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Abstract

Despite recent scholarly recognition of the Isaian backdrop to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ citation of Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11 in Mark 11:17 has not been sufficiently interpreted; specifically, the phrase “for all nations” (from Isa 56:7) is considered redactional or is simply deemed relatively unimportant. Yet, the authenticity of Jesus’ citation has been recently affirmed. Moreover, 11:17 is structurally focal in a chiastic arrangement within the narrative, with “for all nations” being central. Isaiah 56 was issuing critique of religious leaders for failing to include foreign worshippers. It seems plausible that Jesus as a Jewish teacher understood this and combined Isa 56:7 with Jer 7:11 to speak a prophetic word, even a divine word, that valued foreigners while indicting the religious leaders. This article is a text-based demonstration of the correlation of ISB with Vernon K. Robbins’ socio-rhetorical interpretive heuristic, in order to explore the significance of Jesus’ use of Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11 in Mark 11:17.

DOI

10.7252/JOURNAL.02.2014F.09

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