Computing Mark’s Genre

Bibliographic Data

ID20249686
AuthorsJacob P B Mortensen (0000-0002-7153-3707, Aarhus University), Yuri Bizzoni (0000-0002-6981-7903, Aarhus University)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue12
Pages1568
Publication date2025-12-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16121568
OpenAlexW7114925270
LanguageEN
References cited27

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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