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.

beliefs about the Christ as deficient and, in some instances, erroneous. Although the contextual repetition of 8,38–9,1, 13,24-27, and 14,62-65 only sophisticates pre-existing beliefs about the Son of Man’s parousaic identity and activity, the addition of 8,31-37 to 8,38–9,1 in the first occurrence links the parousaic Son of Man to the contradictory content cultivated in the former repeated structure. Thus, both linked contexts in their first occurrence assert content that contradicts the authorial audience’s pre-existing beliefs. Subsequent occurrences of the second context then sophisticate beliefs about the parousaic Son of Man even as they evoke the former repeated structure’s contradictory beliefs. Deconstructive repetition of this structure fills the void engendered by the repetition of its first context which establishes only that pre-existing beliefs about the Christ are either deficient or erroneous by relating contradictory and sophisticated beliefs about the Son of Man to the Christ.

VI. The Narrative Rhetoric of the Characterizations
of the Christ and Son of Man

        Within the narrative communication between the real author and the real audience of Mark, the authorial audience is the construct of the implied reader characterized by pre-existing beliefs assumed for the original real audience; and the narrative audience is the construct of the implied reader characterized by cultivated beliefs proposed by the narration. Since the narrative frames evoked by Christ and Son of Man are inherently resistant to the cultivation of the contradictory content about these characters, their characterizations have the potential to challenge the authorial (and real) audience’s pre-existing beliefs and so the reliability of the narration to such a degree that this audience may be inclined to reject this content. The following discussion examines the manner in which the narrative rhetoric attempts to forestall rejection of contradictory content about the Son of Man and to accommodate the greater challenge posed by the cultivation of contradictory beliefs about the Christ.

1. The Narrative Rhetoric of the Characterization of the Son of Man

        The initial statement concerning the Son of Man’s necessary suffering, being rejected, being killed, and rising with the Son of Man as subject of these verbs directly assaults the authorial (and real) audience’s pre-existing beliefs about the Son of Man. Introduction of