Mark and Qumran - The Teacher of Righteousness?

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
John2
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Re: Mark and Qumran - The Teacher of Righteousness?

Post by John2 »

In the big picture I see Mark being associated with the DSS in the sense that they are both Fourth Philosophic writings, with the DSS being pre-70 CE and Mark being post-70 CE. I see Mark as being a post-70 CE account of the pre-70 CE Fourth Philosopher he liked (Jesus).

Both the DSS and Jesus opposed the oral Torah of the Pharisees, as did Fourth Philosophers, who Josephus says had altered "the customs of our fathers" (Ant. 18.1.1, cf. Mk. 7:1-13). Yet the DSS and Jesus otherwise subscribed to what Josephus calls "Pharisaic notions" (such as the resurrection of the dead), as did Fourth Philosophers (Ant. 18.1.6). And there are a number of other examples of commonality between the DSS, the Fourth Philosophy and Christianity I've given on other threads here.

But I don't think Mark is among the DSS because in my view Mark (and thus the gospel genre) didn't exist pre-70 CE, though I do think some of the DSS could have been written by what I call proto-Ebionites of the sort described in Acts 21 who were opposed to Paul (namely the Damascus Document and the pesharim). In my view these were simply more hotheaded Fourth Philosophers who liked Jesus (and James) but who seemed to be beyond James' control and did not share his "patience" regarding the Last Days and acceptance (however begrudgingly) of Paul.

I see Jesus as being of the Fourth Philosophic-type Josephus describes in War 2.13.4:
These were such men as deceived and deluded the people under pretense of divine inspiration, but were for procuring innovations and changes of the government; and these prevailed with the multitude to act like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, as pretending that God would there show them the signals of liberty.


I think these are the kind of people Jesus likens himself to in Mk. 13:5-6:
Jesus began by telling them, "See to it that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many."
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
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