Ben -- After all these years I haven't convinced you that there's something else going on? I'm gonna have to write a lot more...
1. When Apologetix gets mixed up with Honest Scholarship with no resolution, then mebbe it's time to look at another alternative:
"The Man Carrying the Water Jar": We get all sorts of analysis over whether "The Man..." is doing woman's work, etc. No Resolution.
Perhaps "The Man Carrying the Water Jar" doesn't refer to a real, live man at all. My Ex's mother had a painting of "The Chinaman's Hat", an island in the middle of Oahu, Hawai'i. Above the water is "The Chinaman's Hat". Below the water is a man in repose, a "Chinaman" (Can I write that these days?).
"
OMG!!! There's a Chinaman being held UNDER WATER?!?? MAYBE HE'S DROWNING!!! HE'S..." No...No...It's a descriptive Figure of Speech.
So, the "Man Carrying the Water Jar" may be...a Shadow that lines up with a door in Antonia during the Passover, mebbe? If you look beyond the savior/god Motif, other possibilities suggest themselves.
2.
james_C wrote:Jesus will be waiting for them and he will meet with them.
2000 + years and christians have failed to produce a living jesus. jesus thought that the high priest would see the son of man, but the high priest died. i wonder if "going before you to galilee" means a literal seeing ?
high priest did not literally see any son of man riding on clouds.
Beautiful! "Preceeding you to Galilee..." has a simple, OTHER explanation. The Mishmarot Priesthood. See about 257 other Posts on this one. The Gospels (as well as Josephus) present a view of the corrupt High Priesthood, the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Romans, et. al. Where is the Priesthood? Aside from a few mentions in Luke on the Origins of John (of Bilgah) and the "Jesus" character (of Immer), very little direct mention is made.
3. So it goes with the Ending of Mark. There is something else that presents itself as a possibility.
The Women wander around and either follow orders or do not. "When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout".
Some other idea goin' on perhaps?
CW
PS: Rakovsky: I've gotta clear out some PMs to get to an answer to you. Soon. Mebbe. I hope...