Abstract
The article investigates the manner in which the evocation of narrative frames in Mark permits the construction of a complex and ambiguous characterization of Jesus' disciples and inquires into the narrative function of this characterization. The discussion first examines the nature of the implied reader's pre-existent knowledge and beliefs about the disciples. Analysis of the narrative rhetoric of the Gospel then reveals that the narration builds on the reader's pre-existent positive esteem for the disciples by encouraging certain positive aspects of their characterization while introducing negative elements into other aspects. The discussion concludes with a proposal concerning the narrative function of the disciples' characterization within Mark.
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