Outside in all of the NT

[mlinssen]

This is part of the series "all of the NT": search.php?keywords=All+of+the+nt&terms ... mit=Search

A list of all verses with outside in all of the NT.
Why? to see where Thomasine parallels can be found; a verse will have a bold red number in front of it that points to the Thomas logion where applicable; relevant Thomas logia follow below.
A verse will have a bold green number in front of it when it points to a Thomas logion that does not contain the word 'outside'

Thomasine logia:

ⲛⲃⲟⲗ of-outside Adjective 22, 40, 64, 89, 99

14. IS said to them: if you should Fast, you will beget to you a sin; and if you should pray, they will Condemn you; and if you should give Alms, you will make be a Bad one of your Spirits. And if you should go inward to a certain earth and you walk in the Lands, if they should Accept you; he who they will place him at you: eat him. They who are sick of their heart/mind, Heal them. He who will go Indeed inward in your mouth he will defile you not, Rather he who is coming from your mouth; he is he who will defile you.

Bear with me please, it will become clear in a moment

40. IS said a vine of grape she was planted within the part of outside of the father and not made strong; she will be plucked out at her root and destroyed.

64. said IS : a(n) human was/ere has/ve he some(PL) stranger and after-that he prepare [dop] the Dinner did he send [dop] his slave So-that he will summon [dop] the(PL) strangers did he go to the first said he to he : my slaveowner summon [dop] you(SG) said he : has/ve I some(PL) copper to some(PL) Traveller they be-coming toward I to evening I will go and lay-a-bid to they I make-be Beg-off [dop] the Dinner did he go toward other one said he to he : did my slaveowner summon [dop] you(SG) said he to he : did I buy a(n) house and they make-be Ask [dop] I of a(n) Day I will be-at-leisure not did he come toward other one said he to he : my slaveowner summon [dop] you(SG) said he to he : my friend will make-be marriage and myself who/which will make-be Dinner I will be-able come not I make-be Beg-off [dop] the Dinner did he go toward other one said he to he : my slaveowner summon [dop] you(SG) said he to he : did I buy [dop] a(n) Village I be-going to take [dop] tax I will be-able come not I make-be Beg-off did he come viz. the slave did he say it to his slaveowner : those have you summon they to the Dinner did they Beg-off said the slaveowner to his slave : go to the part of-outside to the(PL) paths they-who you(SG) will fall to they bring they in-order-that they will make-be Dine the(PL) man-who buy with the(PL) traders they will go-inward not to the(PL) Place of my father

89. said IS : because-of who/at? you(PL) wash~ [dop] the part of-outside of the Cup you(PL) make-be Conceive not : he-who have create [dop] the part of-inside he also he-who have he create [dop] the part of-outside

99. said the(PL) Disciple to he : your(PL.SG) brothers with your(F.SG) mother they standing-on-foot they on the part of-outside said he to they : they-who of these place who/which make-be [dop] the desire of my father these-ones are my(PL) brothers with my(F) mother themselves is who/which will go-inward to the(F) reign-of(F) king of my father

Logion 64, where Thomas explicitly points to the outside for The Proverbial Paths, plural, doesn't have that word in the NT:

Luke 14:21 And the servant having come, reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, having become angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’

Matthew 22:9 Therefore go into the thoroughfares of the highways, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you shall find.’ 10 And those servants, having gone out into the highways, brought together all, as many as they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall became full of those reclining.

Everything in Thomas that is outside is bad, and logion 3 - correctly translated - reads 'Rather, the reign of king is of your inside and she is of your eye'

Here is a complete list from Berean Literal (with footnote references left intact), of every verse with the word: outside

BOOK OF Matthew
Chapter 9 Jesus Heals a Paralytic
25 And when the crowd had been put outside, having entered, He took hold of her hand, and the girl arose.
Chapter 12 The Lord of the Sabbath
99 46 Now while He was speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.c
99 47 Then someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”
Chapter 23 Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
89 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of greed and intemperance.
89 26 Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, that their outside might become clean also.
Chapter 26 The Plot to Kill Jesus
69 And Peter was sitting outside in the court, and one servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”

BOOK OF Mark
Chapter 3 Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
99 31 And His mother and His brothers arrive, and standing outside, sent to Him, calling Him.
99 32 And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothersa outside are seeking You.”
Chapter 4 The Parable of the Sower
62 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, everything is done in parables,
Chapter 5 The Demons and the Pigs
40 And they were laughing at Him. And He, having put all outside, takes with Him the father and the mother of the child, and those with Him, and enters in where the child was.
Chapter 7 Tradition and Worship
14 15 There is nothing from outside the man entering into him which is able to defile him; but the things proceeding out of the man are the things defiling the man.”g
14 18 And He says to them, “Thus are you also without understanding? Do you not understand that everything entering into the man from outside is not able to defile him,
Chapter 11 The Triumphal Entry
4 And they departed and found the colt having been tied at the door outside, by the street. And they untied it,
Chapter 12 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
65 8 And having taken him, they killed him, and cast him forth outside the vineyard.

BOOK OF Luke
Chapter 1 Dedication to Theophilus
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense.
Chapter 8 Women Minister to Jesus
99 20 And it was told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”
Chapter 11 The Lord's Prayer
89 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees, you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of plundering and wickedness.
89 40 Fools! Did not the One having made the outside make the inside also?
Chapter 13 A Call to Repentance
21... 25 From the time the master of the house shall have risen up and shall have shut the door, then you shall begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ And he answering, will say to you, ‘I do not know from where you are.’
33 But it behooves Me to proceed today and tomorrow and the following day. For it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
Chapter 20 Jesus' Authority Challenged
65 15 And having cast him forth outside the vineyard, they killed him. What therefore will the master of the vineyard do to them?
Chapter 22 The Plot to Kill Jesus
62 And having gone forth outside, he wept bitterly. The Soldiers Mock Jesus

BOOK OF John
Chapter 18 The Betrayal of Jesus
16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Therefore the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought in Peter.
Chapter 19 The Soldiers Mock Jesus
4 And Pilate went forth outside again and says to them, “Behold, I bring Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”
5 Therefore Jesus went forth outside, wearing the thorny crown and the purple robe. And he says to them, “Behold the man!”
Chapter 20 The Resurrection
11 But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. Then as she was weeping, she stooped down into the tomb,

BOOK OF Acts
Chapter 4 Peter and John Before the Council
15 But having commanded them to go outside the Council, they began to confer with one another,
Chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira
34 But a certain man having risen up in the Council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, commanded them to put the men outside for a short while.
Chapter 7 Stephen's Address to the Sanhedrin
21 And he having been set outside, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and she brought him up as her own son.
Chapter 9 The Road to Damascus
40 And Peter having put all outside and having bowed the knees, prayed. And having turned to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise!” And she opened her eyes, and having seen Peter, she sat up.
Chapter 14 Paul and Barnabas at Iconium
13 And the priest of Zeus, being just outside the city, having brought oxen and wreaths to the gates, was desiring with the crowds to sacrifice.
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, and having stoned Paul, they dragged him outside the city, supposing him to have died.
Chapter 16 Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
13 And on the day of the Sabbaths, we went forth outside the city gate, by a river, where there was customary to be a place of prayer. And having sat down, we began speaking to the women having gathered.
Chapter 21 Paul's Journey to Jerusalem
5 And it happened that when we had completed the days, having set out, we journeyed, all accompanying us with wives and children as far as outside the city. And having bowed the knees on the shore, having prayed,
30 And the whole city was provoked, and there was a rushing together of the people. And having laid hold of Paul, they dragged him outside the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

BOOK OF Romans
Chapter 2 God's Righteous Judgment
28 For the one on the outside a Jew is not, neither that on the outside in flesh is circumcision.

BOOK OF 1 Corinthians
Chapter 5 Immorality Rebuked
12 For what is it to me to judge those outside? Do you not judge those within?
13 But God will judge those outside. “Expel the evil out from among yourselves.”b
Chapter 6 Lawsuits among Believers
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin, whatever if a man might do, is outside the body, but the one sinning sexually sins against the own body.
Chapter 9 The Rights of an Apostle
21 To those outside the Law, as outside the Law (not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ) so that I might win those outside the Law.

BOOK OF 2 Corinthians
Chapter 7 Paul's Joy in the Corinthians
5 And indeed, of us having come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest; but we are being pressed in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears within.

BOOK OF Galatians

BOOK OF Ephesians

BOOK OF Philippians

BOOK OF Colossians
Chapter 4 Fellow Workers
5 Walk in wisdom toward those outside, redeeming the time.

BOOK OF 1 Thessalonians
Chapter 4 Living to Please God
12 so that you may walk properly toward those outside, and may have need of no one. The Return of the Lord

BOOK OF 2 Thessalonians

BOOK OF 1 Timothy
Chapter 3 Qualifications for Overseers
7 And it behooves him also to have a good testimony from those outside, so that he might not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Qualifications for Deacons

BOOK OF 2 Timothy

BOOK OF Titus

BOOK OF Philemon

BOOK OF Hebrews
Chapter 13 Love for Brothers
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought for sin into the holy places by the high priest are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by the own blood.
13 Therefore we should go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

BOOK OF James

BOOK OF 1 Peter

BOOK OF 2 Peter

BOOK OF 1 John

BOOK OF 2 John

BOOK OF 3 John

BOOK OF Jude

BOOK OF Revelation
Chapter 11 The Two Witnesses
2 And leave out the courtyard outside the temple, and do not measure it, because it has been given up to the nations, and they will trample upon the holy city forty and two months.
Chapter 14 The Lamb and the 144,000
20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress, as high as the bridles of the horses, to the distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.d
Chapter 22 The River of Life
15 outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone loving and practicing falsehood.

Mark has a stealth copy here:

Chapter 7 Tradition and Worship
14... 4 and on coming from the market, they do not eat unless they wash; and there are many other things which they received, for them to hold to—washings of cups and vessels and utensils and couches for dining.a

And logion 40 has also been copied stealthily, by Matthew:

Chapter 15 Tradition and Worship
14 11 It is not what is entering into the mouth that defiles the man; but that going forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
12 Then the disciples having approached, said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees, having heard this saying, were offended?”
40 13 And answering He said, “Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

Interesting, isn't it, the context that Matthew prefixes verse 13 with? Logion 14 indeed!

Mark really seems to get where Thomas is coming from - everyone else, not so much

Tom Dykstra noticed the outside earlier, and Rene Salm happens to have a blog post on that:

Mark’s narrative parallels Galatians. The Lord’s brothers and mother believe he is “standing outside” the pale of the Jewish community and come to take corrective action. In doing so it turns out that it is actually they who are “outside.” And in 4:11–12, it turns out that those who stand “outside” are destined to be deaf and blind to the gospel word, with the frightening verdict that they will not be forgiven. That verdict sounds very much like Paul’s dire warning, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Gal 5:4).

[MrMacSon]

Tom Dykstra noticed the outside earlier

Intrigued, I looked up Tom Dykstra's Mark: Canonizer of Paul, 2012.

Galilee was a region outside of Judea known for its mixed Jewish-Gentile population, and is explicitly associated with “the nations” (the Gentiles) in Isaiah 9:1:

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

[p.70]

Another attack on the idea and practice of Jewish exclusivism can be seen in Jesus’ association with people who are ostensibly Jews but are viewed as outsiders by Jewish officialdom. In 2:15-17, the evangelist emphasizes that Jesus was eating with “tax collectors and sinners” by repeating that phrase three times in quick succession, following up with yet a fourth instance of “sinners”:

And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Repetition in an ancient literary work indicates emphasis, and the word “sinners” in particular connotes not so much evil-doing as outsider status typical of Gentiles. This is how Paul uses the word in Galatians 2:15, where it simply indicates the way Jews see Gentiles: “We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. . . .” For anyone familiar with the usage of “sinner” reflected in Galatians, this episode in Mark clearly parallels Paul’s defense of table fellowship with “Gentile sinners” against the Jerusalem apostles’ attempts to put a stop to it.

Another part of the Gospel narrative that fits the pattern of allegorically supporting inclusiveness for Gentiles is in 9:36 through 10:16. At the start of this section, Jesus instructs his disciples to accept children, at the end of it he rebukes them for continuing to shoo away children in direct disobedience to his command, and in between he warns of dire consequences for “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin” (9:42) and states categorically that “he who is not against is for us” (9:40). Children, like “tax collectors and sinners,” and like Gentiles, are social outsiders, and Jesus welcomes them. This is yet another scenario in which the actions of Jesus on the one hand and his disciples on the other hand parallel Paul’s acceptance of Gentiles on the one hand and the Jerusalem apostles’ policies effectively rejecting them on the other hand.99

• 99 Another example: the remark “My son, your sins are forgiven” in Mark 2:5-9 may be seen as an invitation to the Jewish church to treat Gentiles as equals (see Hanhart, “Son, Your Sins are Forgiven,” 997-1016).

As I will show later, when I focus on Mark’s treatment of the disciples, the narrative here closely follows Paul’s own presentation of his Gentile converts as his “children” and his own indignation against those who were hindering their acceptance of his gospel (1 Thess 2:10-16).

[pp.79-81]

The Irony of the Cross

Paul’s gospel that focuses so single-mindedly on something as awful as the cross and crucifixion can only be “good news” because the message of the cross is essentially one of irony: when others see the crucifixion as a defeat, Paul knows it to be a victory; when others see suffering as cause for sadness, Paul sees it as something to rejoice in and give thanks for. Irony of this sort pervades Paul’s epistles because at the core of his gospel is the message that insiders see a reality that is the opposite of the way outsiders see it. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”.¹¹⁷ One can hardly read any given chapter of Paul’s epistles without running across some expression of this irony.

In a similar manner, irony pervades Mark’s Gospel.¹¹⁸ Frequently, irony is evident without recourse to special knowledge from outside the text. For example, the disciples want to sit on the right and left in Jesus’ glory, while those who do turn out to be on his right and left are the thieves at the crucifixion.¹¹⁹

Other instances of irony are intertextual and function as irony only for those who know another text that is alluded to. An example of this is Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” A reader familiar with the Old Testament will know that that psalm begins with defeat but ends in a proclamation of victory.¹²⁰

Various explanations have been offered for why Mark relies so heavily on irony.¹²⁰ But considering all the other evidence of Pauline themes, it can hardly be a coincidence that both Paul and Mark not only made it central to their text, but also employed it mainly to convey the paradoxical message of the cross.

[pp.91-3]

---

117 1 Cor 1:18; see the entire context, 1:18-24. See also Rom 1:22; 1 Cor 1:25-29; 2:6-8; 2 Cor 6:8-10, 12:9-10.

118 On Mark's use of irony, see J. Camery-Hoggatt, Irony in Mark's Gospel: Text and Subtext (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992), 192-231; Mack, Myth of Innocence, 335-39.

119 Tolbert, Sowing the Gospel, 31-2. Stephen Smith provides a number of examples of intra-textual irony (A Lion with Wings: A Narrative-Critical Approach to Mark's Gospel [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996], 220).

120 See Smith, Lion, 230. MacDonald points out ironic parallels between Homer's Odysseus and Mark's Jesus, and suggests that Homer's use of irony may have contributed to the importance of irony for Mark (“Secrecy,” 140-53).

121 Camery-Hoggatt sees it as a “community building device.” (This phrase is from Smith, Lion, 209; he is summarizing Camery-Hoggatt, Irony, 180-1). The idea is that people gain a sense of community because they share insider knowledge that outsiders do not know. However, as Smith observes, this would not work reliably because some in the community might not get the irony.

nb. Mark 3:21, 31—35:

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” . . .

And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.”

And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

... the reader of Mark has to be amazed at how obtuse the disciples are. Stephen Smith [Lion] points out the parallel between [Mark] 8:18 and [Mk] 4:11-12, which suggests that the disciples’ behavior identifies them as the “outsiders” who are destined not to repent and be forgiven [p.106]

Mark 4:10-12

And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”

Mark 8:18

“Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?”

And the disciples’ failings go far beyond just misunderstanding.
They also seek glory and honor for themselves and quarrel among themselves about it
.

[MrMacSon]

Tom Dykstra cleverly noticed that it is the outside that disqualifies the mother and brothers / sisters of Jesus, which is spot on.

---

Tom Dykstra (hat tip MrMacSon) already pointed to the "part outside" in Mark, and it is, naturally, the wrong part "of town":

40 said IS a(n) grapevine did they plant her within the part outside of the father and she made-strong not they will pluck-out her toward her(F) root and she destroy

64 (...) said the slaveowner to his slave : go to the part outside to the(PL) path they-who you will fall as-regards they bring they in-order-that they will make-be Dine (...)

89 said IS : because-of who/at? you(PL) wash the part outside of the Cup you(PL) make-be Realize not : he-who have make the inner-part he also he-who have he make the part outside

Thomas, the joker, turns the offhand comment about standing outside into something metaphysical and contrasts it with what he considers good: "they-who of these places who make-be of the desire of my father".

If you stand on the outside, you neglect the inside: your own inside. The grapevine, planted outside, will be uprooted for that same reason. The very frustrated "Dinner host" throws a temper tantrum at the end and instructs his "slave" to get anyone he can find, even those on "the part outside", even those who walk "the path(es)" - which is the wrong direction to take, according to the parable of the sower.
.

[mlinssen]

Tom Dykstra noticed the outside earlier

Intrigued, I looked up Tom Dykstra's Mark: Canonizer of Paul, 2012.

Galilee was a region outside of Judea known for its mixed Jewish-Gentile population, and is explicitly associated with “the nations” (the Gentiles) in Isaiah 9:1:

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

[p.70]

A plain falsification of the Hebrew source:

For if there were to be any break of day for that [land] which is in straits, only the former [king] would have brought abasement to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali—while the later one would have brought honor to the Way of the Sea, the other side of the Jordan, and Galilee of the Nations.

And what we might have here is evidence that Christianity set all this in Galilee, meaning that Mark is the first to even mention the region. That, on a side note

Another attack on the idea and practice of Jewish exclusivism can be seen in Jesus’ association with people who are ostensibly Jews but are viewed as outsiders by Jewish officialdom. In 2:15-17, the evangelist emphasizes that Jesus was eating with “tax collectors and sinners” by repeating that phrase three times in quick succession, following up with yet a fourth instance of “sinners”:

And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Repetition in an ancient literary work indicates emphasis, and the word “sinners” in particular connotes not so much evil-doing as outsider status typical of Gentiles. This is how Paul uses the word in Galatians 2:15, where it simply indicates the way Jews see Gentiles: “We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. . . .” For anyone familiar with the usage of “sinner” reflected in Galatians, this episode in Mark clearly parallels Paul’s defense of table fellowship with “Gentile sinners” against the Jerusalem apostles’ attempts to put a stop to it.

Another part of the Gospel narrative that fits the pattern of allegorically supporting inclusiveness for Gentiles is in 9:36 through 10:16. At the start of this section, Jesus instructs his disciples to accept children, at the end of it he rebukes them for continuing to shoo away children in direct disobedience to his command, and in between he warns of dire consequences for “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin” (9:42) and states categorically that “he who is not against is for us” (9:40). Children, like “tax collectors and sinners,” and like Gentiles, are social outsiders, and Jesus welcomes them. This is yet another scenario in which the actions of Jesus on the one hand and his disciples on the other hand parallel Paul’s acceptance of Gentiles on the one hand and the Jerusalem apostles’ policies effectively rejecting them on the other hand.99

• 99 Another example: the remark “My son, your sins are forgiven” in Mark 2:5-9 may be seen as an invitation to the Jewish church to treat Gentiles as equals (see Hanhart, “Son, Your Sins are Forgiven,” 997-1016).

As I will show later, when I focus on Mark’s treatment of the disciples, the narrative here closely follows Paul’s own presentation of his Gentile converts as his “children” and his own indignation against those who were hindering their acceptance of his gospel (1 Thess 2:10-16).

[pp.79-81]

All the rest here is nonsense: Dykstra is enormously stretching it all, and forgets that the NT "literalises everything"; all the living and death in Thomas, dark and light, all the spiritual stuff in John as well: it gets transformed into literal, all of it. Dykstra is confusing himself here, and wasting ink and paper

The Irony of the Cross

Paul’s gospel that focuses so single-mindedly on something as awful as the cross and crucifixion can only be “good news” because the message of the cross is essentially one of irony: when others see the crucifixion as a defeat, Paul knows it to be a victory; when others see suffering as cause for sadness, Paul sees it as something to rejoice in and give thanks for. Irony of this sort pervades Paul’s epistles because at the core of his gospel is the message that insiders see a reality that is the opposite of the way outsiders see it. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”.¹¹⁷ One can hardly read any given chapter of Paul’s epistles without running across some expression of this irony.

Paul's mission statement is clear: turn the Chrestian story around. The stake of shame that IS got impaled on and ended his story, has now been turned into a cross (even though the Greek word is still exactly the same) of glory: instead of a demonstration of the power of the Judeans it has now become a demonstration of the power of IS: he lives, he resurrected, he beat death!!!
And obviously and evidently in Christianity it can become a symbol of triumph now, or rather, it should and must, because Paul's mission statement is to turn around the entire Chrestian story

In a similar manner, irony pervades Mark’s Gospel.¹¹⁸ Frequently, irony is evident without recourse to special knowledge from outside the text. For example, the disciples want to sit on the right and left in Jesus’ glory, while those who do turn out to be on his right and left are the thieves at the crucifixion.¹¹⁹

Dykstra is being mischievous here, bridging from perception (labelled irony for the occasion by Dykstra himself) to irony. What Paul does to the cross is no irony at all, even if you don't understand anything about it or behind it: what he does is typical and identical to Yankee: a derisive term gets inverted and worn with pride instead, in the Netherlands we call that Geuzennaam

Other instances of irony are intertextual and function as irony only for those who know another text that is alluded to. An example of this is Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” A reader familiar with the Old Testament will know that that psalm begins with defeat but ends in a proclamation of victory.¹²⁰

Various explanations have been offered for why Mark relies so heavily on irony.¹²⁰ But considering all the other evidence of Pauline themes, it can hardly be a coincidence that both Paul and Mark not only made it central to their text, but also employed it mainly to convey the paradoxical message of the cross.

[pp.91-3]

---

117 1 Cor 1:18; see the entire context, 1:18-24. See also Rom 1:22; 1 Cor 1:25-29; 2:6-8; 2 Cor 6:8-10, 12:9-10.

118 On Mark's use of irony, see J. Camery-Hoggatt, Irony in Mark's Gospel: Text and Subtext (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992), 192-231; Mack, Myth of Innocence, 335-39.

119 Tolbert, Sowing the Gospel, 31-2. Stephen Smith provides a number of examples of intra-textual irony (A Lion with Wings: A Narrative-Critical Approach to Mark's Gospel [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996], 220).

120 See Smith, Lion, 230. MacDonald points out ironic parallels between Homer's Odysseus and Mark's Jesus, and suggests that Homer's use of irony may have contributed to the importance of irony for Mark (“Secrecy,” 140-53).

121 Camery-Hoggatt sees it as a “community building device.” (This phrase is from Smith, Lion, 209; he is summarizing Camery-Hoggatt, Irony, 180-1). The idea is that people gain a sense of community because they share insider knowledge that outsiders do not know. However, as Smith observes, this would not work reliably because some in the community might not get the irony.


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nb. Mark 3:21, 31—35:

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” . . .

And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.”

And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Errrr, is this it? No comment from Dykstra?

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... the reader of Mark has to be amazed at how obtuse the disciples are. Stephen Smith [Lion] points out the parallel between [Mark] 8:18 and [Mk] 4:11-12, which suggests that the disciples’ behavior identifies them as the “outsiders” who are destined not to repent and be forgiven [p.106]

Mark 4:10-12

And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”

Mark 8:18

“Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?”

And the disciples’ failings go far beyond just misunderstanding.
They also seek glory and honor for themselves and quarrel among themselves about it
.

[mlinssen]

I'm at a loss Mac - has Salm plainly invented something in Dykstra's text, something very perceptive really, but non existent?

Where the hell does Dykstra talk about the outside and link all the evidence into a superb conclusion?

Nowhere?!

[mlinssen]

Page 132

This interpretation makes sense of Mark's statement that Jesus only spoke in parables to the crowds ("he did not speak to them without a parable"; 4:34). It also helps make sense of Mark's statement that this exclusively parabolic talk is only "for those outside" (ἐκείνοις δὲ τοῖς ἔξω). In 3:31-32 - just before the sower parable begins - it is Jesus' relatives who stand "outside" (ἔξω).168 It is Jesus' relatives in particular, and by extension the Jews, who are destined not to understand.169 This interpretation based on the connection to Romans fits perfectly with the fact that Jesus' relatives are standing "outside" because they do not understand Jesus, having come to cart him away as a madman.

Finally. On the subject of falsifying one's theories, and the lame topic and goal of the entire book:

These eyes that don't see and ears that don't hear parallel the seeing but not perceiving and hearing but not understanding of Mark 4: 12. The parallel is even stronger than is immediately apparent: the Old Testament text typically seen as behind Mark 4: 12 is Isaiah 6:9, but the order there is "hearing" followed by "seeing," while the order in Mark is the reverse - which corresponds to what we have in Rom 11 :8.
167 What Mark 4: 11- 12 implies, then, is that Jesus speaks to the Jews in parables so tha t t hey won't get the message, so that the Gentiles eventually will get the message first, which in the long run will inspire in at least some of the Jews sufficient envy to impel them join the repentant throng entering into salvation.

We're talking, naturally, about the different versions to this. Does Dykstra include Thomas? No, because he is a gullible idiot - and I'm being kind and gentle here:

17. IS said: I will give to you him who no eye beheld and him who no ear heard and him who no hand touched and who did not come up on the heart/mind of human

Remnants of non-canonical gospels such as the Gospel of Thomas have survived, but none of the surviving manuscripts can be dated earlier than the second century. While a few scholars assign a first-century date to the original version of Thomas, here too even the most optimistic among them do not propose that the sayings were committed to papyrus at the time when the recorded words were spoken.
43

So dumb Dykstra is excluding a source to a redaction critical issue because of opinions about its alleged date? What a moron, but I never understood that he was a devout Christian. Which makes it all the more exciting that he finds this link, even as reluctant as he manages to put it. One last boot:

And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret (uuornpiov) of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; (Mark 4: 11) And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets (uuotnptc) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given .... This is why I speak to them in parables ... (Matt 13� 11, 13a) he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets (uuornpic) of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables ... (Luke 8: 10) In Mark µua1:11p1.ov (" secret") is singular, as it is most of the time in Paul ( 18 singular versus 3 plural), -ra mrvru (" everything" in Mark 4: 11) reflects Pauline usage (29 times in Paul , only 3 times elsewhere), 197 and "those outside" (tot<; i�w or npo<; roix; i�w) occurs elsewhere only in Paul.
198 In the Pauline texts, "those outside" refers to people who are outside the Pauline Christian community, which fits the interpretation I offered earlier in this book, according to which that phrase alludes to Jews who reject Christ.

Ah, now that is how we can chatter about Paul and Mark in splendid isolation, and pretend that either one is dependent on the other!
Life can be so simple really