This is the third article in a series which questions the assumptions of Markan Priority. In this article I will be covering the second point which is brought up in Mark Goodacre’s article on Synoptic Fatigue. The article appeared originally in, New Testament Studies 44 (1998), pp. 45-58, entitled, “Fatigue in the Synoptics.”
- The Death of John the Baptist. (Mark 6:14-29;Matt 14:1-12)
- Matthew presents Herod Antipas as the one who wanted to have John put to death, but Mark relates that Antipas put John to death reluctantly.
The claim is explained as such: Matthew copies from Mark’s account of John the Baptist’s downfall but forgets to include that Antipas kept John safe from Herodias, who was the one who wanted John’s head, therefore when Antipas is grieved in Matthew’s account, the story makes no sense. In other words, why is Antipas grieved in Matthew’s account if he wanted to have John killed?
The first assumption of this claim is that we assign Antipas grief only to his unwillingness to have John put to death. Even in Mark’s Gospel account we could state that it is unclear why Antipas is grieved by having to behead John. Clearly in Mark’s account Antipas is probably at first enraged by John, has him thrown into prison, and then is faced with the reality of John’s standing in the community. Antipas is also then faced with the fact that John was a holy man and certainly does not wish to enrage the community by having John put to death. Antipas also seems to not desire John’s death if it is unnecessary, for why would he give in to such a request to behead John? If Antipas was truly a righteous man then he would not have placed his word above his values. It would seem that this situation may have worked out to Antipas original goal, but not in the way in which he desired it to occur. Was he grieved that now the community would be enraged with him for beheading John?
Another questions is: Was Antipas grieved that the daughter of Herodias would ask such a foul request in the presence of honored guests? It should be noted that this was the step-daughter of Antipas. How do we imagine Herodias, his wife, feels that he is pleased with her daughter and promises her half the kingdom? Perhaps also Antipas is grieved because a request which he meant for honor and glory was not appreciated. For he considers his saving face with his word more important than the death of John.
Also consider that Matthew’s account makes sense in its own right without the need for Mark’s added material. In Matthew’s account Antipas is grieved perhaps because his celebration was turned into a violent spectacle? Perhaps Antipas is grieved because he has been backed into a corner by his wife in front of their guests? Perhaps Herodias knew that Antipas would never go against his word for any reason and she uses this to kill John while at the same time making a spectacle of her husband? Perhaps Antipas is also grieved because he realizes that his secret is out in the open, that is, that he is a violent man? In other words, Antipas is perhaps grieved on many levels and we cannot be sure of his grief regarding John’s death in either Matthew’s account or Mark’s account.
In Mark’s account Antipas is perhaps a little grieved at John’s death, but his remorse is still not enough to ignore the request to have John beheaded, and so his grief is not an entirely sincere grief for John, but a selfish grief. Antipas has goals of becoming a greater ruler than just tetrarch of a small portion of Judea, and nothing will stand in his way to achieve those goals. (The Wars of the Jews, Book II Sec. 181)
In Mark’s account we are also unclear as to why Antipas feared John because of his righteousness. Did Antipas fear putting John to death because John was a righteous man? Did Antipas fear that God would punish him for killing a righteous man? Or as Matthew states in his account, “…he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet…” Mark seems to suggest that Antipas knew that his wife didn’t care about all the other issues surrounding John and would have John killed if he did not keep him safe.
We should also note that both Matthew and Mark agree in regard to who decided to have John thrown in prison. Matthew states, “…Herod had John arrested…” and Mark states, “For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested…” Clearly it is Antipas who initiates the downfall of John by having him arrested. The fact that Mark’s account sheds a little more positive light on Antipas enjoying John’s preaching doesn’t change the fact that he kept him bound and in prison.
Another possibility exists for Matthew’s abbreviated account of John’s downfall which is that Matthew is not abbreviating Mark but rather is abbreviating an unknown oral source or an unknown written source which Mark also uses in his account.
We can also speculate that Matthew is not abbreviating the account of John’s downfall from Mark or another source, or rather, Matthew may not have thought that he was abbreviating John’s downfall. Matthew may have simply been the first to recount the story. Possibly later Mark may have used Matthew’s account, and he seeks out more information from other witnesses to explain some of the details which Matthew did not convey. Basically, we cannot determine if a story is abbreviated from a certain source simply because it is shorter than another account.
In viewing the original claim of editorial fatigue on Matthew’s part, let us consider all of the above possibilities. Matthew’s account states that Herod wished to kill John but feared the crowds, so why is he grieved when he gives the order to behead John since he wanted to kill him to begin with anyway? Perhaps the greatest reason for Antipas grief we can conjecture from only Matthew’s account is that he feared the crowds. We also have examined the possibilities of Antipas’ grief on multiple levels. Here are possible reasons to make sense of Antipas’ grief in Matthew’s account only:
- Grief that his reputation with the masses is damaged.
- Grief that his festive occasion has been made a spectacle of violence.
- Grief that his wife does not stand with him and backs him into a corner in front of guests.
- Grief that his offer of up to half his kingdom is viewed as undesirable. He is only as good as his ability to have people killed. The step-daughter did not desire anything of material that Antipas would offer, but instead is requesting the power to take a life. Perhaps Antipas is desiring to win the daughter’s respect with his offer, but does not accomplish this and so is grieved for the lack of respect?
My personal opinion is that Antipas is grieved most of all by the lack of respect from his wife and step-daughter. The fact that Mark also gives us insight into Antipas enjoying listening to John doesn’t change how we view Matthew’s account. Clearly in Mark’s account Antipas was most likely grieved on multiple levels just as he could also be grieved on multiple levels in Matthew’s account, therefore, both accounts can and do make sense in themselves. Basically this nullify’s the argument that Matthew’s account makes no sense outside of Mark’s account.
The next article will continue to the next point in Goodacre’s article on Synoptic Fatigue.
Until my next article, Keep Seeking Truth, and Peace be with you all! 🙂
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