Vorkosigan

I have finally established the entire chiastic structure of Mark 14:1 - 15:41.

As an exercise for those of you infidels who do not believe (may you all have 72 raisins in heaven!) I am offering you some brackets for practice. Here are the A brackets for most of Mark 14.

• A/A': Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it they were glad, and promised to give him money.
  
  A/A': And when it was evening he came with the twelve.
  
  A/A': And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
  
  A/A': And they went to a place which was called Gethsem'ane;
  
  A/A': And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

The reason I stopped there is because to construct the right chiasm for the arrest scene you have to restore the missing verse in the ear-cutting sequence, and I really don't want to hear a complaint on that score (although that missing verse was identified as missing almost a century ago).

Rules:

* Markan A brackets are always geographical movement. The A' of the previous pericope is always the A of the next one. That is the only rule the writer never violates.

*actions may constitute separate brackets.

• And they laid hands on him and seized him.

*Speeches, regardless of length, may constitute separate brackets, so long as they are one speech.

• And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled."

*speeches may be broken up if there there appears to be a natural demarcation between two parts.

*actions plus speeches may be a bracket

• Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard."

*actions plus speech followed by actions/descriptions are never a separate bracket. This is an incorrect bracket:

• And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, "Master!" And he kissed him.

Wherever "And" signals a new action, seemingly tacked on to the end of the verse; even where it is placed in the same verse, it is wrong (Mark is wrongly pericoped and versified). The correct bracketing here is.

• C: And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, "Master!"
  D: And he kissed him.

Similarly, Mark 14:4-5 is wrongly versified.

• 4: But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment thus wasted?
  5: For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." And they reproached her.

The actual verses, in line with the writer's original thinking, should read:

• 4: But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor."
  5: And they reproached her.

Clue: all of the chiasms in this sequence have ABBA centers, so they simply rollout ABCD and roll back DCBA. The actual number of brackets is different in each pericope. The centers are all famous verses and sayings of one kind or another.

Give it a try! You show me yours, and I'll show you mine.

Vorkosigan

To really see if you understand, try and locate that A/A' brackets for the chiasm that follows 15:40-41. Here is the A bracket.

"There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salo'me, who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered to him; and also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem."

Where is its mate?

Vorkosigan

I'll have the entire thing up on my blog in about an hour, for those of you who want to see the answers. I'll update my website late tomorrow.