Computing Mark’s Genre

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20249686
AutoresJacob P B Mortensen (0000-0002-7153-3707, Aarhus University), Yuri Bizzoni (0000-0002-6981-7903, Aarhus University)
Año2025
Volumen16
Número12
Páginas1568
Fecha de publicación2025-12-12
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16121568
OpenAlexW7114925270
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas27

This article combines computational analysis and historical interpretation to reassess the genre of the Gospel of Mark. Drawing on prototype theory and J. Z. Smith’s comparative method, we model Mark’s linguistic and stylistic profile against a large corpus of ancient Greek texts—including tragedies, biographies, historiographies, novels, and Septuagint (LXX) single-person narratives. Using supervised and unsupervised clustering, the study shows that Mark consistently aligns with the LXX corpus rather than with the Greco-Roman genres traditionally proposed. Even when segmented into smaller textual units (prologues, epilogues, or 1000-word chunks), the Gospel remains anchored in the scriptural prototype of divinely commissioned figures such as Moses, Joseph, or Esther. The results suggest that Mark’s genre is best described as a scriptural narrative of divine agency: a continuation of Israel’s storytelling tradition reimagined within the Greek-speaking world of the first century

Continuation · Gospel · Narrative · Storytelling · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Digital Humanities and Scholarship · Historical and Linguistic Studies

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