Christian Texts and History • The Bethsaida episode (in Mark) is based on the Bartimaeus episode (in *Ev)

The Bethsaida episode is really a good proof of *Ev's priority over Mark, since it is based on the episode of the blind Bartimaeus.

In both the cases:

• a blind occurs:
  Batimaeus is a blind
  a blind of Bethsaida

• a group is walking:
  disciples on the way to Jerusalem,
  "men as trees walking"

• this group is full of messianic hopes about Jesus
  disciples believe that Jesus is davidic,
  the trees in Judges 9:8-15 search for a king( = a Messiah).

• a denial is made of the davidic lineage (and humanity) for Jesus:
  Bartimaeus ceases to call Jesus 'rabbi' or 'son of David'
  the blind of Bethsaida ceases to see men as trees walking

• emphasis is put on the time:
  Bartimaeus is son of Timaeus, and in Plato's Timaeus the speculation is about the time.
  The blind of Bethsaida is healed gradually in the time.

The only difference is the following:

• In *Ev, at the end Bartimaeus sees clearly about the identity of Jesus: he is not a man, he is not a son of David.

• In Mark the blind of Bethsaida sees clearly and distinctly "everything":
  
  
  Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
  
  "everything" includes more than only Jesus.

Why this difference? Because Mark didn't like the *Ev's implication: that Jesus is not even a human. Mark wants only to deny that Jesus is davidic (his only debt to Marcion).

Statistics: Posted by Giuseppe — Tue Apr 16, 2024 10:07 pm

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