Socio-Rhetorical Examples
Definition of progressive texture.
One very intriguing progression in Mark 15:1-16:8 occurs in language about kingship. In the context of repetition concerning Jesus, Pilate, crucifixion, and Joseph of Arimathea, this progression looks as follows:
Kingship Progression in Mark 15:1-16:8
| 1: | Jesus | Pilate | |||
| 2: | Pilate | King of the Jews | |||
| 4: | Pilate | ||||
| 5: | Jesus | Pilate | |||
| 8: | Pilate | ||||
| 9: | King of the Jews | ||||
| 12: | Pilate | King of the Jews | |||
| 13: | crucify | ||||
| 14: | crucify | ||||
| 15: | Jesus | Pilate | crucified | ||
| 18: | King of the Jews | ||||
| 20: | crucify | ||||
| 24: | crucified | ||||
| 25: | crucified | ||||
| 26: | King of the Jews | ||||
| 27: | crucified | ||||
| 32: | Messiah King of Israel | crucified | |||
| 34: | Jesus | ||||
| 43: | Jesus | Pilate | Kingdom of God | Joseph | |
| 44: | Pilate | Joseph | |||
| 16:6 | Jesus | crucified |
This display shows a progression from "king of the Jews" to crucifixion to "Messiah king of Israel" to "kingdom of God." The question is what this progression might mean, and for this it can help to turn to progressive texture in the entire text. Progression of all the phrases concerning kingship produces the following list:
| 1:15 | kingdom of God |
| 3:24 | kingdom divided against itself |
| 4:11 | kingdom of God |
| 4:26 | kingdom of God |
| 4:30 | kingdom of God |
| 6:14 | king Herod |
| 6:22 | king |
| 6:23 | my (Herod's) kingdom |
| 6:25 | king |
| 6:26 | king |
| 6:27 | king |
| 9:1 | kingdom of God |
| 9:47 | kingdom of God |
| 10:14 | kingdom of God |
| 10:15 | kingdom of God |
| 10:23 | kingdom of God |
| 10:24 | kingdom of God |
| 10:25 | kingdom of God |
| 11:10 | kingdom of our father David |
| 12:34 | kingdom of God |
| 13:8 | kingdom of God |
| 13:9 | kings |
| 14:25 | kingdom of God |
| 15:2 | king of the Jews |
| 15:9 | king of the Jews |
| 15:12 | king of the Jews |
| 15:18 | king of the Jews |
| 15:26 | king of the Jews |
| 15:32 | Messiah king of Israel |
| 15:43 | kingdom of God |
This list shows that kingdom of God is a topic within the repetitive texture of the Gospel of Mark. It also reveals a general reference to kingdoms in 3:24, specific references to king Herod and his kingdom in 6:14-27, and reference to the kingdom of our father David in 11:10. The progression from king of the Jews to Messiah king of Israel to kingdom of God in the account of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, then, occurs in a broader progressive context concerning kingdom and kingship in the Gospel of Mark.
What is the significance of this aspect of progressive texture in Mark? Certainly the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus are related to the coming of the kingdom of God. Will the kingdom come after the death and resurrection of Jesus, are the death and resurrection the beginning of the kingdom of God, or did the kingdom already begin during the activity of Jesus (1:15)? It appears that the kingdom begins to arrive with Jesus' activity and will fully arrive when Jesus returns as son of Man (9:1; 13:26).
From V. K. Robbins, Exploring the Texture of Texts, (Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1996), pp. 10-12.
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