Willem S. Vorster

“ From the insights of Sociology of Knowledge we are aware that all knowledge is context-bound. But that does not imply that there is no place for creativity. On the contrary, even oral storytellers tell the ‘same’ story differently in different contexts and under different circumstances, although their knowledge is bound to their contexts.
A further problem with the traditional approach to the Gospel of Mark is that the final text is not sufficiently distinguished from its history of growth. This is due to the text concept which underlies the approach. ”

“ It is impossible to tell the ‘same’ story twice. Each telling has its own context and its own message. The truth of this statement is confirmed by the retelling of the stories of the Old Testament within the Old Testament, as well as in later Jewish literature. Each time a Story or event is retold, it is done for a specific purpose and from a specific point of view. ”

“ For more than a century attempts have been made to explain the origin of the gospel material and to interpret the space between the related events and the final inscripturation of the contents of the Gospel. For that reason the emphasis has been on the growth and not on the making of the Gospel. Very few scholars have taken the production of the written Gospel seriously. ”

“ Retelling of the ‘same’ event or word of a specific person involves creativity. What is apparent regarding the use of the Old Testament in Mark seems to be even more applicable to the tradition incorporated in the Gospel of Mark. Let us take individual units such as controversy stories between Jesus and his opponents in the Gospel of Mark as an example. ”

“ Memory typically selects certain features from the successive perceptions and interprets them according to expectation, previous knowledge or the logic of ‘what must have happened’, and fills the gaps in perception. ”

“ What is needed is serious reflection on the production of texts from the perspective of what happens when other texts, whether oral or written, are included in or absorbed by a new text. The traditional approach is anti-individualistic because the driving force behind the Gospels is the anonymous community. ”

“ The kingdom sayings in Mark. Foundations & Facets Forum 3, 3–47.
--- 1988. A myth of innocence: Mark and Christian origins. Philadelphia: Fortress.
Marxsen, W 1959. Der Evangelist Markus: Studien zur Redaktionsgeschichte des Evangeliums. 2.Aufl. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck. ”

“ Om te vertel dat Jesus Christus die lydende Seun van God is: Oor Markus en sy teologie, in Roberts, J H et al (reds) , Teologie in konteks, 32-61. Halfway House: Orion.
--- 1992. The growth and making of John 21, in Van Segbroeck, F et al (eds) , The four gospels: Festschrift Frans Neirynck, 2207-2221. Leuven: Peeters.
Wrede, W 1969. Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien: Zugleich ein Beitrag zum Verstándnis des Markusevangeliums. 4.Aufl. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck.
Zwick, R 1989. Montage im Markusevangelium: Studien zur narrativen Organisation der ältesten Jesusüberlieferung. ”