The Gospel of Mark and the Resurrection of Jesus
I have recently been sent a number of posts by skeptics who observe that the Gospel of Mark, which most scholars believe is the earliest Gospel, does not include an actual appearance by the risen Jesus.
Of course there is an appearance after Mark 16:8, but anything after that verse is a later addition, presumably to bring Mark more in line with the other three Gospels.
This is intended to be a “gotcha” moment, because this could suggest that the earliest Christians did not believe in a bodily resurrection of Jesus.
I recently came across this statement by the respected New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado in his commentary on Mark that I thought I would share to add to the conversation.
[Mark] 16:-1-8 clearly presents the resurrection of Jesus as having actually happened. The empty tomb (16:6) means that Jesus’resurrection was not seen as an event in the minds of the disciples but as a real event in its own right. Similarly, 16:1-8 demonstrates that Mark knew and approved of the tradition that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, whether Mark recorded such an appearance or not. Thus, the essential point that Jesus is risen and alive, once more the Lord of his followers, but now in transcendent glory, is unambiguously presented in a passage about which there is no textual uncertainty. (p. 288)
