Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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dbz
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Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Post by dbz »

Can the following be reconciled?
  • In gMark—scriptures were not used as part of an attempt to demonstrate that the life of Jesus was a fulfillment of OT prophecies.
  • Mark 12:35 “…How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?”
This appears to be a “Poker Tell”—in that the Markan author(s) was a gentile (perhaps not even a Christian!)—making the assumption that the Greek speaking reader had a Greek LXX Old Testament, used by the early second-god hellenistic cult, to look this up in.

Another “Poker Tell”:
• Oder, Danila (23 July 2021). “What is the meaning of 'Boanerges' ?”. The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text. “In Mk 3:17 Jesus gives two disciples the nickname “Boanerges”; the text explains that the meaning of “Boanerges” is “Sons of Thunder.” The problem is that “Boanerges” is not good Aramaic.”
I suspect that “Boanerges” was a topical reference in Mark’s world that he expected his readers to recognize. In support of topicality, I note that Matthew and Luke both omit it.
Also Oder: “Why I think Mark was an Alexandrian”. The Two Gospels of Mark: Performance and Text. 6 August 2021.

N.B. Vorster (following Alfred Suhl's 1956 work) argued that Matthew and Luke use the Old Testament within a promise-fulfilment scheme, and that Mark’s use of the Old Testament is totally different, see Vorster, Willem S. (1999) [1981]. “The function of the use of the Old Testament in Mark”. In Botha, J. Eugene (ed.). Speaking of Jesus: Essays on Biblical Language, Gospel Narrative, and the Historical Jesus. BRILL. p. 153. ISBN 90-04-10779-7.
dbz
Posts: 510
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:48 am

Re: Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Post by dbz »

Also:

:notworthy: "Did The Greco-Roman Elite Class Write The Gospels?! - Professor Robyn Faith Walsh". YouTube. History Valley. 24 May 2022.
[2:12] ...I consider [the gospel authors] elite culture or elite persons within a particular you know stratum of culture .. those who have access to what's called Paideia, so advanced education in the ancient world, and the number of people who actually had that kind of advanced education was really really narrow...

[22:01] [Q: What else what led you to the conclusion that it's possible that Christians actually didn't write the gospels]

Well this is something that I've been a little surprised that people have taken away from the book, because what I say in the book is that I'm interested in what's the most formative group that we can attribute the content of the gospels to...
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Leucius Charinus
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Re: Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Post by Leucius Charinus »

IMO the most prominent "poker tell" in Mark (and the gospel writers) is the pervasive accommodation of pro-Roman propaganda. Stuff like "Render unto Caesar", pay your taxes, the centurion has the greatest faith in all Judea, and so on. Let me know if you want a list. This "poker tell" informs the other players in (or reading about) the game what the ground rules are. The ground rules are Roman. Not Jewish.
dbz
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Re: Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Post by dbz »

Leucius Charinus wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 7:26 pm Stuff like "Render unto Caesar", pay your taxes, the centurion has the greatest faith in all Judea, and so on. Let me know if you want a list.
Yes, though only per gMark, thanks.
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Leucius Charinus
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Re: Does the Markan author have a "Poker Tell"

Post by Leucius Charinus »

Mark 15:39 (NIV) - It was the Roman Centurion who was first to wake up.

39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[a] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

ETA: By the way are you an experienced poker player? For those not quite sure:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is a tell in poker?

1. Making eye contact, or looking away
2. Taking extra time to act, or acting quickly
3. Handling chips and/or cards
4. Level of attentiveness
5. Table talk
Poker Tells F.A.Q.
Final Thoughts


What is a tell in poker?

By poker tells we refer to those actions, either physical or verbal, players make at the table that might give away information about the strength of their hands.

In any live poker game, especially at the lower limits, it isn't uncommon to see players revealing information via such tells without being aware they are doing so.

Players also will deliberately act in certain ways or say certain things to try to deceive their opponents, and thus might give away information to others who are able to see through such performances.

New players are probably better off not worrying too much about deciphering other players' tells, but instead focusing on other aspects of poker strategy while trying to minimize their own tells.

In fact, when we offer the following list of "five common poker tells to look for," instead of looking for them in others, you might first look at yourself.

Think about how you act at the table and decide whether or not others might be witnessing you give off these tells.

After you've become more comfortable knowing that you aren't giving anything away, you might begin taking notice of what others are doing.

https://www.pokernews.com/strategy/10-h ... -25433.htm

Which of course begs the question is Mark buffing?
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