If we assume that the writer of Mark had before him Paul's seven authentic letters, the LXX, and Vision of Isaiah, what might lead him to produce "The Gospel of Mark"?
For this, we can argue from the assumption that the "Pocket Gospel" (Ascension of Isaiah 11:2-22) describing the "birth" of Jesus to Mary either did or did not exist in Mark's version of Vision of Isaiah. Might Mark be better explained if it did exist? Might it be better explained if it didn't?
We might also assume that the "Pocket Gospel" replaced or overwrote some other narrative in VI that has been lost.
Some key portions of the Vision of Isaiah are as follows:
AI 9:
12. And he said unto me: "Crowns and thrones of glory they do not receive, till the Beloved will descent in the form in which you will see Him descent [will descent, I say] into the world in the last days the Lord, who will be called Christ.
13. Nevertheless they see and know whose will be thrones, and whose the crowns when He has descended and been made in your form, and they will think that He is flesh and is a man.
14. And the god of that world will stretch forth his hand against the Son, and they will crucify Him on a tree, and will slay Him not knowing who He is.
15. And thus His descent, as you will see, will be hidden even from the heavens, so that it will not be known who He is.
16. And when He hath plundered the angel of death, He will ascend on the third day, [and he will remain in that world five hundred and forty-five days].
17. And then many of the righteous will ascend with Him, whose spirits do not receive their garments till the Lord Christ ascend and they ascend with Him.
18. Then indeed they will receive their [garments and] thrones and crowns, when He has ascended into the seventh heaven."
12. And he said unto me: "Crowns and thrones of glory they do not receive, till the Beloved will descent in the form in which you will see Him descent [will descent, I say] into the world in the last days the Lord, who will be called Christ.
13. Nevertheless they see and know whose will be thrones, and whose the crowns when He has descended and been made in your form, and they will think that He is flesh and is a man.
14. And the god of that world will stretch forth his hand against the Son, and they will crucify Him on a tree, and will slay Him not knowing who He is.
15. And thus His descent, as you will see, will be hidden even from the heavens, so that it will not be known who He is.
16. And when He hath plundered the angel of death, He will ascend on the third day, [and he will remain in that world five hundred and forty-five days].
17. And then many of the righteous will ascend with Him, whose spirits do not receive their garments till the Lord Christ ascend and they ascend with Him.
18. Then indeed they will receive their [garments and] thrones and crowns, when He has ascended into the seventh heaven."
We are told about how Christ descends through the heavens...
AI 10:
24. And those who kept the gate of the (third) heaven demanded the password, and the Lord gave (it) to them in order that He should not be recognized. And when they saw Him, they did not praise or laud Him; for His form was like unto their form.
25. And again I saw when He descended into the second heaven, and again He gave the password there; those who kept the gate proceeded to demand and the Lord to give.
26. And I saw when He made Himself like unto the form of the angels in the second heaven, and they saw Him and they did not praise Him; for His form was like unto their form.
27. And again I saw when He descended into the first heaven, and there also He gave the password to those who kept the gate, and He made Himself like unto the form of the angels who were on the left of that throne, and they neither praised nor lauded Him; for His form was like unto their form.
28. But as for me no one asked me on account of the angel who conducted me.
29. And again He descended into the firmament where dwelleth the ruler of this world, and He gave the password to those on the left, and His form was like theirs, and they did not praise Him there; but they were envying one another and fighting; for here there is a power of evil and envying about trifles.
30. And I saw when He descended and made Himself like unto the angels of the air, and He was like one of them.
31. And He gave no password; for one was plundering and doing violence to another.
24. And those who kept the gate of the (third) heaven demanded the password, and the Lord gave (it) to them in order that He should not be recognized. And when they saw Him, they did not praise or laud Him; for His form was like unto their form.
25. And again I saw when He descended into the second heaven, and again He gave the password there; those who kept the gate proceeded to demand and the Lord to give.
26. And I saw when He made Himself like unto the form of the angels in the second heaven, and they saw Him and they did not praise Him; for His form was like unto their form.
27. And again I saw when He descended into the first heaven, and there also He gave the password to those who kept the gate, and He made Himself like unto the form of the angels who were on the left of that throne, and they neither praised nor lauded Him; for His form was like unto their form.
28. But as for me no one asked me on account of the angel who conducted me.
29. And again He descended into the firmament where dwelleth the ruler of this world, and He gave the password to those on the left, and His form was like theirs, and they did not praise Him there; but they were envying one another and fighting; for here there is a power of evil and envying about trifles.
30. And I saw when He descended and made Himself like unto the angels of the air, and He was like one of them.
31. And He gave no password; for one was plundering and doing violence to another.
In VI 11 we get to a point where we expect to see the events foretold in AI 9 to play out, but we find the "Pocket Gospel" there, which describes his birth from Mary and Joseph, then briefly his crucifixion on a tree. AI 11:2-22 is missing in some versions of the text, indicating that it was not a part of all versions of the story.
It then skips directly to his ascension:
AI 11:
23. And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped.
24. And there was much sorrow there, while they said: "How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the sixth heaven?"
23. And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped.
24. And there was much sorrow there, while they said: "How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the sixth heaven?"
If we assume that the original writer of the Pauline letters knew of some account of Jesus that resembled the Vision of Isaiah, what might lead someone who turn such an account into the Gospel of Mark? The Gospel of Mark contradicts Vision of Isaiah on many points. I should note that "the Twelve" are only mentioned in Vision of Isaiah within the "Pocket Gospel", and that the Twelve are also mentioned in the Martyrdom of Isaiah, which is presumed to be later than Vision of Isaiah. There is an interesting statement in Martyrdom of Isaiah, however, which is as follows:
AI 3:
21. And afterwards, on the eve of His approach, His disciples will forsake the teachings of the Twelve Apostles, and their faith, and their love and their purity
21. And afterwards, on the eve of His approach, His disciples will forsake the teachings of the Twelve Apostles, and their faith, and their love and their purity
I'm not exactly sure what to make of this. Does this imply that the Twelve Apostles are a group who came before the Twelve Disciples? Are the Apostles prophets that came before? At any rate, the point is that it is possible that an original version of Vision of Isaiah made no mention of "the Twelve".
So, if "Mark" was working from the Pauline letters and Vision of Isaiah, what would be the motivation for producing what he did and how might he proceed?
In VI, not including PG, Christ descends through the heavens, being transfigured upon entry into each of the new levels of Creation. We are told that he will be transfigured into the form of a man so that no one will recognize who he really is. The "lord of this world", Satan/Beliar, will crucify him, not recognizing his divine nature. He will then descend into the realm of Satan, where he will defeat him and, presumably, rescue the souls of "many of the righteous". He will then remain in the world for a year and a half, presumably saving souls and casting out the forces of Satan/Belair. This is all to take place just prior to "the end of this world", and is presumably a final set of events to happen just prior to the destruction of Satan's domain, i.e. this world. So, the logic seems to be that God is going to destroy this world because it is ruled by Satan, but before the world is destroyed Christ is going to be sent on a covert rescue mission to save the souls of the righteous from the grasp of Satan. After Christ has plundered Sheol, he would remain on earth a year and half to save those who had not yet died. Then, presumably, the world would be destroyed.
However, Paul presents some disagreement, because Paul seems to know of a Christ very similar to the one described in VI, but Paul has spoken with him through visions from heaven. Christ has apparently already been crucified according to Paul and has already left the earth. Christ is now ruling the earth and is in the process of defeating Satan, he has not yet done it.
Ephesians 6:12 states: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Obviously not original Paul, but still...)
1 Cor 7 says, "For this world in its present form is passing away."
1 Cor 11 says, "27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world."
So Mark knows a story in which Christ descends from heaven and is transfigured along the way so that he will remain unrecognized. He is transfigured to look like a man when he enters this world. The forces of Satan do not recognize who he is. He is crucified, then goes to Sheol to defeat Satan and rescue the righteous, then he returns to a ministry of salvation.
In Mark, however, this story is turned almost on its head. We begin with a man. That man is recognized as the son of God by the forces of Satan, but it not recognized by men. When Peter does recognize who Jesus is, Jesus then identifies Peter as Satan.
Mark 8:
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
In Mark it is not the forces of Satan that crucify Christ, rather is is human beings. It is people who crucify him, not recognizing who he really is.
In VI, Christ is a divine being who is transfigured in order to hide his identity from Satan.
In Mark, Jesus is a man from earth, who is transfigured to reveal his identity as the Son of God to Peter, who had just been identified as Satan.
Mark 9:
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Mark tells us that Peter is Satan right before the trip to the mountain for the Transfiguration. Is Peter literally Satan? This strange, because the disciples follow the orders of Jesus. Why would Satan and his minions do that?
But elsewhere we are told that the minions of Satan follow the commands of Jesus to keep silent also:
Mark 1:
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
Still, I'm not convinced that Peter is supposed to literally be Satan.
At any rate, the identity of Christ had to be kept secret from the human leaders, not from Satan and his minions, who already knew who he was.
I think an implication here is that Satan was not the "lord of this world". Mark seems to disempower Satan, reducing his significance. At the same time, Mark transfers' the role of Satan onto people.
In VI, Christ is crucified because Satan does not know who he is. In Mark, Satan knows the identity of Jesus but the people don't. So Mark tells us that Satan was not behind the Crucifixion. Satan was actually powerless to stop it. Mark tells us that Christ had completed his mission prior to the Crucifixion, not after it. Or rather that the Crucifixion itself was the mission, full stop. This could be why he moves the ministry from after to before. In VI the Crucifixion is a means to an end. In Mark the Crucifixion is the end, just as Paul preached "Christ crucified".
In Mark all of the disciples abandon Jesus. They are not significant to his mission, he can succeed without them. The Twelve are actually not important.
This is why I have a hard time believing that the material after Mark 15:39 is original. To me it seems that the story ends with Mark 15:39. There is no need for a resurrection or instructions to the disciples. In addition, the introduction of Mary Magdalene at this late stage seems very odd. And why are we told that "41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs." Really? So they went entirely unmentioned throughout the story, but we are told of their importance here?
Well, I don't want to go down that rabbit hole here, but the point is, that in VI the Crucifixion was a means to conquer Satan, while in Mark that is not the case. In Mark Jesus is recognized by a human being as the Christ at the point when the body of Jesus dies.
So it seems to me that the Gospel of Mark is in dialogue with Vision of Isaiah (or a narrative like it), and there are good reasons to think that Vision of Isaiah (or a narrative like it) came before Mark. I can see how Vision of Isaiah does not align entirely with Pauline teaching, and how someone seeking to correct the Vision of Isaiah narrative to bring it in line with Pauline teaching could construct a narrative like the Gospel of Mark.
