I have uploaded a first draft of my SBL paper:
The Rock on Rocky Ground: Matthew, Mark and Peter as Skandalon [PDF]
It's for the Matthew section, Sunday 20th at 1 p.m. It is all about the way that Matthew reads Mark, and the way that we read Matthew and Mark. I attempt to offer a little narrative-critical corrective to an overuse of redaction-criticism in Matthew's characterization of Peter. And I suggest that the key to understanding Matthew's characterization of Peter is to see that he is narrativizing the well-known claim in early Christianity that the crucified Christ was a skandalon to Jews (1 Cor. 1.23).
As always at this point, there is more work to be done on it before next week, but I wanted to get something up earlier rather than later to provide an opportunity for comments, which will be gratefully received.
Update (Tuesday, 17.45): second draft now uploaded, with some minor corrections and some additional bibliography. With some kind help, I managed to get most of my boxes of books opened yesterday and dug out a few things I'd wanted to re-read on the topic, with more of the same still to come.
Update (Thursday, 00.47): Third draft uploaded, with some additions and clarifications, and a little more bibliography.
Update (13 June 2006, 1.43): paper removed; it has been revised and submitted for publication.
Mark, One quick item. Do you present Monday or Sunday? The 20th is Sunday.
ReplyDeleteWhit -- thanks for that. I meant Sunday 20th and have made the adjustment.
ReplyDeleteMark, A couple of more - on page 2 line 8, you have "reading he text"
ReplyDeleteI love, "Intead of the Rock, he is the Stumbling Block." Rest assured that this will wind up in a sermon some day - with proper credit given to you!
As regards footnote 2 - the Episcopal Church lectionary divides this reading over two weeks. We hear first of Peter's triumph and then his failure. We read Matthew 16:13-20 one week and Matthew 16:21-27 the next.
Wish I could be there to hear you present this paper.
"Intead of the Rock, he is the Stumbling Block
ReplyDeleteBut even better than this is the implied contrast between rock and rocky ground (from the sower parable) (see p 12).
That's a very convincing paper, Mark. It almost appears too obvious -- I think it would be if we had no gospel of Mark with which to hyper-contrast the relevant passages. Have fun presenting!