Paul Danove, «The Rhetoric of the Characterization of Jesus as the Son of Man and Christ in Mark», Vol. 84 (2003) 16-34

This article investigates the semantic and narrative rhetoric of Mark’s characterization of the Son of Man and the Christ and the contribution of the portrayal of the Son of Man to the portrayal of the Christ. An introductory discussion considers the role of repetition in characterization, the nature of semantic and narrative frames and their implications for describing the implied reader of Mark, and the rhetorical strategies apparent in characterization. The study of characterization investigates the manner in which the semantic and narrative rhetoric introduces and reinforces frequently discordant content concerning the Son of Man and Christ and then relates developments concerning the Son of Man to the Christ. The study concludes with a consideration of the narrative function of the characterizations of the Son of Man and Christ.

content about the Son of Man; for only such acceptance establishes the potential to be a beneficiary of the Son of Man’s parousaic identity and activity. The fact that Jesus’ words also reference his "hard" teachings about discipleship (8,34-37) indicates that not being ashamed of Jesus and his words requires that one who wishes to be Jesus’ disciple deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and follow him (8,34) and relates saving life (8,35) to seeing the reign of God come in power (9,1). The second teaching contrasts the one who prevents another from casting out demons in Jesus’ name with the one who gives a drink of water in Jesus’ name because they are of Christ and who does not destroy one’s reward (9,38-41)²⁸. The third contrasts the one who wants to become great or be first on the pattern of gentile rulers and great ones with the one who is great or first by being servant (dia/konoj) and slave on the pattern of the Son of Man who serves (diakone/w) and gives his life (10,43-45). By relating the disciple’s required actions of losing one’s life (8,37) and being servant and slave (10,43-44) to the Son of Man’s necessary giving of his life and serving (10,45), this repeated structure clarifies that only accepting the contradictory content about the Son of Man and acting on it permit the disciple to become the beneficiary of the Son of Man’s serving and giving his life as a ransom (10,45).

V. The Characterizations of the Christ and Son of Man

        The structural repetition of 8,27–9,1, 13,21-27, and 14,60-65 links the repeated context that asserts that pre-existing beliefs about the Christ are deficient or erroneous (8,27-30; 13,21-23; 14,60-61) to the repeated context that sophisticates beliefs about the Son of Man’s parousaic identity and activity (8,38–9,1; 13,24-27; 14,62-65), with the addition of 8,31-37 to 8,38–9,1. The initial occurrence of this structure links a recognition of deficiencies in the authorial audience’s beliefs about the Christ both to the contradictory content about the Son of Man’s near future experience and activity and to pre-existing content about his parousaic identity and activity. This linkage cultivates beliefs that recognize that acceptance of the newly related content about both the Christ and the Son of Man is required for one who would be a disciple of Jesus, save one’s life, and become a potential beneficiary of the Son of Man’s parousaic identity and activity.