The mystery religion is so pronounced because there was a truth hidden behind the facade of a story about Jesus. Enter the 'gospel secret.'
Anyone reading this post knows what I think was the original gospel secret. Jesus was announcing someone else - the little boy that appears throughout the gospel as the expected messiah. At the end of the narrative Jesus runs a 'screen play.' He takes one for the team. Jesus dies so the little boy can live and go on to be the messiah.
Indeed we shouldn't think of this formulation as something radical or new. It was always present in Alexandria. Look at the traditional emphasis of Jesus as God. It is problematic to Protestants (who want to make the whole mystery absurdly 'rational' by emphasizing Jesus' 'humanity'). Yet what if this goes against the original intentions of the author? What if Jesus was meant to be God and nothing more (what really can be more than God?) or less?
Indeed what is called 'doceticism' by the Church Fathers may well not be a heresy at all but the original intentions of the author. Notice the early appearance of this interpretation. It is practically wedded to the Diatessaron. Notice the Pauline emphasis of 'Jesus appearing crucified.' The Marcionites certainly noticed it.
So if we allow ourselves to imagine the logic of the heresies (something that is rarely ever carried out; we think we have advanced past the Church Fathers merely by not wishing them harm).
As we stand in line with the initiated preparing to receive Jesus' flesh and blood. We have to ask ourselves 'why? Why was this needed?'
If you guess it had something to do with the destruction of the Jewish temple, you are probably right.
Let's assume a date of around the destruction for Mark's authorship of the document (Crossley can go jump in a lake). The mystery religion surrounding the 'gospel secret' must also have been developed around this time.
Because I believe that Mark was Marcus Julius Agrippa I think there was a conscious decision to fill the void among proselytes. Notice the interrogative approach to the baptismal creed in the earliest texts - i.e. 'dost thou believe ...' each time the initiates head is dunked in the water.
I happen to believe that everything about Christianity is reflective of the environment around the time of the destruction of the temple. It's not just the reference to Dan 9:24 - 27 in the little apocalypse. It is the cross itself.
Josephus tells us that crosses were being erected all around the surrounded city of Jerusalem as a kind of supernatural omen against the Jews. Read Josephus again and you will see the whole history can be read as if the author was arguing that the events of 70 CE were the fulfillment of Daniel 9:24 - 27.
Agrippa the messiah 'disappears and is no more' (Daniel 9:26) and then the appearance of tens of thousands of crucified Jews surrounding the city is the abomination of desolation (see the traditional Jewish interpretation of some rabbis).
Did Mark project the crucifixion of Jesus in the past into a supernatural military strategy at the time of the destruction? Consider the first prayer of the Samaritan prayer book by Mark the son of Titus (the 'unsheather of the cross' according to his traditional title).
My friend Rory Boid has graciously translated much of the material (verses lamed - pe) from Aramaic into English.
Punishments don’t disconcert the sinner, nor do wounds frighten him. He doesn’t take any notice. The rebel sees himself delivered up to punishments, and finds himself crucified. He turns to his ……. [meaning uncertain, perhaps property], and knows that there is no enjoyment from it.
Death can be compared to a Priest making someone drink the Bitter Water of Testing. The innocent person unjustly accused is given better bodily and mental and spiritual health by it. The false accuser who has sworn a false oath or committed perjury or conspiracy is struck by afflictions or even in some cases death. Woe on whoever is found to have committed sin. Woe on all sinners, since they will be in great distress. The punishments they suffer are the result of all their offences.
The soul (or individual) stands dumbfounded. Those living are in great affliction, because the Good has turned his face away from them. If the Merciful does not save, and remember those that love him, all the sinners will bewail themselves, because they are in great distress.
The signs tell us that in this generation of ours there is not a single person not in partnership with sinners. The mothers and children, all of whom took part and rebelled (maradu), they too are punished with (or suffer) suffocation (tashnîqayya).
The fact is that by our sins we are the ones that are the murderers, murderers of the silent and those that can speak Innocent animals or children that have never sinned, or young adults of good descent, suffer for sins they never committed.
It is the Fanuta (era of disfavor) that has brought all this suffering about. The fruit of the womb is stopped, and the fruit of the earth destroyed. Every place is becoming accursed for us. The mouth of punishment is open before, ready to swallow up the baby with the old man.
As Boid notes this hymn is recited in part on every Sabbath and every Festival. Notice this. At some time it must have been laid down that it had to be recited constantly. It has 22 verses, each with seven lines. 22 x 7 = 154.
This hymn speaks of death and destruction in the present, wrought by estrangement from the will of God, and urges a reversal of behaviour. One verse could be taken as referring to executions, depending on how you understand one word. This is the fifth verse. Other verses might refer to this, but not directly.
I will demonstrate that the first hymn of the Samaritan Mark is connected with the gospel of Mark. It fits the context of the introduction of the text during the Jewish War. No small task ...
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