – 19, Chapter 3 A Case Study on Jesus’ Exorcism in Mark 5:1–20: the Text in its Markan Context – 20, 3.1 Translation, Textual, Structural and Intratextual Analysis of Mark 5:1-20 – 20, 3.1.1 Translation with Comments – 20, 3.1.2 Textual criticism: the land of the Gerasenes (Γερασηνῶν) – 21, 3.1.3 Intratextual Relations and the Interpretation of Mark 5:1-20 – 23, 3.1.3.1 The Surrounding Structure of Mark 5:1-20 as an Intratext – 24, 3.1.3.2 Mark 1:21-28 as an Intratext for Mark 5:1-20 – 25, 3.1.3.3 Mark 3:22-27 as an Intratext for Mark 5:1-20 – 26, 3.1.3.4 Mark 4:35-41 as an Intratext – 27, 3.2 Interpretation of Mark 5:1-20 – 28, 3.2.1 The Political Reading of Mark 5:1-20 among Different Readings of Miracles – 28, 3.2.2 Mark’s Use of Political Terminologies in Mark 5:1-20 – 32, 3.2.3 Location of the Exorcism as a Possible Marker for Political Interpretation of Mark 5 – 36, 3.2.4 Mark’s Use of “the Sea” as a Marker for Political Interpretation – 37, 3.3 Conclusion – 38, Chapter 4 Intertextuality and the Political Interpretation of Mark 5:1-20 – 39, 4.1 Definition of Intertextuality – 39, 4.1.1 Richard B. Hays’ Three Forms of Intertextual References – 40, 4.1.2 Christopher B. Hays’ Seven Criteria for Recognizing Allusions or Echoes – 40, 4.2 Some Possible Intertexts for Mark 5:1-20 – 42, 4.3 Exodus 14-15 as an Important Intertext for the Political Interpretation of Mark 5:1-20 – 43, 4.3.1 The Exodus Story as an Intertext for the Gospel of Mark -  43, 4.3.2 Mark’s Use of Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40: 3 as Intertexts for the Political Interpretation of Mark 5:1-20 – 46, 4.3.3 Exodus 14-15 as Main Intertext for the Political Interpretation of Mark – 48, 4.4 Conclusion – 53, Conclusion and Practical Reflection – 55, Bibliography – 59.

Abstract

This thesis approaches Jesus’ exorcisms in Mark as symbolic actions for political liberation, that is, liberation from religious, socio-economic and political oppression by both Jewish religious authorities and Roman imperial rule. The thesis consists of four chapters. First, the political readings of the Gospel of Mark as a whole by Ched Myers and Richard A. Horsley are presented, because their readings reveal the presence of politics in the Gospel of Mark. Secondly, the presence of anti-Roman sentiment in the Gospel of Mark is investigated by discussing the gospel’s historical and socio-political setting. Thirdly, it is argued that four closely related intratexts of Mark 5:1-20, the political reading of the miracles in general, Mark’s use of socio-political terminologies in Mark 5:1-20, Mark’s description of the geographical area as “the land of the Gerasenes,” and Mark’s reference to “the sea” seem to support the interpretation of Jesus’ exorcism in Mark 5:1-20 as a symbolic action for political liberation. Finally, I argue that Mark’s probable intertextual references to the Exodus story, especially Exodus 14-15, in Mark 5:1-20 seem to add further evidential weight to this interpretation. It is argued that the connection between Jesus’ exorcism story and the Exodus story in terms of political liberation is possibly underpinned by two non-biblical sources which independently make this connection.