Palin: The Ass Again (Mk 11,3d) 123 v However this may be, editors report alternative readings as follows: auton ajpostevllei pavlin a D L a curious company. j; B, etc. apostellei pavlin aujtovn j v C*vid, etc. auton pavlin apostevllei j; palin ajpostevllei aujtovn v q D Origen apostellei pavlin j v A conspectus of this chaos suggests that pavlin has been inserted at different times, or if inserted once only, has been shifted for stylistic rea- sons. If indeed pavlin has been inserted news of the consequent shift of sense may have reached Luke, who whilst otherwise keeping pace here with Mark 11, perhaps for this reason omits the troublesome clause alto- gether (l9,3l). Pavlin itself creates difficulties. From the context it should mean «back again», confirmed by w|de which then means «back here», i.e. to the street 12 in which the animal was found tied up. That this is possible goes without saying, or so much testimony would not have convinced so many editors, and therefore all commentators. The 1881 text is translat- ed in the Greek-English Diglot (BFBS, 1961) as follows: «its owner (kuvrio") needs it and then will send it back here.» Pesch partly agrees 13: «Sein Herr bedarf (seiner), und gleich schicht er ihn wieder her.’» These words can evidently mislead (a possibility overlooked by V. Taylor). True eujquv~ does not mean «then», and the Greek has no «it» as the object of «need»; but this will serve to represent the WH text. But it is embarrass- ing. What right had the disciples to claim that the ass’ owner needed it? None whatever! But the word kuvrio~ though it can indeed mean owner 14 can also mean Master in the general sense of Lord, in this case the Messiah (Midr. R. Gen 89 referring to Is 30,33) who is called melek ha-ma–s#i$ah≥, the king Messiah. There is a further difficulty. ∆Apostevllein is not the natural verb for «to send back». Greek has such a word, ajnapevmpein (Lk 23,7.11.15; Phlm 12; 1 Clem 65,1), which, though it can also mean «to send on» 15, fits the imagined scenario with pavlin very much better than apostellein does 16. j v 11 On Luke’s improving on Mark’s style up to v. 36 see T. Schramm, Der Markus-Stoff bei Lukas (Cambridge, 1971), 146. The omission of Mk 11,3d is not mentioned. 12 Babylonian Talmud (hereafter «b.») B.M. 94b, 118a. Derrett, «Law in the New Testament: The Palm Sunday colt», NT 13, 1971, 241-258; id. Studies in the New Testament II (Leiden, 1978), 165-182 at p. 175 and n. 4. 13 R. Pesch, Das Markusevangelium II (Freiburg, 1977), 176, so 180 (verspricht). 14 Ex 21,28-29.54; Jdg 10,22-23; Lk 19,35; Mt 20,8; Mk 15,35; Gal 4,1, and espe- cially Is 1,3. 15 Plutarch, Solon 4,3. 16 Samuelis Bochartus (b. 1599), Hierozoicum seu de animalibus S. Scripturae (London, 1664) 1.2, §17 (p. 211).