I really like that!Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:26 am So my best estimate of where an original narrative may have ended is Mark 15.38-39 or thereabouts, making Jesus a martyr exalted after death and explaining why some seemingly very early Christian statements seem to skip the resurrection and go straight from death to exaltation (the Jesus hymn in Philippians, for example). There may have been an early story line to the effect that he was taken up from the cross. Either way, my suspicion is that the crucifixion once served as the end of the gospel story.
Just going by it, and the women pair is a marker of some kind indeed. By the way, what a silliness about the stone: Joseph puts it in front of the tomb on his own, so two women should be able to do the same unless he was a giant hulk.
They witness the death scene, and I really like 15:39 as a final Mark verse.
They witness the burial, a tad too late because the stone is already in place, but again it's the clumsy Markan detail of buying linen and the tomb cut out of rock that strikes me as "likely Markan" although I'd do the same
Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
Really... what's with the silly details. Completely different perceptions here, such is for sure. Yet again indeed Ben, the woman pair is here, to witness the resurrection
... and that, my dear friends, is the reason why you didn't know about Geewsuz having risen - cuz them damn womens never told anyone?!!!!!!
[Edited some]
I like it, I like it a lot even. Mark the short version (until 16:8 so without the shorter or longer ending) is so unfinished to our eye, but if you take 15:39 as a final verse and then read this addition, you go from death to resurrection, with an explanation. And both stories are finished products
And the women get blamed - what better outcome than that really