Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 175:699 (Jul 2018)
Article: Periodical Reviews
Author: Andrew J. Cress

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BSac 175:699 (July-September 2018) p. 360

Periodical Reviews

By The Faculty And Staff Of Dallas Theological Seminary

Andrew J. Cress

Editor

“Grammar Serving Theology: ‘Εὶς’ and the Markan Baptism Narrative,” Gad Barnea, Revue Biblique 124 (October 2017): 507−28.

In this article, Gad Barnea attempts to demonstrate that Mark consciously used peculiar grammatical elements to make significant theological points. Specifically, this article focuses on the use of the preposition εἰς in Mark 1:9−10. This important passage describes Jesus’s baptism and forms part of a larger introductory prologue (1:1−13, according to Barnea) that contributes to the development of the narrative. In Barnea’s own words, “This study will therefore begin with an overview of the author’s use of narrative-rhetorical, inter-, and intra-textual synkrisis to draw the hearer/reader’s attention to the symbolism of the Jordan river culminating in a grammatical and syntactical analysis showing how he makes full use of them all in the service of his theological edifice” (508).

The label “narrative-rhetorical, inter-, and intra-textual synkrisis” is a mouthful, and much of the beginning portion of the article is devoted to exploring aspects of this. First, Barnea focuses on inter-textual synkrisis (508−11). This means comparisons and contrasts between the Markan text and Old Testament passages and imagery, as Barnea brings readers’ attention to parallels between John the Baptist and Elijah and between Elisha and Jesus (509−11; the latter he calls “hypertextual,” 509). As Elijah prepares the way for Elisha, John prepares the way for Jesus. Also of interest for the baptismal narrative is Elisha’s cleansing of water in 2 Kings 2:19−22 (511).

Next Barnea focuses on the intra-textuality of the Markan text (511−17). Here Jesus is compared with John (512−13) and the crowds (513−15). Also, Christ’s baptism is compared with creation (515−16) and the crucifixion (the crucifixion as a new baptism, 516−17). In this section, Barnea presents Jesus “as similar to, but at the same time elevated from, the other characters of the event” (511). He also shows that Mark’s narrative elevates some of the works of Jesus.

Based on these observations, Barnea concludes Mark “carefully crafted” the baptismal event (517). It must be pointed out that he is not saying that Mark created the story. Rather, the focus is on crafting the story in a way that explains t...

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