bacht

Yeah who was that guy? I've heard it suggested he was the author Mark, but would that work for the tomb scene?

2-J

I remember being taught in (Catholic) school that it might be Mark himself, or why mention something so bizarre. But there is a bit in one of the Old Testament prophets (someone help me about here) about people running away and clothes falling off them but them not stopping to pick it up... which seems to match Mark's naked running man very well. (and of course, as has been remarked widely including in this thread, so much of Mark is taken from the Old Testament).

2-J

I found what (I think) is the Old Testament reference

"Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day," declares the LORD." (Amos 2:16)

But there is some interesting discussion in this short article.. including the idea that it may be related to Secret Mark http://www.extremelysmart.com/insigh...k_14_51-52.php

dog-on

It's a secret, pSin!

Solo

Yes, I think it was the end of Mark's Moebius loop in the gospel, and the 'youth' is he himself standing for the Pauline community. He is found inside the tomb to fulfill Paul's Rom 6:4: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." He announces the resurrection to the women, but they are too frightened to pass on the good news. It is not passed except by the gospel of Jesus Christ

Technically, the narrative technique is recursive - the story neatly folds unto itself, or as one of of the joke definitions in the Wiki article says, "Recursion - if you still don't get it read it again !" .

Mark sets a clever trapdoor in the story, in effect saying, "you will not get the meaning of this gospel until you repent - then you will be forgiven (4:11) and gain the insight to understand its spiritual meaning". During the
Gethsemane arrest, everyone scatters even the "youth" (I believe 2 JD has it right, the allusion would be to Amos 2:16) but he is first to repent and in the tomb "buried in baptism" with JC when the women arrive. He tells the women but they are scared (do not repent) and run away telling nothing to noone...afright (as) they were (for)......(re-starting from verse 1:2) "as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, behold I send my messenger before thy face ......"

Can you see now the double reference from "Isaiah", (i.e. to JtB on first passthrough and, the recursive one, to the 'neaniskos' in ch. 16 on re-read) ? Isn't this special ?

Best,
Jiri