THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Jesus the Shepherd: A Narrative-Critical Study of Mark 6:30-44 A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Jonathan Bi Fan Cai Washington, D. C. 2011 Jesus the Shepherd: A Narrative-Critical Study of Mark 6:30-44 Jonathan Bi Fan Cai, Ph.D. Director: John Paul Heil, S.S.D. Although there have been a number of important studies in the recent past concerning Mark‘s first feeding story, the only miracle story of Jesus recorded by all four gospels (Matt 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15), there has not been a thorough and comprehensive narrative-critical analysis on the response of the implied audience to Mark‘s uses of the OT allusions in 6:30-44. This study investigates the literary elements such as setting, character, and plot within the passage to illustrate how the audience is expected to respond to the OT allusions and how the story functions within the Gospel of Mark as a whole. Chapter One provides a brief survey of literature on the state of current research concerning Mark‘s first feeding narrative. Chapter Two employs the redactional-critical method to analyze the Greek text. It shows that the author of Mark has reworked his traditional sources to achieve his theological and literary goals. Chapter Three focuses on the issue of intertextuality of Mark‘s first feeding story. The analysis of three examples of OT allusions and an intertextual reading of Mark 6:30-44 and 2 Kgs 4:42-44 demonstrate that both the author and the audience of Mark shared a similar literary and cultural background. The audience was able to identify the OT allusions and the miraculous feeding narrative type-scene from the OT Elijah-Elisha narrative cycle. Chapter Four is a full-scale study of Mark‘s first feeding story using narrative-critical analysis. It shows that there are two storylines in Mark‘s first feeding story: one dealing with the interaction and conflict between Jesus and the disciples and the other dealing with the tension and interaction between Jesus and the crowd. The narrator has skillfully woven these two storylines together and created suspense, expectation, conflict, and resolution for the audience. Chapter Five concludes the investigation with a summary of the dissertation and indicates its contributions to the interpretation of Mark 6:30-44. This dissertation has fulfilled the need of applying the narrative-critical method to interpret Mark‘s first feeding story as a narrative unit within its literary context. The major themes that emerge from this story are the miraculous feeding in the wilderness, the compassionate shepherd, the eschatological banquet, and the regrouping of God‘s people. Although Mark‘s first feeding story is episodic in nature, it fits into the overall kerygmatic program of the evangelist. The audience has heard the story at a key point structurally within the larger narrative of the Gospel of Mark. Through the deeds and teachings of Jesus, the audience has received a vivid and lively Jesus as the God-sent compassionate shepherd who seeks, gathers, and tends God‘s people in the wilderness. This dissertation by Jonathan Bi Fan Cai fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Biblical Studies approved by John Paul Heil, S.S.D. as Director, and by Hellen Mardaga, S.T.D., and Francis T. Gignac, S.J., D.Phil. as Readers. ____________________________________ John Paul Heil, S.S.D., Director ____________________________________ Hellen Mardaga, S.T.D., Reader ____________________________________ Francis T. Gignac, S.J., D.Phil., Reader ii To My Father Cai Xin Sheng and Mother Luo Jia Yi 獻給我的父親蔡炘生和母親羅家儀 ii i Table of Contents Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. vi Chapter One Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 I. Survey of Literature ..................................................................................................... 4 A. Studies That Focus on the Wilderness Theme ....................................................... 4 B. Studies Using Literary Methods ........................................................................... 9 C. Commentaries .................................................................................................... 12 II. The Author, the Audience, and the Text ................................................................... 15 A. The Author ......................................................................................................... 15 1. The Real Author .............................................................................................. 15 2. The Implied Author ......................................................................................... 17 3. The Intention of the Author ............................................................................. 18 B. The Audience/Reader ......................................................................................... 19 1. The Real Audience—A Markan Community? ................................................. 19 2. The Implied Audience or the Implied Reader? ................................................. 20 C. The Text ............................................................................................................. 22 1. The Integrity of the Text ................................................................................. 22 2. The Meaning of the Text ................................................................................. 23 III. Purpose and Methods .............................................................................................. 25 Chapter Two An Analysis of Mark‘s First Feeding Narrative (6:30-44) .............................................. 28 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 28 II. Translation ............................................................................................................... 29 III. An Analysis of Mark 6:30-44 .................................................................................. 31 A. Introduction: 6:30-34 ......................................................................................... 31 B. The Situation: 6:35-38 ........................................................................................ 42 C. The Feeding: 6:39-42 ........................................................................................ 47 D. Conclusion: 6:43-44 ........................................................................................... 54 IV. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 57 Chapter Three Intertextuality and Mark 6:30-44 ................................................................................... 60 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 60 II. Mark 6:30-44 in the Context of the OT..................................................................... 62 A. Definition of an Allusion .................................................................................... 62 B. Criteria for Determining Allusions ..................................................................... 65 C. Mark‘s OT Allusions .......................................................................................... 67 1. ―A Wilderness Place‖ (6:31, 32, 35) ................................................................ 67 iv 2. ―Like Sheep without a Shepherd‖ (6:34) ......................................................... 72 3. ―In Groups of Hundreds and Fifties‖ (6:40) ..................................................... 81 III. Mark‘s Feeding Story and Type-Scene .................................................................... 86 A. The Miraculous Feeding Narrative as a Type-Scene ........................................... 86 B. 2 Kgs 4:42-44 and Mark 6:35-44 ........................................................................ 89 1. Linguistic Parallels .......................................................................................... 89 2. Structural Similarities ...................................................................................... 91 3. Some Important Differences ............................................................................ 92 IV. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 94 Chapter Four Mark 6:30-44 as a Narrative .......................................................................................... 96 I. Prologue (6:30) ......................................................................................................... 97 II. Jesus Teaches the Crowd (6:31-34) .......................................................................... 97 A. The Invitation (6:31-33) ..................................................................................... 98 B. The Shepherd (6:34) ......................................................................................... 102 III. Jesus Talks with the Disciples (6:35-38) ............................................................... 105 A. The Time Factor (6:35a) ................................................................................... 105 B. The Conversation/Conflict (6:35b-37) .............................................................. 106 1. The Disciples‘ Suggestion (6:35-36) ............................................................. 106 2. Jesus‘ Reply (6:37a) ...................................................................................... 108 3. The Disciples‘ Response (6:37b) ................................................................... 109 C. The Dilemma (6:38) ......................................................................................... 111 IV. Jesus Feeds the Crowd (6:39-42) .......................................................................... 112 A. The Preparation (6:39-40) ................................................................................ 113 B. The Feeding (6:41-42) ...................................................................................... 116 V. Epilogue (6:43-44) ................................................................................................. 117 Chapter Five Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 123 I. Summary of Research .............................................................................................. 123 II. Contributions ......................................................................................................... 129 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 132 v Abbreviations AB Anchor Bible ABD D. N. Freedman et al. (eds.), Anchor Bible Dictionary ABRL Anchor Bible Reference Library BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament BDAG W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich (3d ed.; rev. by F. W. Danker), Greek-English Lexicon of the NT BDF F. Blass, A. Debrunner, and R. W. Funk, A Greek Grammar of the NT BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum theologicarum Lovaniensium BNTC Black‘s NT Commentaries BSac Bibliotheca Sacra CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CGTC Cambridge Greek Testament Commentaries CR:BS Currents in Research: Biblical Studies HTKNT Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament HTR Harvard Theological Review Int Interpretation JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society JR Journal of Religion JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSNTSup JSNT, Supplement Series JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament JSOTSup JSOT, Supplement Series JTS Journal of Theological Studies LTT Library of Theological Translations NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary NIV New International Version NLH New Literary History NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup NovT, Supplements NRSV New Revised Standard Version NTS New Testament Studies OTL Old Testament Library PNTC Pillar New Testament Commentary SacPag Sacra Pagina SBL Studies in Biblical Literature SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series v i SBT Studies in Biblical Theology SJT Scottish Journal of Theology SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series TCGNT B. M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TynBul Tyndale Bulletin WBC Word Biblical Commentary vi i Chapter One Introduction The feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6:30-44 is the only miracle story of Jesus that is found in all four gospels (Matt 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). The story in Mark is straightforward: after the disciples‘ missionary trip, Jesus wanted his disciples to go with him to a ―wilderness place‖ so that they may have a quiet meal together and rest for a while (vv. 30-31). But as people found out this, they came from nearby towns on foot and got there before Jesus and his disciples who came by boat (vv. 32-33). When Jesus saw the large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things (v. 34). By now it was late, and the disciples wanted to send the crowd away to get their own food (vv. 35- 36). Jesus commanded them to feed the crowd but the disciples argued that they did not have the funds to purchase food for such a large crowd (v. 37). When he found out the dire situation about the food supply (v. 38), he ordered the crowd to sit down in groups on the green grass, and they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties (vv. 39-40). Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish (v. 41). Not only was the crowd satisfied, but there was plenty left to fill up twelve baskets (vv. 42-43). And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men (v. 44). Yet as straightforward as this feeding story is, the allusions in it are not. For example, Mark used the language related to the wilderness theme three times: e;rhmon to,pon in vv. 31 and 32, the word e;rhmoj in v. 35. This remarkable repetition of the wilderness language is followed by the language of the shepherd: pro,bata (―sheep‖) and 1