cwconrad wrote:
1. Although καλός/ή/όν often enough in the Koine has the moral sense, "good," it seems here to have an aesthetic sense: "fine, especially nice, -- a lovely gesture" -- advance anointment for burial linked to the notion of anointment of a king. I assume that the narrator has deliberately highlighted this linkage of notions in the Greek, whatever we may suppose Jesus said in an original incident.
2. Yes; ancient Greek had no indefinite article, although εἷς/μία/ἕν and enclitic τις/τι were occasionally used in a sense approaching that of an indefinite article.
3. εὖ ποιεῖν here probably does have the moral sense, "perform a good deed." It's perhaps worth noting that association of moral and aesthetic sensitivity is deeply entrenched in ancient Greek culture since long before Plato. The narration of this anecdote by Mark pretty clearly seems to play upon that association. I've always felt that Mark is keenly intent on this sort of literary subtlety, suggesting it but leaving it to the reader to take note ("ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω").
I wonder if this use of
ergon and
ergazomai can be seen as a contact point between Mark and John.
καλὸν ἔργον ἠργάσατο ἐν ἐμοί.
1 The lemma ergon reminds John.
It's used in the Gospels in :
Matthew 6 occurences : 5:16, 11:2, 11:19, 23:3, 23:5, 26:10
Mark 2 occurences : 13:34, 14:6
Luke 2 occurences : 11:48, 24:19
John 27 occurences : 3:19, 3:20, 3:21, 4:34, 5:20, 5:36, 5:36, 6:28, 6:29, 7:3, 7:7, 7:21, 8:39, 8:41, 9:3, 9:4, 10:25, 10:32, 10:32, 10:33, 10:37, 10:38, 14:10, 14:11, 14:12, 15:24, 17:4
Acts 11 occurences : 5:38, 7:22, 7:41, 9:36, 13:2, 13:41, 13:41, 14:26, 15:18, 15:38, 26:20
With no surprise John has by far the usage of the word. And the sense is somewhat different.
2 What about Ergazomai ?
Matthew 4 occurences : 7:23, 21:28, 25:16, 26:10
Mark 1 occurences : 14:6
Luke 1 occurences : 13:14
John 8 occurences : 3:21, 5:17, 5:17, 6:27, 6:28, 6:30, 9:4, 9:4
Acts 3 occurences : 10:35, 13:41, 18:3
Same as for ergon, but the difference between John and the synoptics is less here.
In John, /ergon/ or /erga/ are those of the /pater/, but everybody is invited to perform them :
John 6:27 (verb), 6:28 (verb and noun), 6:30 (verb) : is centered on 6:28 : /ta erga tou theou/, but proposed to the crowd who should/want /ergazometa/, although they expect Jesus to perform then (6:30)
=> Any insights of considering this kind of incursion of a very johanic vocabulary in Mark's text ?