The geographical horizon of Mark’s Gospel

Abstract

This article reconstructs the picture of the movements of Jesus since John’s baptizing until the journey to Jerusalem. There are geographical and chronological problems connected with the Gospel of Mark. In many instances the evangelist does not know where and when incidents took place. The topographical data are likewise confused and contradictory. The evangelist emphasizes the contrast between the apparent aimlessness of Jesus’ movements and ministry in the earlier period in Galilee (Mk 1:1–6:29) and the plan of the later periodes. In second part (Mk 6:30–9:1) Mark possessed two divergent but paralel accounts of the events following the return of the Twelve. The third part (Mk 9:2–11:11) is the journey of Jesus from Cesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, and the fourth part are the evants in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem Mark’s topographical notations are also never detailed and informative.