Crucifixion as Parodic Parousia

All the gospels narrate the death of Jesus in such a way that his crucifixion by parodic exaltation (so Joel Marcus) becomes a testament to the truth of his messiahship. This article contends that there is a further eschatological dimension to Mark’s account that tends to be overlooked in exegetical discussion: the death of Jesus has been narrated in such a way as to foreshadow the return of the Son of Man. For Mark, then, the cross not only makes a claim about the eschatological “already” but brings to mind the “not yet” that was expected to happen soon: Jesus’s glorious return. I support this reading by identifying overlooked connections between the crucifixion scene and the Sanhedrin trial, locating the death of Jesus within the broader themes of suffering and vindication in Mark, and situating the earliest gospel in the context of related traditions in other Jewish sources about the suffering of the righteous

Art · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Philosophy