The Family of Jesus in Mark's Gospel

Cf. R. Brown , et al., Mary in the New Testament (Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1978).

Cf. E. Johnson , "The Symbolic Nature of Theological Statements about Mary", Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22:2 (1985) 312-36.

Cf. Norman Perrin , "The Interpretation of the Gospel of Mark ", Interpretation 30:2 (1976) 120.

Cf. Brown, op. cit, 28.

The authors consider Mark 15:40 only in terms of the question of Mary's perpetual virginity and conclude that the text has nothing significant to say about Mary, Mother of Jesus. Brown , op. cit., 6872.

Ibid., 55. But note the objections by H. Wansbrough , "Mark 3:21 - Was Jesus Out of His Mind?", New Testament Studies 18 (1972) 233-5; also D. Wenham in NTS 21 (1975) 295-300. In sum, these authors contend that hoi par' autou refers to the crowd, and not to either Jesus or his disciples. In their opinion, this would explain why Mark does not even mention Jesus' family before referring to them in such a backhanded manner.

Brown , op. cit, 55.

R. Bultmann , History and Eschatology (New York: Harper and Row, 1957) 37.

"Obviously the fact that the expected coming of Christ failed to take place gave rise to disappointment and doubt" Bultmann , op. cit, 37.

Cf. Norman Perrin and Dennis Duling , The New Testament: An Introduciton (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1982) 238.

Ibid, 242.

J. Donahue , "Jesus as the Parable of God in the Gospel of Mark", Interpretation 32 (1978).

Robert C. Tannehill , "The Disciples in Mark: The Function of a Narrative Role", Journal of Religion 57 (1977) 392-3.