Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi:

An Exegesis of Mark 8:27–38

[see Paper Title Discussion] [see Scripture References Discussion]

[see Title Page Sections Discussion]

A Term Paper

Submitted to Dr. Gerald L. Stevens

of the

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

[see Title Page Spacing Discussion]

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics

in the Division of Biblical Studies

[see Student Name Discussion]

John Q. Doe

BS, University of Southern Mississippi, 2015

Sept. 21, 2016

[see Blank Page Discussion]
 Contents
[see Table of Contents Discussion]

Acknowledgments ........................................... iv

Introduction ............................................... 1

Chapter 1 Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre ....................... 3

A Question of Genre

Exegesis of the Historical and Literary Settings

Chapter 2 Exegesis of the Historical Setting of Mark’s Gospel ........... 6

The Setting in the Life of Jesus

The Setting in the Life of the Evangelist

Summary

Chapter 3 Exegesis of the Literary Setting of Mark 8:27–38 ............. 6

Reading Mk. 8:27–38 Horizontally

Reading Mk. 8:27–38 Vertically

Summary

Conclusion ............................................... 14

Appendix ................................................. 16

Selected Bibliography ......................................... 19

iii
 Acknowledgments
[see Acknowledgments Discussion]
For the primary material regarding the Roman historians, Tulane University
library staff were helpful in locating some important volumes. The University Of New
Orleans library staff also assisted with the location of other primary sources. Important
material concerning the cultural context of the first-century world of early Christianity
was obtained by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary library staff through
interlibrary loans. The research involved for this paper facilitated by the assistance of
these libraries and their personnel is greatly appreciated.

iv
 Introduction
[see Introduction Discussion]
A review of the history of Jewish and Christian interpretation will reveal the
many levels at which Scripture can be read. Each period has made contributions to an
understanding of the complex nature of interpretation. Probably the most formative
period for setting the parameters of current interpretive methods was the Reformation,
which represented four major breaks in the history of interpretation: (1) a break with
multiple meanings, (2) a break with traditional authority, (3) a break with Latin
translations, and (4) a break with the medieval worldview. The literal method was

reinstated as the primary tool for understanding the text of Scripture. In this method, the
plain, literal meaning of a text within the historical and literary context is determinative
for the interpretive process. Thus, this Reformation emphasis came to be called the
grammatical-historical method. In a hermeneutical model focused on the three areas of
text, interpreter, and audience, this Reformation method shifted the emphasis from the
interpreter (the Roman Church and its traditions) back to the text.
The grammatical-historical method evolved into the historical-critical method in
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.1 However, a positivist historicism elevated
reason over revelation. This reductionist approach inevitably reduced the Jesus of history
to a faint whisper. While this historical development could be seen as detrimental to
biblical interpretation, not all modern methodologies are inherently destructive. Some, in
fact, can be helpful.2 Form and redaction criticism, for example, in the study of the

1. See Edgar Krentz, The Historical-Critical Method, Guides to Biblical

Scholarship, ed. Gene M. Tucker (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975); Craig A. Evans,
“Life of Jesus Research and the Eclipse of Mythology,” Theological Studies 54 (1993):
3–36. [see Footnotes Discussion]

2. The web site http://www.ntgateway.com may help in accessing resources using

various methodologies. One article link on this site on the ending of Mark with relevance
to this paper is J. D. H. Amador, “Dramatic Inconclusion: Irony and The Narrative

1
 2

Gospels can provide valuable insight into the life settings of both Jesus and the
evangelists.3 This paper will represent an attempt to capitalize on some of the positive
results deriving from the application of these methodologies to gospel material in an
interpretation of Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi as recorded in Mk. 8:27–38.

Rhetoric of the Ending of Mark,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 57 (1995):
61-86, accessed at http://www.ars-rhetorica.net/David/Drama.html#19 on March 2, 2016.
[see Internet Resources Discussion]

3. See Edgar V. McKnight, What Is Form Criticism? Guides to Biblical

Scholarship, ed. Dan O. Via, Jr. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969); and Norman Perrin,
What Is Redaction Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship, ed. Dan O. Via, Jr.
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971). [see Short Page Footnotes Discussion]
 Chapter 1
[see Chapter Title Discussion]
Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre
[see Body Text Discussion]

Two important elements figure into the interpretation of the gospel genre. The
first element involves the actual question of the form of the genre itself. Comparisons
with first-century literature point out as many contrasts as similarities. These contrasts
make defining the gospel genre difficult. The second element figuring into the
interpretive process is the significance of both the historical and the literary settings.
Form and redaction criticism have been used productively to uncover useful information
as the Gospel material is read both “horizontally” and “vertically.”1 One of the most
useful exegetical tools for this procedure is a synopsis, which will be incorporated into
the research for this paper in an English text edition.2

[see Subsections Discussion]

A Question of Genre

Comparison of the four Gospels with their Hellenistic counterparts of the first
century is illuminating. Ancient areatologies, comic and tragic dramas, and biographies
have all been suggested as background forms for the Gospels. The main impression,
however, is that these Gospels are distinctly different. They do not fit neatly into any of
these forms. As a result, scholars have debated their nature. The result of such
discussions is the suggestion that the Gospels best are taken as “theological biographies.”
First, formally Gospels are narrative accounts, but without complete correspondence with

1. These terms will be described more fully later in this chapter.

2. Kurt Aland, ed., Synopsis of the Four Gospels, English Edition: Completely
revised on the basis of the Greek Text of Nestle-Aland 26th Edition and Greek New
Testament 3rd Edition. The Text is the Second Edition of the Revised Standard Version
(New York: United Bible Societies, 1982).

3
 4

ancient parallels. Second, materially the Gospels are uniquely Christian; their content is
the story that God was at work in Christ. This striking content makes the Gospels distinct
as first-century literature. Thus, the literary nature of the Gospels must be recognized as
unusual, and exegesis of them should reflect sensitivity to their special literary features.3

Exegesis of the Historical and Literary Settings

Form criticism has shown that exegesis of the historical setting of the Gospels
requires probing two levels. The first level is the historical setting in the life of Jesus.
This setting in the life of Jesus, while reliable, is complicated by several factors. First, a
reader quickly learns that the sayings and teachings of Jesus often are preserved without
any historical context. The context often is provided by the evangelist, which must be
kept in mind as one reads. Second, the material clearly shows itself arranged topically,
not strictly chronologically. While topical order does not meet our modern expectations
of “biography,” this topical arrangement does meet the purposes of the evangelists to
communicate important theological truths to which the reader needs to be sensitive.4

3. [see Combined Footnote Discussion] A major monograph in this area is by

Charles H. Talbert, What Is a Gospel? The Genre of the Canonical Gospels
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977). Cf. Ralph P. Martin, “Gospel,” The International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 4 vols., Geoffrey W. Bromily, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982). Introductory textbooks in hermeneutics cover
this issue of gospel genre. See the bibliography. The paragraphs above derive from
William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, with Kermit A.
Ecklebarger, consulting ed., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Dallas: Word
Publishing, 1993), 323–25. Hereinafter referred to as KBH.

4. A number of resources are available for exploring the issue of reading the
Gospels from a literary perspective. Some of these have been mentioned already. For a
quick overview of the topic, one should consult KBH, 324–32. In their approach, they
have capitalized on the helpful suggestion by Fee and Stuart of learning how to read the
Gospels “horizontally” and “vertically.” See Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuart, How
to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible, 2nd ed. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), 110–16. [see Footnote Continuation Dis.]
 5

The historical accuracy of an evangelist is not at issue in this observation. The

issue is how to understand historical material that an author deliberately has chosen to
arrange topically. What is the literary meaning of the topical arrangement? The very
method of arranging the material topically communicates that chronological sequence is
not the author’s main point. Attempting to establish chronological sequence of material
arranged topically simply is moving away from the author’s literary purpose.
Thus, the gospel genre refuses to be forced into any one literary mold. The gospel
form is a complex literary blend that must be understood on several levels to be

interpreted well. The comments of Fee and Stuart on this matter are pertinent:

Thus these books, which tell us virtually all we know about Jesus, are
nonetheless not biographies—although they are partly biographical. Nor are they
like the contemporary “lives” of great men—although they record the life of the
greatest man. They are, to use the phrase of the second-century church father
Justin Martyr, “the memoirs of the apostles.” Four biographies could not stand
side by side as of equal value; these books stand side by side because at one and
the same time they record the facts about Jesus, recall the teaching of Jesus, and
each bears witness to Jesus. This is their nature and their genius, and this is
important both for exegesis and for hermeneutics.5 [see Block Quotations
Discussion]

The second setting is the historical setting in the life of each of the evangelists.
Evangelists adapted gospel traditions to meet the new needs of their own communities of
faith. At the surface level of a Gospel, then, one meets this secondary setting. This setting
reveals important literary themes that can be used to open up vistas of application for the
modern context. As one researches, then, one will want to read a Gospel in such a way as
to capture a Gospel’s narrative themes and the evangelist’s own life setting.

5. Ibid., 116. [see Use of Ibid. Discussion]

 Chapter 2

Exegesis of the Historical Setting

of Mark’s Gospel

Church tradition locates the death of Peter in Rome as a part of the persecution
under Nero.1 The Gospel of Mark seems to have the shadow of Peter behind its
production in this tradition as well2 For the sake of this paper, these traditions will be
assumed correct since they are both firmly established and early. A redactional-critical
overview of the movement of Mark’s plot will surface literary themes that prove to be
consonant with this early church tradition regarding the historical context of Mark and
provide a possible scenario for understanding the setting in the life of the evangelist.3

The Setting in the Life of Jesus

A reading of Mark makes clear a context of conflict. Jesus is in conflict with the
forces of evil (1:13, 24), with religious leaders (2:6–7, 16; 3:6), and even with his own
disciples (7:18; 8:17–18, 33). This plot line is simple and direct, and the narrative style of
the koine Greek advances the story quickly.4 The narrative sets the stage for an emphasis

1. C. Clifton Black, “Was Mark a Roman Gospel?” The Expository Times 105
(1993): 36–40. Cf. Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987), 189.

2. D. A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New

Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 224.

3. The problem of the authorship of the Gospel of Mark, while connected to the
early church traditions centering on Rome and the Apostle Peter, is not a primary focus
for this paper. Thus, use of the term “Mark” hereinafter will be reference to the Gospel
itself, not to the tradition of authorship by a disciple of Peter in Rome named Mark. The
term “evangelist” will be used to refer to the author of the Gospel of Mark.

4. See the appendix on the frequent use in Mark of the term eujquv"
(“immediately,” “next”). Cf. Rodney Reeves, “Mark, The Gospel of,” in Holman Bible
Dictionary, Trent C. Butler, gen. ed. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 920;

6
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on Jesus’ predictions of suffering and death, using the crucial identification of Son of
Man. These predictions anticipate the climatic story of the crucifixion of Jesus in
Jerusalem in which all forsake him. The first of these passion predictions follows
immediately upon the heals of Peter’s confession of Jesus as messiah at Caesarea Philippi
(8:31–38), showing the significance of the focal passage assigned for this paper.5
When these basic stories recorded in this Gospel are compared with their parallels
in the other Gospels using Aland’s Synopsis, the literary strategy of the evangelist begins
to surface. For one, the evangelist was concerned about the proper identification of Jesus.

Identifying Jesus comes out immediately in the first verse: “The good news of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.”6 No other Gospel begins this way, and this peculiar opening
might even represent the first occurrence of this particular use of the term for “good
news.”7 The evangelist wasted no time in announcing to the reader the divine status of the
central figure. This divine status twice is confirmed by an authoritative voice from
heaven, at Jesus’ baptism (1:11) and at his transfiguration (9:7). This transfiguration
episode immediately follows the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi, the narrative

Frederick William Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature, 3d ed. (BDAG), rev. and ed. Frederick William Danker, based
on Walter Bauer’s Griechisch-deutsches Wöterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen
Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, 6th ed., ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara
Aland, with Viktor Reichmann and on previous English editions by W. F. Arndt, F. W.
Gingrich, and F. W. Danker (Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 2000),
xv.

5. Mark’s miracle stories especially advance this plot; see Frank J. Matera, “‘He
Saved Others; He Cannot Save Himself’: A Literary Critical Perspective on the Markan
Miracles,” Interpretation 47 (1993): 15–26.

6. All Scripture quotations in this paper, unless noted otherwise, are from the New
International Version.

7. KBH, 323.
 8

again hinting the significance of the confession story in terms of Jesus’ true identity.
Finally, at the climactic crucifixion scene, a Roman centurion confesses the one dying on
a cross as truly the “Son of God.” Here Mark’s narrative has reached full circle from the
opening proclamation by the evangelist. Clearly the issue of Jesus’ identity not only
begins and ends the drama, but moves the plot along throughout the narrative.
Another concern of the evangelist revealed in a comparison of Mark with the
other Gospels is that the truth obvious to the narrator, the reader, and even the forces of
evil—Jesus’ divine identity—is absolutely opaque to humans, whether contentious

opponents or confused disciples. While one might understand that Jesus’ opponents
would be incapable of seeing his true identity, that the disciples too were oblivious is a
potentially embarrassing point that the Markan narrative shows no attempt to conceal.
This blunt truth about the disciples derived from the life setting of Jesus’ actual ministry
the evangelist actually headlined in the narrative development!8 Why?
The opacity of Jesus’ true identity to the eyes of his own disciples plays in
contrast to another related theme found only in Mark: the “messianic secret” of Mark.
“Messianic secret” is a term scholars use to describe the recurring commands of Jesus to
keep his messianic identity a secret.9 This literary device apparently served several
purposes for the evangelist, two of which seem important in the context of this paper.
First, this theme used an important issue from the life setting of Jesus: his messianic

8. The exasperation of Jesus with his disciples is almost palatable in Mark 8:17–
21, given the context of their questioning about getting bread for themselves when not
one, but two, dramatic feeding miracles have just recently been performed by Jesus
(feeding of five thousand in 6:35–44 and of four thousand in 8:1–9)!

9. A good overview of this theme of the messianic secret in Mark is provided by

William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark, New International Commentary on the
New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1974). See the introductory material.
 9

identity was a problem for accomplishing his divine mission. Why? The answer yields
important clues for contextualizing Peter’s confession of Jesus as messiah.
Second, the messianic secret theme expressed a deep irony: while the supernatural
world could recognize immediately who Jesus really was, such that Jesus had to
command these forces to silence (1:24–25), his own disciples were blind to Jesus’ true
identity. Again, Aland’s Synopsis shows that no other Gospel has this messianic secret
theme so integrally woven into the plot line. This theme, then, clearly is a Markan
distinctive that becomes decisive for understanding how Mark presents the fundamental

lack of comprehension of Jesus’ own disciples. The disciples’ own failure to recognize
Jesus for who he really was is brought out forcefully against the literary backdrop of
Mark’s messianic secret. In contrast, the other Gospels either dramatically tone down this
negative picture of the disciples or omit it altogether. Both issues of the disciples’
confusion and Jesus’ identity derived from the oral traditions preserved about Jesus in the
early church. Thus, from the setting in the life of Jesus, a redactional reading of Mark
using the tool of a synopsis reveals significant themes the evangelist drew upon in his
presentation of Jesus that become crucial for a proper understanding of Mark 8:27–38.

The Setting in the Life of the Evangelist

Early church tradition suggests that the Neronian persecution in Rome in A.D. 64
is a plausible setting for Mark’s Gospel. Confessing Jesus as “Son of God” sets the stage
for the evangelist’s perspective on the life-and-death confrontation between a
megalomaniac emperor and a small group of religious adherents that Roman writers took
to be both socially deviant and religiously suspect.10 Pressures on Roman Christians at

10. Tacitus Annals 15.44. Also, see Howard Clark Kee, The New Testament in
Context: Sources and Documents (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1984), 58–
61.
 10

this time would have been intense, both within their families and in the surrounding
social world.11 A discipleship failure theme takes on an urgency against this background.
A call for a sure faith, clear confession, and genuine discipleship resounds in the
evangelist’s life setting.

Summary

Mark’s narrative emphasizes oral tradition about Jesus that other evangelists
either toned down or ignored. Mark’s focus is Jesus’ identity. Using a messianic secret
theme, the evangelist painted a blunt, negative portrait of the disciples. Not only did
Jesus’ enemies misunderstand him, his own disciples misunderstood him. In terms of
Jesus’ true identity, then, the evangelist clarified that confession of Jesus as messiah was
problematic for Jesus during his ministry. Why? Just what does constitute an adequate
confession of Jesus as “Son of God”? More importantly, what does Jesus’ true identity
imply for genuine discipleship, that is, for those who profess to follow this Jesus, the
“Son of God”? Further, what constitutes genuine discipleship in the face of persecution?
The pertinence of such questions clearly comes into focus against the historical
setting of the fire of Rome in AD 64 and the resulting persecution of Christians by the
Roman emperor Nero. If this fire is the background to the Gospel of Mark, then the
confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi recorded in Mark 8:27–38 held an immediate
issue confronting the original readers of the Gospel. This pericope also will be shown to
be the narrative fulcrum turning Mark’s plot dramatically toward the final conclusion of
Jesus’ ministry resulting in his death. This death, the evangelist insisted, was the key to
Jesus’ identity, not Peter’s confession.

11. Bruce J. Malina, The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural
Anthropology (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981), 78.
 Chapter 3

Exegesis of the Literary Setting of Mark 8:27–38

The literary setting of Mark can be established through two ways of reading the
Gospel that provide fruitful exegetical results. These exegetical ways of reading,
originally introduced by Fee and Stuart, have been spelled out more fully by Klein,
Blomberg, and Hubbard.1 Basically, reading horizontally is reading the text of one
Gospel with a constant eye on the horizon to the other three where they are parallel to
discover distinctives that might be exegetically significant in the Gospel being studied.
The tool used for such “horizontal reading” is called a synopsis. Reading vertically is
reading completely through one Gospel to follow the narrative development of themes
which might provide clues for distinguishing the life setting of the evangelist from that of
the original ministry of Jesus. In this way one can observe how the evangelist tailored the
tradition about Jesus to meet the new needs of a different community of believers. Seeing
how the evangelist worked with the tradition to meet the needs in his own church will
suggest applications of the tradition in the contemporary setting for today’s church.

Reading Mark 8:27–38 Horizontally

A reading of Mark 8:27–38 horizontally reveals many surprises. Both the

sequential placement and the content of this material is distinctive in Mark. For example,
Matthew has placed this pericope within the larger context of his five-part scheme of
discourse and narrative. This scheme helps show what Matthew attempted to accomplish
with traditions about Jesus he had selected on the basis of his church theme.
...........................................................

1. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 121–26; KBH, 327–
30.

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Reading Mark 8:27–38 Vertically

A reading of Mark 8:27–38 vertically reveals the crucial role of this pericope
within the overall development of the Gospel of Mark. The passage proves to be the
thematic and narratological center of the Gospel. Up to this point, Jesus’ ministry has
focused outwardly on the crowds following him. Suddenly at this point in the Gospel a
shift occurs, with the attention of Jesus turning more and more to his own disciples in
teaching them about his destiny in Jerusalem and its significance. This shift is announced
in the narrative by Jesus turning to the disciples to question them about his identity.
...........................................................

Summary

The theme of the suffering Son of Man whose divine mission is a redemptive
death that saves those who place their faith in him and follow him is central to Mark’s
story. This theme is the burden of the passion predictions that point to the crucifixion of
Jesus as revelatory of his true identity as the Son of God. Also central is the disaster of
the events in Jerusalem for the disciples who utterly fail in their efforts to follow Jesus.
The nadir of the passion narrative is 14:50 in reference to Jesus’ disciples in the moment

of crisis: “all fled.” Peter’s denials (14:66–72) personalized this failure for even one who
seemed destined to lead the group after Jesus, while the centurion’s confession (15:39)
hauntingly pointed to the irony of Peter’s failure of confession. Their failure is the result
of misunderstanding the nature of Jesus’ messiahship. Bluntly, in a contemporary idiom,
the disciples “didn’t get it.” Failure even is a possibility after the resurrection in the
narrative plot line of Mark. The women who came to the empty tomb failed to heed the

divine command to go and tell (16:7). Instead, “they said nothing to anyone, for they
were afraid” (16:8), and there Mark’s story ends rather rudely and abruptly.
 13

Perhaps, as was suggested, that was exactly where the evangelist wanted to leave
the readers in Rome, because, in his estimation, that was exactly where they were.
Confronted by the desperate acts of a despicable ruler, what was the response of genuine
discipleship, and at what cost? Even after the resurrection, confessing who Jesus is has to
play out in contemporary discipleship. So Jesus’ question to Peter at Caesarea Philippi
echoes hauntingly for Mark’s readers: “But who do you say that I am?” and Jesus’ call to
“take up your cross and follow me” brings home the point for persecuted believers.
 Conclusion
[see Conclusion Discussion]
The Reformation shift back to a text-centered approach has set the agenda for
modern interpretation of the Bible. Out of this Reformation heritage developed a
historical-critical methodology that has had both negative and positive impact on
interpretation. This paper has been researched with the assumption that the positive
results of a historical-critical methodology can be demonstrated at least for one Gospel,
the Gospel of Mark.
One positive result of the historical-critical method has been the form-critical

emphasis on the surface level of the text as revelatory of the setting of the evangelist.
Such a setting in the life of the evangelist has been shown to be the case especially with
the Gospel of Mark. The selected passage for study, Mark 8:27–28, easily demonstrated
the significance of the setting in life of the evangelist as determinative for his selection of
material to include in his “good news” about Jesus Christ, “the Son of God.”
Another positive result of the historical-critical method has been the emphasis of
redaction criticism on reading the Gospels horizontally. Using the tool of a synopsis,
horizontal reading of Mark has demonstrated the centrality of Peter’s confession at
Caesarea Philippi through the distinctive narrative weight the evangelist has given to this
pericope. The evangelist’s distinctive perspectives reveal two fundamental Markan
themes: (1) the issue of the identity of Jesus as the suffering Son of Man, and (2) the
failure of discipleship, with the consequent call for a genuine disciple willing to suffer
persecution as demonstration of a true confession of faith in Jesus as messiah, to bear a
cross in following Jesus.
Further, vertical reading of Mark has demonstrated how these two themes are
introduced, developed, and concluded dramatically in the abrupt ending. From the
questions, accusations, and messianic secret early on in Mark’s story line to the feeding

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miracles, Petrine confession at Caesarea Philippi, and the climatic events in Jerusalem, all
the traditions the evangelist has incorporated into his new literary creation of a gospel
work tirelessly in service of these two literary themes.
However, this study of Mark 8:27–38 is yet incomplete. While the primary focus
for this paper naturally has been on exegesis, as Fee and Stuart noted, interpretation really
has two tasks: exegesis and hermeneutics, that is, application. Thus, the passage under
study yet awaits full interpretation by applying the text to a contemporary audience. Even
though application has not been a focus for this paper, several lines of approach could be

suggested as part of concluding this study.

First, the profile of “baby boomers” is well known. Their appetite to have it all, to
conquer their world and subdue it sets agendas in the home, workplace, and worship. The
insatiable thirst to consume and be pampered in the lap of capitalism results in a type of
religious experience that seeks entertainment over edification, fun rather than faith. The
challenge to the interpreter of Mark would be to break through this easy religion barrier
by refusing to allow a shallow “no cost” confession of Jesus substitute for what Mark
would consider a costly discipleship.
Second, sociological trends suggest that following generations, popularly called
“Generation X,” and so forth, are distinctive in the pervasive lack of commitment to any
ideal or goal in life. Such a cultural context would make hearing Mark’s themes most
difficult. The challenge to the interpreter of Mark would be to break through this
commitment barrier by refusing to pander to a generation apathetic about commitment
and to continue Mark’s clarion call that confessing Jesus will involve a committed
discipleship.
 Appendix
[see Appendix Discussion]
Occurrences of Eu;quv" in Mark1

Mark 1:3 fwnh; bow'nto" ejn th/' ejrhvmw/: eJtoimavsate th;n oJdo;n kurivou, eujqeiva" poiei'te
ta;" trivbou" aujtou',
Mark 1:10 kai; eujqu;" ajnabaivnwn ejk tou' u{dato" ei\den scizomevnou" tou;" oujranou;" kai;
to; pneu'ma wJ" peristera;n katabai'non eij" aujtovn:
Mark 1:12 Kai; eujqu;" to; pneu'ma aujto;n ejkbavllei eij" th;n e[rhmon.
Mark 1:18 kai; eujqu;" ajfevnte" ta; divktua hjkolouvqhsan aujtw/'.
Mark 1:20 kai; eujqu;" ejkavlesen aujtouv". kai; ajfevnte" to;n patevra aujtw'n Zebedai'on ejn
tw/' ploivw/ meta; tw'n misqwtw'n ajph'lqon ojpivsw aujtou'.
Mark 1:21 Kai; eijsporeuvontai eij" Kafarnaouvm: kai; eujqu;" toi'" savbbasin eijselqw;n
eij" th;n sunagwgh;n ejdivdasken.
Mark 1:23 Kai; eujqu;" h\n ejn th/' sunagwgh/' aujtw'n a[nqrwpo" ejn pneuvmati ajkaqavrtw/ kai;
ajnevkraxen
Mark 1:28 kai; ejxh'lqen hJ ajkoh; aujtou' eujqu;" pantacou' eij" o{lhn th;n perivcwron th'"
Galilaiva".
Mark 1:29 Kai; eujqu;" ejk th'" sunagwgh'" ejxelqovnte" h\lqon eij" th;n oijkivan Sivmwno" kai;
∆Andrevou meta; ∆Iakwvbou kai; ∆Iwavnnou.
Mark 1:30 hJ de; penqera; Sivmwno" katevkeito purevssousa, kai; eujqu;" levgousin aujtw/'
peri; aujth'".
Mark 1:42 kai; eujqu;" ajph'lqen ajp∆ aujtou' hJ levpra, kai; ejkaqarivsqh.
Mark 1:43 kai; ejmbrimhsavmeno" aujtw/' eujqu;" ejxevbalen aujtovn
Mark 2:8 kai; eujqu;" ejpignou;" oJ ∆Ihsou'" tw/' pneuvmati aujtou' o{ti ou{tw" dialogivzontai
ejn eJautoi'" levgei aujtoi'": tiv tau'ta dialogivzesqe ejn tai'" kardivai" uJmw'n…
Mark 2:12 kai; hjgevrqh kai; eujqu;" a[ra" to;n kravbatton ejxh'lqen e[mprosqen pavntwn,
w{ste ejxivstasqai pavnta" kai; doxavzein to;n qeo;n levgonta" o{ti ou{tw" oujdevpote
ei[domen.
Mark 3:6 kai; ejxelqovnte" oiJ Farisai'oi eujqu;" meta; tw'n ÔHrw/dianw'n sumbouvlion
ejdivdoun kat∆ aujtou' o{pw" aujto;n ajpolevswsin.
Mark 4:5 kai; a[llo e[pesen ejpi; to; petrw'de" o{pou oujk ei\cen gh'n pollhvn, kai; eujqu;"
ejxanevteilen dia; to; mh; e[cein bavqo" gh'":
Mark 4:15 ou|toi dev eijsin oiJ para; th;n oJdovn: o{pou speivretai oJ lovgo" kai; o{tan
ajkouvswsin, eujqu;" e[rcetai oJ satana'" kai; ai[rei to;n lovgon to;n ejsparmevnon eij"
aujtouv".
Mark 4:16 kai; ou|toiv eijsin oiJ ejpi; ta; petrwvdh speirovmenoi, oi} o{tan ajkouvswsin to;n
lovgon eujqu;" meta; cara'" lambavnousin aujtovn,

1. The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed., ed. Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland,
Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, in cooperation with
the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Münster/Westphalia (Stuttgart:
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993).

16
 17

Mark 4:17 kai; oujk e[cousin rJivzan ejn eJautoi'" ajlla; provskairoiv eijsin, ei\ta genomevnh"
qlivyew" h] diwgmou' dia; to;n lovgon eujqu;" skandalivzontai.
Mark 4:29 o{tan de; paradoi' oJ karpov", eujqu;" ajpostevllei to; drevpanon, o{ti
parevsthken oJ qerismov".
Mark 5:2 kai; ejxelqovnto" aujtou' ejk tou' ploivou eujqu;" uJphvnthsen aujtw/' ejk tw'n
mnhmeivwn a[nqrwpo" ejn pneuvmati ajkaqavrtw/,
Mark 5:29 kai; eujqu;" ejxhravnqh hJ phgh; tou' ai{mato" aujth'" kai; e[gnw tw/' swvmati o{ti
i[atai ajpo; th'" mavstigo".
Mark 5:30 kai; eujqu;" oJ ∆Ihsou'" ejpignou;" ejn eJautw/' th;n ejx aujtou' duvnamin ejxelqou'san
ejpistrafei;" ejn tw/' o[clw/ e[legen: tiv" mou h{yato tw'n iJmativwn…
Mark 5:42 kai; eujqu;" ajnevsth to; koravsion kai; periepavtei: h\n ga;r ejtw'n dwvdeka. kai;
ejxevsthsan ªeujqu;"º ejkstavsei megavlh/.
Mark 6:25 kai; eijselqou'sa eujqu;" meta; spoudh'" pro;" to;n basileva h/jthvsato levgousa:
qevlw i{na ejxauth'" dw/'" moi ejpi; pivnaki th;n kefalh;n ∆Iwavnnou tou' baptistou'.
Mark 6:27 kai; eujqu;" ajposteivla" oJ basileu;" spekoulavtora ejpevtaxen ejnevgkai th;n
kefalh;n aujtou'. kai; ajpelqw;n ajpekefavlisen aujto;n ejn th/' fulakh/'
Mark 6:45 Kai; eujqu;" hjnavgkasen tou;" maqhta;" aujtou' ejmbh'nai eij" to; ploi'on kai;
proavgein eij" to; pevran pro;" Bhqsai>davn, e{w" aujto;" ajpoluvei to;n o[clon.
Mark 6:50 pavnte" ga;r aujto;n ei\don kai; ejtaravcqhsan. oJ de; eujqu;" ejlavlhsen met∆
aujtw'n, kai; levgei aujtoi'": qarsei'te, ejgwv eijmi: mh; fobei'sqe.
Mark 6:54 kai; ejxelqovntwn aujtw'n ejk tou' ploivou eujqu;" ejpignovnte" aujto;n
Mark 7:25 ajll∆ eujqu;" ajkouvsasa gunh; peri; aujtou', h|" ei\cen to; qugavtrion aujth'"
pneu'ma ajkavqarton, ejlqou'sa prosevpesen pro;" tou;" povda" aujtou':
Mark 8:10 Kai; eujqu;" ejmba;" eij" to; ploi'on meta; tw'n maqhtw'n aujtou' h\lqen eij" ta; mevrh
Dalmanouqav.
Mark 9:15 kai; eujqu;" pa'" oJ o[clo" ijdovnte" aujto;n ejxeqambhvqhsan kai; prostrevconte"
hjspavzonto aujtovn.
Mark 9:20 kai; h[negkan aujto;n pro;" aujtovn. kai; ijdw;n aujto;n to; pneu'ma eujqu;"
sunespavraxen aujtovn, kai; pesw;n ejpi; th'" gh'" ejkuliveto ajfrivzwn.
Mark 9:24 eujqu;" kravxa" oJ path;r tou' paidivou e[legen: pisteuvw: bohvqei mou th/'
ajpistiva/.
Mark 10:52 kai; oJ ∆Ihsou'" ei\pen aujtw/': u{page, hJ pivsti" sou sevswkevn se. kai; eujqu;"
ajnevbleyen kai; hjkolouvqei aujtw/' ejn th/' oJdw/'.
Mark 11:2 kai; levgei aujtoi'": uJpavgete eij" th;n kwvmhn th;n katevnanti uJmw'n, kai; eujqu;"
eijsporeuovmenoi eij" aujth;n euJrhvsete pw'lon dedemevnon ejf∆ o}n oujdei;" ou[pw
ajnqrwvpwn ejkavqisen: luvsate aujto;n kai; fevrete.
Mark 11:3 kai; ejavn ti" uJmi'n ei[ph/: tiv poiei'te tou'to… ei[pate: oJ kuvrio" aujtou' creivan
e[cei, kai; eujqu;" aujto;n ajpostevllei pavlin w|de.
Mark 14:43 Kai; eujqu;" e[ti aujtou' lalou'nto" paragivnetai ∆Iouvda" ei|" tw'n dwvdeka kai;
met∆ aujtou' o[clo" meta; macairw'n kai; xuvlwn para; tw'n ajrcierevwn kai; tw'n
grammatevwn kai; tw'n presbutevrwn.
Mark 14:45 kai; ejlqw;n eujqu;" proselqw;n aujtw/' levgei: rJabbiv, kai; katefivlhsen aujtovn:
Mark 14:72 kai; eujqu;" ejk deutevrou ajlevktwr ejfwvnhsen. kai; ajnemnhvsqh oJ Pevtro" to;
rJh'ma wJ" ei\pen aujtw/' oJ ∆Ihsou'" o{ti pri;n ajlevktora fwnh'sai di;" triv" me
ajparnhvsh/: kai; ejpibalw;n e[klaien.
 18

Mark 15:1 Kai; eujqu;" prwi÷ sumbouvlion poihvsante" oiJ ajrcierei'" meta; tw'n
presbutevrwn kai; grammatevwn kai; o{lon to; sunevdrion, dhvsante" to;n ∆Ihsou'n
ajphvnegkan kai; parevdwkan Pilavtw/.
 Selected Bibliography
[see Selected Bibliography Discussion]

Achtemeier, Paul J., ed. Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday,
1992.

Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels, English Edition: Completely revised on
the basis of the Greek Text of Nestle-Aland 26th Edition and Greek New
Testament 3d Edition. The Text is the Second Edition of the Revised Standard
Version. New York: United Bible Societies, 1982.

Amador, J. D. H. “Dramatic Inconclusion: Irony and The Narrative Rhetoric of the

Ending of Mark.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 57 (1995): 61-86.
Accessed at http://www.ars-rhetorica.net/David/Drama.html#19 on Aug. 29,
2016.

Beitzel, B., ed. The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.

Black, C. Clifton. “Was Mark a Roman Gospel?” The Expository Times 105 (1993): 36–
40.

Bornkamm, Günter. “The Risen Lord and the Earthly Jesus.” In The Future of Our
Religious Past, 203–29. Translated by C. E. Carlston and R. P. Scharlemann.
Edited by James M. Robinson. New York: Harper and Row, 1971.

Brown, Colin, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 3 vols.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975–78

Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

Danker, Frederick William. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature, 3d ed. (BDAG). Revised and edited by Frederick
William Danker, based on Walter Bauer’s Griechisch-deutsches Wöterbuch zu
den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, 6th ed., ed.
Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, with Viktor Reichmann and on previous English
editions by W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker. Chicago, London:
University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Dodd, C. H. The Apostolic Preaching and Its Development, reprint of 1937 ed. New
York: Harper and Row, 1964.

________. The Authority of the Bible. New York: Harper and Row, n.d.

Evans, Craig A. “Life of Jesus Research and the Eclipse of Mythology.” Theological
Studies 54 (1993): 3–36.

19
 20

Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide
to Understanding the Bible, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993.

________. Gospel and Spirit: Issues in New Testament Hermeneutics. Peabody:

Hendrickson, 1991.

________. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. Philadelphia:
Westminster Press, 1983.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,

1987.

Grant, Robert with David Tracy. A Short History of Interpretation of the Bible. 2nd ed.
rev. and enlarged. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.

The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes
Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, in cooperation with
the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Münster/Westphalia. Stuttgart:
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993.

Guelich, Robert A. Mark 1–8:26. Word Biblical Commentaries, Vol. 23. Edited by D. A.
Hubbard. Waco and Dallas: Word Books, 1989.

Hayes, John H., and Carl R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner’s Handbook. Rev.
ed. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1987.

Josephus: Complete Works. Translated by William Whiston. Grand Rapids: Kregal

Publications, 1960.

Kee, Howard Clark. The New Testament in Context: Sources and Documents. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.

Keener, Craig S., ed. Bible Background Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity
Press, 1993.

Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, with Kermit A.
Ecklebarger, consulting ed. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Dallas: Word
Publishing, 1993.

Krentz, Edgar. The Historical-Critical Method. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Edited by

Gene M. Tucker. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975.

Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark. New International Commentary on the
New Testament. Edited by F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1974.
 21

Liddell, H. G., and R. A. Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed. with supp., 2 vols.
Oxford: Clarendon, 1925–40; reprint, 1968.

Louw, J. P., and E. A. Nida. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on
Semantic Domains, 2 vols. New York: United Bible Societies, 1988.

Malina, Bruce J. The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology.
Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.

Martin, Ralph P., “Gospel.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 4 vols.
Geoffrey W. Bromiley, gen. ed., 1:404–07. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,
1982.

Matera, Frank J. “‘He Saved Others; He Cannot Save Himself’: A Literary Critical
Perspective on the Markan Miracles.” Interpretation 47 (1993): 15–26.

McKnight, Edgar V. What Is Form Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship, ed. Dan O.
Via, Jr. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969.

Mickelsen, A. Berkeley. Interpreting the Bible. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1963.

The New American Standard Bible, Study Edition. The Lockman Foundation.
Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1975.

Osborne, Grant. “Cross, Crucifixion.” In Holman Bible Dictionary, Trent C. Butler, gen.
ed. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991.

Perrin, Norman. What Is Redaction Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship, ed. Dan O.
Via, Jr. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English.

Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1993.

Reeves, Rodney. “Mark, The Gospel of.” In Holman Bible Dictionary. Trent C. Butler,
gen. ed., 920–24. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991.

Reicke, Bo. The New Testament Era: The World of the Bible from 500 B.C. to A.D. 100.
Translated by David Green. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1969.

Tacitus, Cornelius. The Annals. Translated by John Jackson. The Loeb Classical Library,
2 vols. London: William Heinemann; Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1925–37.

Talbert, Charles H. What Is a Gospel? The Genre of the Canonical Gospels. Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1977.
 22

Tate, W. Randolph. Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach. Peabody:

Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.
 23

Paper Title Discussion:

(1) Use headline style in boldface: Peter’s Confession . . .
(2) Do not surround with quotation marks
(3) Double space lines
(4) Indent run-over lines of more than 48 spaces in an inverted triangle; make
additional lines somewhat compatible in length, like this:

Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre

as Historical Discovery

(8) Spell out the century: First Century not 1st Century
• no hyphen when used as a noun: in the First Century
• hyphenate when used as an adjective: First-Century Galilee
(9) Title page counts as page one (“i”) of the paper, but is not numbered on the page

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 24

Scripture References Discussion:

(1) Use Arabic, not Roman numerals (1 John, 2 John, 3 John, etc., not I John, II John,
III John)
(2) Never allow a line ending to separate a book’s number from the book’s name;
not:
the matter can be discussed at length without much progress; however, appeal to 1
Corinthians will show that . . .
rather,
the matter can be discussed at length without much progress; however, appeal to
1 Corinthians will show that . . .
(To force the number and name to wrap together, inserting a “controlled space” =
option key + space bar. Use “show formatting” on your software menu to see the
formatting of all the numbered books in the list below. Habituate yourself to type
all numbered books with controlled spaces, and you will never have to worry about
this issue.)
(3) Abbreviate exact reference (includes verse): Rom. 5:1, not Romans 5:1.
(4) Spell out inexact reference (book or chapter only): Romans, not Rom.; Romans 5,
not Rom. 5.
(5) Spell out exact reference beginning a sentence: “Romans 5:1 presents a new reality
for the believer,” not “Rom. 5:12 presents a new reality for the believer.”
(6) Use one or the other of the following scriptural abbreviations, traditional or short
form (in parenthesis), but do not mix both in the same paper. Notice the short form
never uses a period. For books of the Apocrypha, see T8: 24.6.2.

OT: Esther (Est) Hab. (Hb) Phil. (Phil)

Gen. (Gn) Job (Jb) Zeph. (Zep) Col. (Col)
Exod. (Ex) Prov. (Prv) Hag. (Hg) 1 Thess. (1 Thes)
Lev. (Lv) Eccles. (Eccl) Zech. (Zec) 2 Thess. (2 Thes)
Num. (Nm) Song of Sol. (Sg) Mal. (Mal) 1 Tim. (1 Tm)
Deut. (Dt) Isa. (Is) 2 Tim. (2 Tm)
Josh. (Jo) Jer. (Jer) NT: Titus (Ti)
Judg. (Jgs) Lam. (Lam) Matt. (Mt) Philem. (Phlm)
Ruth (Ru) Ezek. (Ez) Mark (Mk) Heb. (Heb)
1 Sam. (1 Sm) Dan. (Dn) Luke (Lk) James (Jas)
2 Sam. (2 Sm) Hosea (Hos) John (Jn) 1 Pet. (1 Pt)
1 Kings (1 Kgs) Joel (Jl) Acts 2 Pet. (2 Pt)
2 Kings (2 Kgs) Amos (Am) Rom. (Rom) 1 John (1Jn)
1 Chron. (1 Chr) Obad. (Ob) 1 Cor. (1 Cor) 2 John (2 Jn)
2 Chron. (2 Chr) Jon. (Jon) 2 Cor. (2 Cor) 3 John (3 Jn)
Ezra (Ezr) Mic. (Mi) Gal. (Gal) Jude
Neh. (Neh) Nah. (Na) Eph. (Eph) Rev. (Rv)

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 25

Title Page Spacing Discussion:

(1) Binding: staple the paper in the top left corner. Do not use covers of any kind.
Assume stapling = Turabian’s “bound document” category for margins.
(2) Set 1 inch page margins for top, bottom, and right, but a 1.5 inch left margin
(assume stapling = bound document).
(3) Top and bottom spacing should be the same, and spacing between units should be
the same, with the middle space variable to achieve this purpose. Thus:
• The amount of space down from the top of the page to the title of the paper and
up from the bottom of the page to the date should be the same.
• The amount of space between the title and next unit down (“A Paper
Submitted”) should be the same as the amount of space from your name to the
next unit up (In Partial Fulfillment”).
• Space as needed in the middle space between the “A Paper Submitted” section
and “In Partial Fulfillment” section to accomplish the equivalent spacing of
other units as specified above.

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 26

Title Page Sections Discussion:

(1) Double space lines.
(2) Use headline style for capitalization (first letter except prepositions, articles).
(3) Capitalize prepositions only if they begin the very first line, but do not capitalize
prepositions at the beginning of subsequent lines in the same section.
(4) Do not use symbols such as “#” for course numbers.

[Return to Paper]
 27

Student Name Discussion:

(1) Use full name with middle initial and period after middle initial.
(2) Do not put spaces between the degree letters and do not use periods: BS not B.S.
nor B S
(2) Separate degree from institution with comma, and institution from date with
comma.
(3) Do not abbreviate names of institutions (e.g., “New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary,” not “NOBTS” or “N.O.B.T.S.”).
(4) Do not use any short-form style for date (e.g., 02/14/03, etc.; spell month name).
(5) If using exact date (meaning, including the day), abbreviate the month and
separate day from year with comma: Sept. 14, 2003.
(6) If inexact date (meaning, only giving the month and year), spell out the month and
do not separate month from year with comma: September 2003.

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 28

Blank Page Discussion:

(1) Insert blank page between Title Page and Table of Contents page.
(2) Counts as page two (“ii”) of the paper, but is not numbered on the page.

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 29

Table of Contents Discussion:

(1) Use 1.5 inch left margin (assume stapling = bound copy).
(2) All major paper elements (contents, chapter title page, appendix, bibliography,
etc.) are placed “at the top of the page,” T8 constantly and imprecisely says.
Precisely stated, “at the top of the page” means at the top page margin that is one
inch down from the top of the page.
(3) Entitle, in boldface, Contents, even though this section always is referred to as
“Table of Contents” in discussion.
(4) Three paragraph returns (triple space) to first line. Start typing on third return.
(5) Double space between all levels.
(6) You cannot have only one subdivision for a part! That’s illogical to begin with: If
you divide a pie even just once, at a minimum, how many pieces do you have?
Notice that no outline element, if divided into parts, has less than two subdivisions!
(7) Single space run-over lines of the same level.
• Left flush (line up on left) run-over chapter lines.
• Indent three spaces run-over sublevels.
(8) Indent one-half inch each set of sublevel lines.
(9) Page numbers with sublevels are optional.
(10) The difference between formatting chapter run-over lines and sublevel run-over
lines is illustrated below:

1. Introduction ....................................... 1

2. The History of Galilee and Significant Intertestamental Developments

Related to Herod’s Rule ............................... 2

Galilee and Hasmonean History ...................... 4

Galilee and the Complex Developments from the Rise of Rome to the
Establishment of Herod’s Client Kingdom ............. 7

Roman Conquest of the Mediterranean ................. 7

Roman Class Conflict and the Struggles of the Businessmen and

Senatorial Classes ............................. 9

Galilee During the Time of Jesus ...................... 12

(11) Right flush (line up on right) page numbers in column on right.

like this:
1
10
 30

100
not like this:
1
10
100
(12) Line up periods in chapter numbers on left (Roman numerals not required):
like this:
I.
1I.
1II.
not like this:
I.
II.
III.

(13) Optional: lining up leader dots—neat formatting can line up leader dots directly
underneath each other from one line to the next. (Leader dots are the dots leading
the eye from a section title on the left side of the Table of Contents over to the
page number on the right side.)
To accomplish this trick, you have to know a little about computer fonts. Two
kinds of computer fonts space differently from letter to letter: proportional and
monospace.
• proportional—most fonts are proportional, such as the Times font of this
document. Proportional means letters are spaced proportionally, that is, some
letters are pushed together more tightly than others. The advantages are a text
that is more readable and getting more text on the page.
• monspaced—Monospaced fonts, in contrast, have all
letters equally spaced from each other, like this
Courier font. Monospaced fonts are dinosaurs from
the B.C. typewriter age (before computers). The
disadvantage is wasted space on the page; however,
the great advantage is easily lining up elements
from one line to the next.
What’s the deal for leader dots? Proportional fonts will not line up the leader
dots directly underneath each other from line to line. Thus, if your paper is in a
proportional font such as Times or Times Roman, as most are, then your Table of
Contents leader dots will not line up neatly from line to line.
But wait! The trick is really simple: set up appropriate tabs and use a
monospaced font for the leader dots.

like this:
1. Introduction ....................................... 1

2. History of Galilee .................................... 12

 31

not like this, in which the computer automatically includes the dots in Times font:
1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1

2. History of Galilee ....................................................................................... 12

nor like this, in which dots and spaces are typed manually, but still in Times font:
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. History of Galilee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

(14) Use tabs for spacing, not the space bar. Do not allow leader dots to come
immediately up against letters on the left or numbers on the right; for example, the
last letter in the title on the left (“Galilee. . .”) or the number in the right column
(“. . .12”). The best way to prevent such leader dot problems is to use tab stops for
spacing, not the space bar. In fact, never use the space bar for spacing anything on
a computer, whether numbers, lines, dots, tables etc. You no longer live in the
1950s when the only way to space anything on an old manual typewriter was using
the space bar. The computer allows incredible formatting power—use that power!
(15) Minimum leader dots—do not use leaders for a line that cannot allow at least two
(Turabian does not specify).
(16) First page number 1 inch from bottom, centered, usually page “iii” (title page,
blank page are counted, but not numbered).
(17) Subsequent page numbers 1 inch from the top, centered or right flush, in continued
sequence in small case Roman numerals.

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 32

Acknowledgments Discussion:
(1) Other preliminary sections may follow the Table of Contents, such as
Acknowledgments, List of Tables, etc.
(2) Use 1.5 inch left margin for preliminaries (assume stapling = bound document).
(3) Spacing of the Acknowledgments title, and all other preliminary titles is 1 inch
from the top of the page, that is, at the page top margin, as with all major divisions
of the paper.
(4) Use headline style, boldface as Acknowledgments.
(5) Triple space down to begin text (start typing on the third paragraph return).
(6) Double space text.
(7) First page numbered in continued sequence (from the paper’s Title Page) in small
Roman numerals 1 inch from the bottom of the page, centered.
(8) Subsequent page numbers 1 inch from the top in small case Roman numerals,
centered or right flush.
(9) Preliminaries, if used, are included in the Table of Contents.

[Return to Paper]
 33

Introduction Discussion:
(1) Use 1.5 inch left margin for body of paper (assume stapling = bound document).
(2) Do not number as a chapter. (Turabian gives the option, but custom is not to, since
this section usually is short in a term paper.)
(3) Double space the text of the body of the paper. The Introduction is considered the
beginning of the body of the paper.
(4) Use headline style and boldface as Introduction, 1 inch from top of page, that is,
at the page top margin, as with all major divisions of the paper.
(5) Triple space from title down to text (start typing on third single-spaced return).
(6) Indent the first line of paragraphs half an inch.
(7) First page number is 1 inch from bottom, centered, then 1 inch from top of all
subsequent pages, centered or right flush.

[Return to Paper]
 34

Footnotes Discussion:
(1) Single space from last line of body text to separator line (the effect as if
underlining the next line of the body text, but with no actual text on that line).
(2) Two inch separator line (Turabian does not specify length.)
(3) Indent first line of footnote the same distance as paragraph indent of body text,
which typically is one-half inch.
(4) Do not superscript the footnote number in the footnote text. Instead, put the
footnote number in the same font and size as regular footnote text, followed by a
period and a space.
Note: Microsoft Word does not facilitate this formatting. Trying to change the
“Footnote Reference” style does not work. The problem is, in Word, whatever you
change in this “Footnote Reference” style is applied to both the footnote number in
the body text and the footnote number in the footnote apparatus at the bottom of
the page. These two numbers are hard-wired together by Word in terms of
formatting code, so you cannot make the body text number superscript, and the
footnote number in the footnote apparatus non-superscript, as specified in T8.
(You can do this in WordPerfect, but not Word. Go to Format > Styles and add all
system styles. Then, edit the footnote style by removing the superscript code and
inserting a period and space after the auto numbering code. You will get
superscript in the text, and non-superscript in down in the footnote apparatus,
followed by a period and a space.)
Word Work-Around: Here is a simple work-around in Word, but a little
tedious, because you must make this format adjustment every time you insert a
new footnote. Each time you insert a new footnote, before typing the footnote
down in the apparatus, select the footnote number, and only the footnote number,
in the footnote apparatus. With the number selected, click the “Clear Formatting”
icon in the Word formatting ribbon. This action will clear the superscript format
and small font size from the number and make the number the default 12-point size
for the document with non-superscript positioning. Arrow key right one time to
deselect the footnote number just modified, and type a period and a space. Then
type your footnote. The superscript footnote number in the text will stay
superscript, and the footnote number in the footnote apparatus will stay non-
superscript and still renumber correctly if you delete or add other footnotes.
(5) Single space lines of footnote text.
(6) First name first: Give author’s first name first in footnotes (see examples above).
That’s easy to remember (alliteration): “first name first in footnotes.”
(7) Title page name: provide the name of author as given on the title page of the book.
If initials are used, use initials. (T8: 17.1.1).
(8) Initials: Separate each initial in an author’s name with a space: “James D. G.
Dunn,” not “J.D.G. Dunn.”
(9) Extended information on editors and translators in the title page can be shortened.
Thus, “Edited with an Introduction and Notes by,” or “Translated with a Foreword
by” can be simplified to “Book Title, ed. Gerald L. Stevens” or “Book Title, trans.
 35

Gerald L. Stevens” and in the bibliography to “Book Title. Edited by Gerald L.

Stevens” or “Book Title. Translated by Gerald L. Stevens.”
(10) The following is an example of items 1–9 above from a hypothetical last line of
body text. Notice the author’s name in footnote six is given as “C. K. Barrett,” as
on the title page, even though the known full name is Charles Kingsley Barrett.
Also notice that not all the information on the title page of the book is given in the
note, because the title page actually has “Revised edition with introduction and
notes by C. K. Barrett,” but the footnote has simplified this extended but
superfluous description by omission:

and as a result, the first-century history of the region.7

________________________
6. C. K. Barrett, ed., The New Testament Background: Writings from
Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire That Illuminate Christian Origins, rev. ed.,
(New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995), 148.

7. Ferguson, Backgrounds, 390. However, the entire career of Herod must

be evaluated, not just the impact on Galilee alone.

(11) Dictionary and encyclopedia articles are a regular problem for students. The
dictionary editor did not write the particular dictionary article you read! When you
cite a dictionary, you must indicate the author of the dictionary article, which is
not the editor of the dictionary. The author of a dictionary or encyclopedia article
is indicated at the end of the article, either with the author’s initials (for which full
names are provided in the front-matter of the dictionary), or given in full at the end
of the article. For example, an article on “Secretary” in the Eerdmans dictionary:

not,
12. David Noel Freedman, ed., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand
Rapids, MI, Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), 1178.

but rather,
12. Gerald L. Stevens, “Secretary,” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible,
David Noel Freedman, ed. (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), 1178.

(12) Another common punctuation mistake is putting punctuation before the parenthesis
of publication information. Note punctuation after the word “Primer” in the
following:

Not,
New Testament Greek Primer. (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010).

and not,
 36

New Testament Greek Primer, (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010).

but rather,
New Testament Greek Primer (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010).

(13) Bible versions are given by standard abbreviations, such as NRSV, NASB, NIV,
etc., in parentheses after the reference. If most of your Scripture references are
taken from the same version, you should indicate in a footnote with the first
Scripture reference: “All Scripture quotations are taken from this version, unless
noted otherwise.” That way, you do not have to include the abbreviation after
every single reference. Note that, according to T8, you do not have to include
Bible versions in your reference list (T8: 18.2.2).
(14) Mixing versions: In general, do not mix English versions in quoting Scripture
throughout the paper (unless your point is to compare translations, etc.).
(15) Shortened form—books: After the first full reference to a source, abbreviate later
references using author’s last name, abbreviated title, and page number, separated
by commas.
(16) Shortened form—journals: Shortened form for journals is slightly different than
for books because of the use of quote marks around the article title rather than
italics. For example: Stevens, “Messianic Secret,” 105.
(17) Numbering: Footnotes begin anew with each chapter. Thus, the first footnote in
every new chapter always starts at number 1.

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 37

Internet Resources Discussion:

(1) Use Internet resources sparingly. The Internet can be a powerful resource, yet at
the same time, the Internet can become a pathetic excuse for genuine research. You
cannot do a research paper in one night just by doing an indiscriminate Google
search on your topic. The Internet should not be used as an indulgence in laziness
nor a cheap attempt to disguise procrastination. That is, the Internet is not an
excuse for not using the library.
(2) Use Internet resources cautiously. The Internet has exponentially propagated
ignorance, misinformation, inaccurate information, and rank bias. You should be
looking for the same scholars on the Internet that you find in the suggested
bibliographies in class. Otherwise, you are on thin ice academically. A URL does
not a scholar make. Helpful suggestions for evaluating and using online resources
are made at the University of Berkeley site:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html (accessed
Aug. 18, 2015).

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 38

Short Page Footnotes Discussion:

(1) In Turabian, footnotes go at the bottom of the text, not the bottom of the page! This
rule means for a short page, the footnote separator line is not to be at the bottom of
the page, leaving a huge white space between paper text and footnotes, but, rather,
immediately underneath the last line of the text on that page. This mistake is made
in virtually all student papers.
(2) The problem is not that hard to fix. Almost any word-processing software has
menus giving access to controls on how footnotes will be formatted and appear on
the page, from separator lines to placement on the page. Learn yours and format
your footnotes correctly. Do not let the software control you! You control your
software! Accept no default settings that came when you loaded the software.
(Default settings are usually wrong.) Customize your footnote settings to be
compatible with Turabian requirements.

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 39

Chapter Title Discussion:

(1) The first line of the chapter title is Chapter 1 in boldface.
(2) Use Arabic numerals for the chapter numbers, not Roman.
(3) Double space to the next line (start typing on second single-spaced return), which
is for the actual wording of your chapter title. In our example paper, this title in
headline style is Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre in boldface.
(4) Divide title lines of more than 48 spaces. Use an inverted pyramid style and single
space each subsequent line in a title. Make line length somewhat compatible.
(5) Triple space to text from last line of chapter title to first line of body text. That is,
hit the return three times and start typing on the third return in single space mode.
This spacing leaves two blank lines between the title and the text.
(6) Triple space to section title but double space to text. If the chapter title
immediately is followed by a section title with no body text in between, triple
space to the section title. Then double space to the body text (not triple space).
Below is an example illustrating the 48-space rule for run-over lines and triple
spacing to begin typing the immediately following section title, and then double
spacing to begin typing the body text:

Chapter 1

Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre

as History Discovery

Previous Attempts That Ultimately Have Proven

Unhelpful For Determining Genre

A review of the history of Jewish and Christian interpretation will reveal the

many levels at which Scripture can be read. Each period has made contributions to an

understanding of the complex nature of interpretation.

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 40

Body Text Discussion:

(1) Use 1.5 inch left margin for body of paper (assume stapling = bound document).
(2) Double space the text of the body of the paper.
(3) Indent paragraphs one-half inch.
(4) Avoid orphans. “Orphan” is a descriptive term to refer to a new paragraph
beginning at the bottom of a page having only one line before continuing on to the
next page. That one line of the paragraph on a pervious page is the “orphan.”
(5) Avoid widows. “Widow” is similar to orphan, but applies to the following page.
“Widow” is a descriptive term to refer to a paragraph ending at the top of a new
page with just one line. Here is a hypothetical widow line at the top of a page 7:

too, and the same could be said of Herod’s later reign.

Clear at this point is that Herod’s negative personality traits impacted the

administration of his reign. This impact only worsened with time. What is most

apparent in the final stages of Herod’s rule is the ruthless cruelty that marked . . .

Here is an example of an orphan line at the bottom of a page in a hypothetical

document:

The period of public buildings represents Herod’s greatest contributions to his

kingdom and to archeological remains in Palestine even today. These contributions

do not discount, however, Herod’s negative traits that were manifest in this period

too, and the same could be said of Herod’s later reign.

Clear at this point is that Herod’s negative personality traits impacted the

(6) Control widows and orphans in footnotes, too, when the footnote material from
one page continues at the bottom of the next page.
(7) Items 5, 6, and 7 translate, in effect, into the dictum: no one liners! Both widows
and orphans can be controlled in software paragraph formatting menus.

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 41

Subsections Discussion:
(1) Triple space down to a new subsection title (start typing the subsection title on the
third return line in single space mode = leave two blank lines).
(2) Double space from the subsection title down to the body text (start typing text on
the second return line in single space mode = leave one blank line).
(3) In the chapter title, triple space to section title but double space to text. If the
chapter title immediately is followed by a section title with no body text in
between, triple space to the section title. Then double space to the body text (not
triple space). Below is a modified example illustrating runover lines and only
double space from immediately following section title to body text:

Chapter 1

Hermeneutics of the Gospel Genre

as History Discovery

Previous Attempts That Ultimately Have Proven

Unhelpful For Determining Genre

A review of the history of Jewish and Christian interpretation will reveal the

many levels at which Scripture can be read. Each period has made contributions to an

understanding of the complex nature of interpretation.

(4) Style for each sublevel is at your discretion (italics, bold, underline, centered, left
flush), but be consistent for each level from chapter to chapter.
(5) Title line length: If the title is more than 48 total spaces, split the title line evenly,
but with second and following run-over lines slightly shorter than the previous line
(inverted pyramid), single-spaced, centered.
(6) Subsection length: A subsection title cannot run more than half the page before
being split into two lines, the second line always shorter than the first.
(7) No orphan header: Never leave a section title by itself at the bottom of a page
(similar to the widow/orphan dictum). Use “keep with next paragraph” paragraph
formatting in your software to force the header to stay with the following text
paragraph going to the next page).

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 42

Combined Footnote Discussion:

(1) Avoid footnoting every sentence in a paragraph. Instead, use a combined note. A
combined footnote combines several different sources used for common
information in a paragraph into one note. Combining information helps avoid the
cumbersome appearance of footnoting every sentence in a paragraph, which is
unnecessary and mars the neat appearance of the text. In the example paper,
footnote 5 of page 4 uses the combined note style to keep the paper text neat.
(2) Avoid multiple “Ibid’s.” Try not to use more than two ibid’s in a row. Avoid a
cumbersome string of “Ibid’s” by composing a paragraph that summarizes in your
own words information from that one source. Then, use a single footnote at the end
of the paragraph to reference that source. If information is from different pages of
that source, indicate the pages involved. For example, “The information in the
paragraph above was derived from Ferguson, Backgrounds, 189–91, 204, 393.”

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 43

Footnote Continuation Discussion:

(1) Text and notes: Sometimes managing space for both body text and footnotes from
page to page does not allow all footnote text to appear at the bottom of the same
page on which the footnote is entered. An example is on page 5, in which the
footnote at the bottom actually is a continuation from the previous page. Spacing
considerations did not find enough space at the bottom of page 4 to include all of
footnote 5, so wrapped a continuation of that footnote text on over to the bottom of
the next page. Notice that the footnote continuator line for the continued footnote
is not all the way across the bottom of page 5.
(2) Continuator line: A footnote continuator line should be the same length as the
regular footnote separator line! A continuator line is the line used as the separator
line at the bottom of the next page of a footnote whose text or note continues from
the previous page. By default, most software makes the footnote continuator line
go all the way across the bottom of the next page, which does not follow Turabian
guidelines.

wrong:
and as a result, the first-century history of the region.7
__________________________________________________________________

and another good resource is Charles Kingsley Barrett, ed., The New Testament
Background: Writings from Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire That
Illuminate Christian Origins, rev. ed., with introductions and notes by C. K.
Barrett (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995).

7Ferguson, Backgrounds, 390. However, the entire career of Herod must be

evaluated, not just the impact on Galilee alone.

right:
and as a result, the first-century history of the region.7
________________________

and another good resource is Charles Kingsley Barrett, ed., The New Testament
Background: Writings from Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire That
Illuminate Christian Origins, rev. ed., with introductions and notes by C. K.
Barrett (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995).

7Ferguson, Backgrounds, 390. However, the entire career of Herod must be

evaluated, not just the impact on Galilee alone.

(3) Widow/orphan lines—as always, control widow/orphan lines also in the footnote
text as in the body text.
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 44

Use of Ibid. Discussion:

(1) “Ibid.” is an abbreviation. Always use a period. Never italicize. Never underline.
Use only for the immediately preceding note if only one reference is in the
preceding note. Indicate page number if different. Use a comma after the period
when giving a page number.
(2) Never use “Ibid.” after a comment footnote. Even if the comment note has only
one reference, never refer to a comment note with “Ibid.”
(3) Avoid multiple “Ibid’s.” Try not to use more than two ibid’s in a row. Avoid a
cumbersome string of “Ibid’s” by composing a paragraph that summarizes in your
own words information from one source, but use only one footnote at the end of
the paragraph to reference that source. If information is from different pages of
that source, indicate the pages involved. For example, “The information in the
paragraph above was derived from Ferguson, Backgrounds, 189–91, 204, 393.”

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 45

Block Quotations Discussion:

(1) When to use: when the quote is five or more lines of text.
(2) Double space down to the block quote, single space within the block quote, double
space out of the block quote.
(3) Left margin: indent the left margin the same amount as a body text paragraph
indention (one-half inch).
(4) Right margin: same as the paper’s right margin.
(5) Paragraph indent: If the quoted material is the beginning of a paragraph in the
original, indent first line of the block quote four spaces from block quote margin.
If the quoted material begins in the middle of a paragraph in the original, do not
indent the first line of the block quote.
(6) Punctuation leading into block quote:
• Colon for complete sentence: Typically, lead into the block quotation with a
complete sentence, punctuated with a colon at the end (see paper example).
• Comma for short phrase: A short phrase introducing a block quote is punctuated
with a comma, as in “Stevens says,” followed by the block quotation.
• None for incomplete sentence: Use no punctuation before the block quotation if
the block quotation starts in the middle of a sentence that completes the grammar
of an incomplete lead-in sentence in the text.

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 46

Conclusion Discussion:
(1) Title is at the top of the page, headline style, boldface, as in Conclusion.
(2) Triple space down to text (begin typing on third return).
(3) No footnotes go in a conclusion! Notice that the conclusion in this example paper
is several pages long, but has not one footnote. That is because, by nature, a
conclusion is supposed to draw conclusions on material already given, not
introduce new material, and a footnote always introduces new material.
Introducing a footnote, by definition, introduces new material, which violates the
nature of a conclusion. Further, make this part of the paper your conclusion. Do
not quote anyone else. The time for quoting is past.
(4) Restate major steps of the investigation that have brought significant information
forward. Synthesize this information in a way that concludes your research and
suggests future helpful avenues of investigation. What has been learned? What is
not clear in the results? What questions remain to be investigated?

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 47

Appendix Discussion:
(1) Appendix title is at the top of the page, headline style, boldface, as in Appendix.
(2) Name is optional if only one appendix. A single appendix does not have to have a
title name, but may have a name. If named, double space down to this title name
and single space the name.
(3) If more than one appendix, each appendix must be named, and each must appear
listed in the Table of Contents.
(4) Triple space down to text (begin typing on third return).
(5) Text may be single or double space, according to the needs for the layout of
material, but general prose discussion should be double spaced as in the rest of the
paper.

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 48

Selected Bibliography Discussion:

(1) Bibliography title is at the top of the page, headline style, boldface, as in Selected
Bibliography.
(2) Triple space down to first entry (begin typing on third return in single space mode
= leave two blank lines).
(3) Single space lines within an entry.
(5) Double space between entries (start typing next entry on second return of single
space mode = leave one blank line).
(6) Use hanging indent: Indent the second and following lines within an entry one-half
an inch. This formatting is called a “hanging indent.” The first line hangs over to
the left of the following lines.
(7) Last name first, unlike footnotes.
(8) Periods separate major components of entry, unlike using commas for footnote
components. Spell out “Edited by” or “Translated by” rather than using
abbreviations, as in footnotes.
(9) No parentheses for publishing information, unlike in footnotes.
(10) Consult Turabian for extensive and detailed descriptions with examples of exactly
how to format various types of resources.
(11) Every resource that appears in the footnotes must appear in the bibliography. The
bibliography, however, may contain other resources used for research but not
quoted or referenced in the text.
(12) Make sure your references show research appropriate to the field of study. For
example, do not stuff a Biblical Studies paper with dated or homiletic resources,
such as Matthew Henry, Life Application Bible notes, Wiersbe Bible Exposition
Commentary, etc. Consult your class syllabus, which normally will have excellent
resources for your class. In Biblical Studies, note the bibliographies in Fee and
Stuart, How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth and Klein, Blomberg, and
Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.

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