GOSPEL OF MARK

Of the three Synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke - so called because of their close relation with one another - it has long been recognised that Mark was written first and the other two built on it. John's gospel, very different from these, was taken to be much later.

As we have seen, the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionised the dating of John, and the history now available shows it to have been finished by 37 AD. The Synoptics follow it, in rapid succession, reflecting the Christian schism of 44 AD. All were finished by 49 AD, when there was an official canonisation in Ephesus, recorded in the Book of Revelation. It was presided over by Jesus himself - "the Lamb opened the seven seals". He had been responsible for the concept of a new scripture replacing the Old Testament, and had composed much of it himself.

As the church historians record, Mark's gospel was directed by Peter. The man to whom it is attributed was "my son Mark", who was with Peter in Rome in 45 AD. (1 Peter 5:13). He was the western replacement for the deputy of John Mark, who at this stage had stayed with the Magian side of the schism. Jesus himself was in greater personal sympathy with John Mark, but the anti-Magian Paul and Peter in the court of Agrippa II now dominated. Peter, in fact, was hostile to Jesus, on the question of obedience to Jewish Sadducee priests. His denial of Jesus at his trial was a denial of Jesus' claim that he himself could be the high priest, abolishing the rights of priests born into the tribe of Levi. It was when Paul won on that point that Christianity separated from Judaism altogether.

All gospels invent "miracles", following the humorous precedent of Jesus, with his "walking on water". The new miracles added by Peter are less good-humored, giving a negative surface image of Jesus. He cursed and destroyed a figtree when it did not have fruit to satisfy his hunger, even though it was not the season for figs. He destroyed a farmer's livelihood, sending 2000 pigs rushing down into the sea. He made yet another impossible feeding of a multitude with a few loaves and fish, this time adding a riddle about the numbers involved, and telling the disciples they were stupid for not solving the riddle.

Peter was getting his own back on Jesus for what seemed to be excessively radical opinions that would lose them their Jewish basis altogether. As more moderate than Jesus, Peter became Pope when they reached Rome. The gospel he inspired is much less generous, not giving the necessary information at many points. But Luke -with Jesus' further assistance - was able to take up its basis and add necessary additional material, and Matthew did the same.

In all ancient and reliable texts, Mark's gospel concludes abruptly at Mark 16:8. It is accepted that the following verses Mark 16:9-20 were added much later, to give resurrection appearances of Jesus that the original gospel had not included.

33. Kai genomenēs hōras hektēs skotos egeneto eph' holēn tēn gēn heōs hōras enatēs.

33. And a 6th hour having come about, a darkness came about upon the whole earth until{heōs} a 9th hour.

33. At the true 9 am, fast noon, the cover over rows 9 to 12 of the vestry had been left over instead of being removed as was normally done at noon. At the true noon, following the correction from the fast time, the cover was taken off to allow the sun to shine down and the priests to be seen praying on the open platform. Then when it was the true 3 pm the cover was replaced.

34. Kai tē enatē hōra ebōēsen ho Iēsous phōnē megalē , Eloi eloi lema sabachthani. Ho estin methermēneuomenon , Ho theos mou ho theos mou, eis ti engkatelipes me.

34. And at the 9th hour Jesus cried out{boaō} in a great voice, Eloi eloi lema sabachthani. Which is interpreted, God of me, God of me, at T you have abandoned me.

34. At the true 3 pm Jesus cried out, quoting a Hebrew verse from Psalm 22 with a Greek translation containing a secret message. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me" was directed at Jonathan Annas, who like all Sadducee priests was addressed as "God". In the Greek, "of me" has the pesher meaning that Jonathan was a grade below Jesus, his inferior.

35. kai tines tōn parestēkotōn akousantes elegon, Ide Elian phōnei.

35. And Certain Ones of those beside-standing, they (Certain Ones) having heard said, See{eidon} , he(RLR to Jesus) calls Elijah.

35. Thomas Herod the subordinate of Theudas, an ally of Jonathan Annas, understanding Hebrew better than Greek, said, "He supports Pope Jonathan Annas, the successor to the Baptist Elijah."

36. dramōn de tis kai gemisas spongon oxous peritheis kalamō epotizen auton, legōn, Aphete idōmen ei erchetai ēlias kathelein auton.

36. A certain one running. And having filled up a sponge with vinegar, around-putting on a reed gave him to drink{potizō}, saying, "Leave. Let us see{eidon} if{ei} Elijah comes{erchomai} to lift-down him."

36.Merari (Ananus the Younger, brother of Jonathan Annas and servant of Agrippa), a guard, soaked a sponge in poisoned wine, put a cup on a measuring- rod 2 cubits long to reach to his mouth, and held it up to Jesus to drink, saying " Let it happen. I am standing north of him with 2 cubits between. Will Jonathan Annas come to rescue him after he has taken the poison?"

37. Ho de Iēsous apheis phōnēn megalēn exepneusen.

37. Jesus having left a great voice out-Spirited

37. At 3:30 Jesus became semi-conscious, so he ceased to be a king in the council, and separated from Jonathan Annas.

38. Kai to katapetasma tou naou eschisthē eis dyo ap' anōthen heōs katō.

38. And the veil of the sanctuary was split at 2 from up until{heōs} down.

38. 3:30 was the time when the symbolic curtain was opened in the repetition of the atonement rite. In the north-south substitute sanctuary on the vestry platform, it was divided east-west in the centre. On this occasion it symbolised a schism, beginning with the Therapeuts of Egypt. It took place among married members and Gentiles.

39. Idōn de ho kentyriōn ho parestēkōs ex enantias autou hoti outōs exepneusen eipen, Alethōs houtos ho anthrōpos huios theou ēn.

39. The centurion (Latin form) seeing{eidon}, beside-standing out of opposite him(RLR to Jesus v.37), said," Truthfully This Man{anthrōpos} a Son of God was".

39. John Mark, on the east side of Jesus as his deputy, looked up through cubits 5 and 4 of the gibbet to Jesus' waist in cubit 3.(Having pricked his right side - not stated in Mark) John Mark said, " Jesus is still alive, a presbyter if not a bishop, proving that he is legitimate and a deputy of Jonathan Annas."

40. ēsan de kai gynaikes apo makrothen theōrousai, en hais kai Maria hē Magdalene kai Maria hē Iakōbou tou mikrou kai Iōsētos mētēr kai Salōmē

40. But they(RLR to Thomas v. 35) were. And Women from afar seeing{theōreō}, in whom. And Mary the Magdalene. And Mary she of James the little one{mikron} (genitive). And of Joses(genitive) a mother. And Salome.

40. By 3:35 the women led by Helena had been sent inside to the north base while Simon and Judas were being taken down from their gibbets. Thomas was with them, being classed with women for some purposes as he was a homosexual. The five stood in formation around the north base, Helena on the base itself, the other four at the compass points around. Thomas as Helena's levite to proselytes stood east, Mary Magdalene as her lay deputy on the south; the young woman betrothed to James in the place of the prince on the west, and Mary Mother behind the base on the north. Helena had a dual role, one of them being the successor of Queen Salome, queen regnant 76- 67 BC, founder of the female order of Asher, whose name she used.

41. hai hote ēn en tē Galilaia ēkolouthoun autō kai diēkonoun autō, kai allai pollai hai synanabasai autō eis Hierosolyma.

41. They (fem plu) when{hote} she(RLR to Salome) was in Galilee followed(plu) him(RLR to Jesus v.39). And many other ones (fem plu) who went up with to him(RLR to Jesus) at Jerusalem{Hierosolyma}(plu).

41. At 3:35 pm Helena on the north base accepted the role of deacon to Jesus, to lead the women in carrying him. His mother Mary was of equal status to Helena behind the north base.

(At 3:35 when Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid on the ground, the four women covered him with his hooded cloak as if with a shroud, placed him on a basketware palanquin laid flat to form a stretcher, and carried him down to the end of the southern esplanade. The equality of Helena and Mary Mother meant that they would both carry the head end and be able to see him breathing.)

42. Kai ēdē opsias genomenēs, epei ēn paraskeuē, ho estin prosabbaton,

42. And already evening{opsia} having come about, since it was a preparation, which is a before- sabbath,

42. At 4 pm, the early form of the sabbath beginning Friday 7 pm in its Gentile version, at the same time the early beginning of the 31st,

43. elthōn Iōsēph apo Harimathaias euschēmōn bouleutēs, hos kai autos ēn prosdechomenos tēn basileian tou theou, tolmēsas eisēlthen pros ton Pilaton kai ētēsato to sōma tou Iēsou.

43. Coming{erchomai} from Arimathea, a prominent councillor, Who. And He (pronoun) was receiving-before the kingdom of God, being bold, came at{erchomai} towards Pilate. And he(SRLR to Pilate) asked for the body of Jesus.

43. James the brother of Jesus, using the title Joseph as the crown prince, whose place of worship was at the Mird-Hyrcania sanctuary, was a Sadducee and one of the 12 laymen in the council of 36, and was now the first of them. As acting king he was in a promotion position as a member of the Sadducee ministry. James was now the "Lion of Judah" - the David in his military role . He had stayed at the 150 cubit line at the end of the southern esplanade after he had opened the doors of the caves. Pilate now came to the line, to overlook the dungeon where the criminals Simon and Judas were being placed. James stood on the cubit south of Pilate. Pilate, already an initiate and having received a bribe earlier in the day, wanted promotion in the ministry so that he could receive more of the community's money. He offered James a bribe to promote him to substitute for Jesus and use his sacred monstrance ministering to Gentiles.

44. ho de Pilatos ethaumasen ei ēdē tethnēken, kai proskalesamenos ton kentyriōna epērōtēsen auton ei ēdē (B text, not palai) apethanen

44. Pilate wondered if{ei} he(RLR to James v. 43a) had already died ("If" sentence counts as speech). And he (Pilate subject of participle, RLR to verb before speech) having called towards the centurion(Latin form) questioned him(RLR to centurion) "If he(RLR to James), formerly had died"

44. Pilate took the advice of Theudas who was also present with him. Pilate asked him: "Has James been appointed an unclean teacher of Gentiles at this hour?" Pilate treated as his bishop John Mark, who was with him to interpret his Latin. Pilate asked "Does James at the unclean grade 12 teach Gentiles at this hour?"

45. kai gnous apo tou kentyriōnos edōrēsato to ptōma tō Iōsēph

45. And he (Pilate, subject of participle to subject of verb before speech) knowing{ginōskō} from the centurion he (Pilate subject of knowing) gifted the corpse to Joseph.

45. John Mark gave him false information that Jesus was dead. Pilate declared that James was now the David, so owned the king's treasure chamber in cave 7Q, from which he would be able to take money to give to Pilate.

46. kai agorasas sindona kathelōn auton eneilēsen tē sindoni kai ethēken auton en mnēmeio ho ēn lelatomēmenon ek petras, kai prosekylisen lithon epi tēn thyran tou mnēmeiou

46. And he (Pilate subject with participle) having bought a tunic, (Pilate) bringing him(RLR to Joseph v.45) down, he (Pilate) wrapped in the tunic. And he (Pilate) put him(Joseph) in a tomb (B text mnēma), which was carved out of a Rock. And he(RLR to "him", Joseph) rolled a Stone upon the door of the tomb.

46. Pilate had paid a bribe for the cloth covering of the sacred monstrance. He reduced James to being his deputy. Having been given James'monstrance and told that it was that of Jesus, Pilate wrapped it in its cloth and claimed it as his own, to be used when he conducted the Gentile service. He then sent James down to do the prince's duty of closing the doors to the caves. At 4:05 James arrived at the caves. He locked the dungeon door, fastening the handle to the latch on the eastern stone wall. He replaced the Rock at the top of the eastern shaft. Then he rolled the Stone forward from its outer eastern position to the cubit beside the dungeon door.

47. hē de Maria hē Magdalēnē kai Maria hē Iōsētos etheōroun pou tetheitai

47. But the Mary Magdalene. And Mary she of Joses, they(RLR to Helena v.41) saw{theōreō} where she(RLR to Mary of Joses) was put.

47. At 5 pm at the queen's house female ablutions were held. Helena as leader was on the equivalent of the north base over all the congregation rows 12-17. Mary Magdalene was her deputy. Mary Mother as a grade 9 deputy of her novice son Joses-Barnabas was on the equivalent of a row 15 as a teacher of baptizands.

1. Kai diagenomenou tou sabbatou Maria hē Magdalēnē kai Maria hē tou Iakōbou kai Salōmē ēgorasan arōmata hina elthousai aleipsōsin auton.

1. And the sabbath coming-about through, Mary Magdalene. And Mary of James. And Salome, they(RLR to Helena 15:47) bought spices in order that coming{erchomai} (feminine plural) they(Helena) would anoint him(SRLR to James-Joseph v. 46).

1. At midnight Mary Magdalene came to the cave and stayed there. At 2:55 am the young woman betrothed to James arrived for his anointing ceremony. Helena came with her in order to smear oil on James' head, to appoint him as the David prince acting for Jesus in the outside world. She also brought aromatic spices for proselytes to use, taught by James.

2. kai lian prōi tē mia tōn sabbatōn erchontai epi to mnēmeion anateilantos tou hēliou.

2. And at extreme morning, the 1 of the sabbaths, they(RLR to Helena v.1) come{erchomai} upon the tomb, the Sun having risen.

2. At 3:00 am, the early form of morning 6 am, counted by villagers as the New Year 1st following the Julian midnight, beginning the sabbatical year by the solar calendar, Helena stood in the open doorway of the dungeon, with Simon Magus sitting in his couch across the Stone and Rock, having been brought out of the dungeon.

3. kai elegon pros heautas, Tis apokylisei hēmin ton lithon ek tēs thyras tou mnēmeiou.

3. And they(RLR to Helena v.2) said towards Themselves (fem plu), "A Certain One will roll for us the Stone out of the door of the tomb."

3. At 3:01 Helena and Mary Magdalene- who had remained on the steps since 2:05 am - were taking the positions of assistant guards at the center, to guard the opening of the western cave. Helena was on the inner path and Mary on the outer. Helena said, "Merari, the guard for the west, in charge of the western Stone, is now rolling the Stone from its position east of the dungeon door, to replace it at the top of the western shaft, over the empty cave."

4. kai anablepsasai theōrousin hoti apokekylistai ho lithos, ēn gar megas sphodra.

4. And seeing{blepō} up (fem plu) they see{theōreō} that the Stone was rolled, for it was great extremely.

4. At 3:03 Merari had replaced the Stone, and the east side of the inner path was now clear. Helena as an equal guard shadowing the main guard went out to the 3.03 cubit on the east, where there were 3 cubits between her and the western entrance into which the stone had been placed. Then at 3:04 she moved to the 3.04 cubit, where there were 4 cubits between her and the western entrance. The Stone was of lay king status.

5. kai eiselthousai eis to mnēmeion eidon neaniskon kathēmenon en tois dexiois peribeblēmenon stolēn leukēn, kai exethambēthēsan.

5. And coming{erchomai} at (fem plu) at the tomb they(RLR to Helena v.4) saw{eidon} a young man sitting in the right(plu) with a long white robe thrown around. And they(RLR to Helena) were amazed.

5. At 3:05 am the other two women had left to return to the queen's house, and Helena stood at the center of the inner path. On the top step Simon Magus was sitting on his couch, his main body on the east side, his legs on the west. There were 2 cubits between him and Helena. Simon as a criminal was reduced to the grade of novice, but he was nevertheless wearing the long white robe of the Zadokite high priest. Helena claimed to be a levitical bishop.

6. ho de legei autais, Mē ekthambeisthe. Iēsoun zēteite ton Nazarēnon ton estaurōmenon . ēgerthē, ouk estin hōde. Ide ho topos hopou ethēkan auton.

6. He(RLR to young man) says to them (fem plu), "Do not be amazed. You seek Jesus the Nazarene the crucified one. He has arisen, he is not here. See{eidon} the place where{hopou} they(RLR to Mary Magdalene Themselves v. 3) put him."

6. Simon said to her, "Do not act as a levitical bishop, only as a lay bishop.You are equal in ministry with Jesus when he outside in the married state, a lay bishop. He then may take temporary Nazirite retreats. But he has left the married state and is now promoted to be equal to a village priest. Look at the west side of the top step, where he rested when he came out of the cave, helped by Mary Magdalene."

7. alla hypagete eipate tois mathētais autou kai tō Petrō hoti Proagei hymas eis tēn Galilaian. Ekei auton opsesthe, kathōs eipen hymin.

7. Nevertheless lead under, say to the disciples of him(Jesus, genitive). And to Peter that he(RLR to "him", Jesus v.6) leads before you (plu) at Galilee. There you will see{horaō} him(RLR to Jesus), according as he(RLR to Jesus) said to you(plu)."

7. Go to the queen's house and say this to John Mark . Peter who is also there should be told "Jesus at the end of the sabbath will lead the way to the marriage house at Ain Feshkha. You, Peter, will sit opposite him on the south side of the table, the place he taught you to take."

8. kai exelthousai ephygon apo tou mnēmeiou, eichen gar autas tromos kai ekstasis.kai oudeni ouden eipan, ephobounto gar.

8. And coming out{erchomai} (fem plu) they(Helena) fled from the tomb, for a trembling had them(fem plu). And an ecstasy. And to No One they(RLR to Helena ) said Nothing, they feared for.

8. At 4:05 am Helena was still at the caves, in front of the locked western half-door on the inner path, where she was permitted to say prayers. She was now under the authority of the elderly man Theudas. Merari was still there, guarding Simon Magus on the top step. He could not be carried away until the sabbath was over. James was also still there, having locked both doors at the set time, 4:05. He remained in front of the dungeon door, and Helena stood beside him as an equal teacher of Gentiles. She was following the practice of the graduates of the abbeys of Therapeuts.

The original Mark's gospel ends here in all major texts.

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