Holy Spittle Batman

There - does that get your attention! We began a study of Mark's gospel today with the Dawn Treaders. Bob set out an outline in Latin as a game to note how many sections there might be in a gospel. Mark has about 118 out of 365 total divisions of the fourfold gospel as note by Kurt Aland in his parallel gospels. You can see all the breakdowns of the texts here. Our lesson of course did not go that far this morning but the children did see a far distant horizon and a rich set of possibilities.

We concentrated for 20-25 minutes on the healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment. Jesus takes 7 actions in this story and each action is visible - as they would have to be for a deaf man to hear them. So not Latin, not Hebrew, not Greek, not Aramaic, but sign language - seven significant actions

• taking him aside from the multitude privately, - personal, one to one
• he put his fingers into his ears, easy to see - pointing to the problem
• and he spat - easy to see
• and touched his tongue; - perhaps he spit into his own hand and touched the tongue with the spittle
• and looking up to heaven, - here is the source
• he sighed, - pray and listen to God's sigh also
• and said to him, "Eph'phatha," that is, "Be opened." - a visible language - say it EF-PHA-THA lip readable

 I encouraged the children to look for the ways that Our Lord will speak to them in their own personal language this week. I told them also to ask him for a hint.

We also discussed briefly the Messianic secret that is evident in the first half of the Gospel. Summary: personal prayer, real healing, and mystery. I told them we could from this first lesson spend much more time than 20 minutes examining the relationship of this short passage to the whole Scripture. I encouraged them to read the whole Gospel. Next week Ella will prepare chapter 1.

Reference: Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Greek-English Edition of the Synopsis Quattuor Evangelium, Edited by Kurt Aland (6th edition) - available in the UVIC library.

Ten choices from the Gospel of Mark

Here are 10 of the sections of Mark - a set of suggestions. Each student will prepare one for one selected week. (Note you can see all the parallel passages for the section in the other gospels by finding your chosen section on this post).

Ten choices in the Gospel of Mark

1. Healing the deaf mute, Mark 7:31
2. Preparation for ministry, Mark 1:1 – 1:13
3. Calling disciples, Mark 1:16
4. Jesus and Family, Mark 3:19
5. Herod’s opinion and the death of John, Mark 6:14
6. Walking Trees, Mark 8.22
7. Peter’s confession and the transfiguration, Mark 8:27
8. The Rich Young Man, Mark 10:17
9. The fig tree, Mark 11:11
10. The Son of David, Mark 12:28, 12:35

A focus on Mark for the next 10 weeks

Here is an outline of Mark's gospel. After reading Hebrew, Latin should be a cinch for you all. The links will take you to my Gospel Parallels pages. Fun to look at and puzzle over.

Section	Title	Mark	Luke	Matthew	John
I	PRAEFATIO
1	Prologus	1.1	1.1	1.1	1.1
III	PRAEPARATIO
13	Ioannes Baptista praecursor Domini (Autumn 27)	1.2	3.1	3.1	1.19
16	Ioannes Christum evangelizat	1.7	3.15	3.11	1.24
18	Baptismus Jesu (March 28)	1.9	3.21	3.13	1.29
20	Tentatio	1.12	4.1	4.1
V	MINISTERIUM IN GALILAEA
30	Iter in Galilaeam (May 28)	1.14a	4.14a	4.1	4.1
32	Ministerium in Galilaea	1.14b	4.14b	4.13	4.43
34	Vocatio discipulorum	1.16		4.18
35	In synagoga Capharnaum docet	1.21	4.31
36	Daimoniacus in synagoga	1.23	4.33
37	Socrus Petri	1.29	4.38
38	Sanationes sub vesperum	1.32	4.40
39	Jesus Capharnaum relinquit	1.35	4.42
40	Per Galilaeam praedicat	1.39	4.44	4.23
42	Sanatio leprosi	1.40	5.12
43	Sanatio paralytici	2.1	5.17
44	Vocatio Levi publicani	2.13	5.27
45	Quaestio ieiunii	2.18	5.33
46	Spicae sabbato vulsae (June 28 - Galilee)	2.23	6.1
47	Manus arida	3.1	6.6
48	Sanationes ad mare	3.7
49	Electio apostolorum	3.13	6.12
VIII	MINISTERIUM IN GALILAEA
116	Incredulitas suorum	3.19
117	In quo eiiciat daemonia	3.22		12.22
118	Peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum	3.28		12.31
121	Mater et fratres Jesu	3.31		12.46
122	Parabola seminantis (December 28)	4.1	8.4	13.1
123	Quare in parabolis loquantor	4.10	8.9	13.10
124	Parabola seminantis explicatur	4.13	8.11	13.18
125	Qui habet aures audiente, audiat	4.21	8.16
126	Ultro semen fructificat	4.26
128	Parabola grani sinapis	4.30		13.31
130	Sine parabola non loquebatur	4.33		13.34
136	Tempestas sedata (December 28)	4.35	8.22
137	Daemoniaci Geraseni	5.1	8.26
138	Haemorrhoissa et filia Iairi	5.21	8.40
139	Propheta in patria	6.1		13.53
142	Missio apostolorum	6.6	9.1
143	Opinio Herodis et fama Jesu	6.14	9.7	14.1
144	Mors Baptistae (January/February 29)	6.17		14.3
145	Apostolorum reversio	6.30	9.10
146	Quinque milia saturantur (Passover April 18, 29)	6.32	9.10	14.13	6.1
147	Super mare ambulat	6.45		14.22	6.16
148	Sanationes in terra Genesar	6.53		14.34	6.22
150	Manibus non lotis manducare	7.1		15.1
151	Syrophoenissa	7.24		15.21
152	Epheththa: multi aegroti	7.31		15.29
153	Quattuor milia saturantur	8.1		15.32
154	Signum de caelo	8.11		16.1
155	Fermentum Pharisaeorum	8.14	12.1	16.5
156	Caecus paulatim sanatur	8.22
Section	Title	Mark	Luke	Matthew	John
IX	PASSIO IMMINET
158	Confessio Petri	8.27	9.18	16.13	6.67
159	Prima passionis predictio	8.31	9.22	16.21
160	Qui vult venire post me	8.34	9.23	16.24
161	Transfiguratio	9.2	9.28	17.1
162	De Elia venturo	9.11		17.10
163	Puer lunaticus	9.14	9.37	17.14
164	Altera passionis predictio	9.30	9.43	17.22
166	Discipulorum ambitio	9.33	9.46	18.1
167	Monitio tolerantiae	9.38	9.49
168	De scandalis	9.42		18.6
XII	MINISTERIUM IN IUDAEA
251	Iter in Iudaeam	10.1		19.1
252	De matrimonio et virginitate	10.2		19.3
253	Benedictio parvulorum	10.13	18.15	19.13
254	Adulescens dives	10.17	18.18	19.16
255	Foramen acus; centuplum accipiet	10.23	18.24	19.23
262	Terti passionis praedictio (in via)	10.32	18.31	20.17
263	Mater filiorum Zebedaei	10.35		20.20
264	Bartimaeus vel duo caeci	10.46	18.35	20.29
XIII	ULTIMUM MINISTERIUM IN JERUSALEM
269	Ingressus triumphalis in Jerusalem (Monday)	11.1	19.28	21.1	12.12
271	Jesus in Jerusalem, Bethaniam redit	11.11		21.10
272	Ficulnea maledicta	11.12		21.18
273	Purgatio templi	11.15	19.45
274	Insidiae pontificum et scribarum	11.18	19.47
275	Filculnea arefacta	11.20		21.20
276	De potestate Jesu et baptismo Ioannis	11.27	20.1	21.23
278	Vinitores mali	12.1	20.9	21.33
280	De censu Caesaris	12.13	20.20	22.15
281	De resurrectione mortuorum	12.18	20.27	22.23
282	Maximum et primum mandatum	12.28		22.34
283	Filius David?	12.35	20.41	22.41
284	Vae Pharisaeis et scribis	12.37	20.45	23.1
286	Quadrans viduae	12.41	21.1
XIV	SERMO ESCHATALOGICUS
287	Templum evertetur	13.1	21.5	24.1
288	Signa adventus Jesu et consummationis saeculi	13.3	21.7	24.3
289	Persecutiones futurae	13.9	21.12	24.9
290	Excidium Iudaeae	13.14	21.20	24.15
291	Pseudochristi et pseudoprophetae	13.21		24.23
292	Filii hominus adventus	13.24	21.25	24.29
293	Tempus adventus: parabola fici	13.28	21.29	24.32
294	Vigilate	13.33
XVI	PASSIO
305	Decretum mortis	14.1	22.1	26.1
306	Unctio Bethaniae	14.3		26.6
307	A Iuda proditur	14.10	22.7	26.14
308	Cena paschalis praeparatur	14.12	22.7	26.17
310	Proditorum indicat	14.18		26.21	13.21
311	Eucharistiam instituit (Thursday April 6)	14.22	22.15	26.26
315	Iter in montem Olivarum	14.26	22.31	26.30	13.36
330	Gethsemani	14.32	22.39	26.36	18.1
331	Tenetur	14.43	22.47	26.47	18.2
332	Coram synedrio	14.53	22.54	26.57	18.13
333	Negatio Petri	14.66		26.69	18.25
334	Pontio Pilato traditur	15.1	23.1	27.1	18.28
336	A Pilato interrogatur	15.2	23.2	27.11	18.29
339	Jesus an Barabbas	15.6	23.17	27.15	18.39
341	Condemnatur	15.15	23.24	27.24	19.16
342	Spinis coronatur	15.16		27.27
343	Via ad Golgotha	15.20	23.26	27.31	19.17
344	Crucifigitur (Friday, April 7, 30)	15.22	23.33	27.33	19.17
345	In cruce blasphematur	15.27	23.35	27.38
346	Duo latrones	15.32	23.39	27.44
347	Moritur	15.27	23.44	27.45	19.28
348	Stabant iuxta crucem	15.40	23.49	27.55
350	Sepelitur	15.42	23.50	27.57	19.38
XVII	RESURRECTIO
352	Mulieres ad sepulchrum	16.1	24.1	28.1	20.1
358	Recumbentibus apparet	16.14
Section	Title	Mark	Luke	Matthew	John
XVIII	EPILOGUS
362	Marci conclusio brevior	[brevior]
363	Marci conclusio longior	16.9

Number of Pericopae = 118

Sources: Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Greek-English Edition of the Synopsis Quattuor Evangelium, Edited by Kurt Aland (6th edition).