Biblegems
#300
Question: A note in my Bible says that the
earliest manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20. Does
that mean that these verses in the Gospel of Mark
were added later, and are therefore not part of God’s inspired, revealed Word?
The
answer is “No.” Here’s why:
First,
the note in your Bible is accurate in that the earliest manuscripts do not
contain this portion of Mark. However, that only means the earliest manuscripts
we have found so far. All that can be
said for certain is that for some reason, unknown at this time, these earlier
documents—of which there are only a few—lost their final paragraph.
Second,
the “ancient witnesses” the note in your Bible refers to are comments written
in the margins of ancient biblical manuscripts. These “witnesses” are often
identified by a number since no author’s name for the comment is available. For
example, one such “ancient witness” is identified by the number “20”. He wrote
in the margin of his manuscript of Mark 16:8:
From this to the end is not
found in some
copies; but in the ancient
copies the whole
is found uncurtailed.
This
ancient author is telling us that he personally knows of other copies of Mark
that are “ancient” to him that have not lost the last paragraph of Mark 16!
We
can be confident then that Mark’s Gospel did not end with verse 8. So the
question is whether verses 9-20 are authentic to Mark or whether they were
added later, as many claim.
While
it is true that the shift from verse 8 to verse 9 is awkward and abrupt, this
is also true for much of Mark’s Gospel. Rather than flowing from one event or
scene to another, events in Mark’s Gospel are presented as happening “immediately.” Style is not a convincing
argument against Mark’s authorship.
Finally,
most of the content in verses 9-20 can be found in the other Gospels as well,
especially Matthew, and none of the content is incompatible with biblical teaching.
This is even true of verses 17-18, where Jesus says just before His Ascension:
And these signs will
accompany those who
believe: In my name they
will drive out demons;
they will speak in new
tongues; they will pick up
snakes with their hands;
and when they drink
deadly poison, it will not
hurt them at all; they will
place their hands on sick
people, and they will
get well.
Some
have misconstrued this to mean that all believers will demonstrate miraculous
powers and will be invincible to snake bites. What Jesus actually says is that
“signs will accompany those who
Believe,”
and
gives examples of what some of those “signs” could be.
In short, there is no reason not to trust the
Gospel of Mark in its entirety. The closing paragraph is present in most
manuscripts, sound in doctrine, and typical of Mark’s somewhat awkward style.
And even though this final paragraph is not present in some ancient documents,
the “witnesses” testify to earlier copies where it was present.
Ps.
119:43 Never
take your word of truth from my
mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.
