Abstract
In the vox populi of Mark 6:14-16 (cf. 8:28), we find the puzzling claim that some believed Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. The presentation of John in the Gospel is similar to Jesus: Mark depicts John as a prophetic figure who is arrested, executed, buried by his disciples, and—according to some—raised from the dead. This paper reviews scholarship on the question of whether the tradition concerning John's resurrection—as well as the tradition concerning his death to which it is prefixed (6:17-29)—originated outside of the early Christian community. We examine the possibility that sects or individuals in the ancient world believed John had indeed been raised from the dead—as well as figures supposedly connected to John (Dositheus, Simon Magus). We conclude on the basis of internal evidence from the Gospel that the report in 6:14-16 likely originated in a Christian context. At the same time, it may also provide a glimpse into first-century CE attitudes concerning the resurrection from the dead.
Highlights
In the vox populi of Mark 6:14-16, we find the puzzling claim that some believed Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead
The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a prophetic figure, who comes to fulfil the Jewish scriptures
After introducing John with a citation attributed to Isaiah (1:2-3), Mark describes his ministry of repentance and forgiveness of sins at the Jordan (1:4-8), writing of the large crowds from all over Judea who flocked
Summary
It would help to establish what the claim “Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead” means. It would be physically impossible for Jesus to be John raised from the dead and presumably at least some in the crowds were in a position to know this.[5] Some take this to mean that the claim in 6:14 must not refer to resurrection given the impossibility of the claim—perhaps it is instead best understood as reincarnation or a figure of speech.[6] But this assumes logical consistency on behalf of Mark’s crowds, whereas Mark often attributes false opinions to the crowds, as when bystanders misconstrue Jesus’ cry from the cross as an invocation of Elijah (15:35).[7] Closer to home, the present chapter begins with Jesus mistaken for merely being a carpenter (6:1-6). Are there any other possibilities as to its meaning?
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