Randy Sots and Righteous Prophets

Below is a rough translation and some comments regarding Mark 6: 14-29, the gospel reading for 8th Sunday after Pentecost, year B, in the Revised Common Lectionary. 

I don’t usually spend a lot of time trying to discern the origins of a text, but this story strikes me as unusually attentive to details for Mark. The word “immediately” – a Markan habit of writing – does show up, but the story itself does not have the ‘cut to the quick’ character of many of Mark’s other stories. It seems important to name the types of officials; the exact words of Herod, the mother, and the daughter regarding the request; who gave the head to whom; etc. Here are my initial reactions to the story itself, saving some of the more specific comments for each verse below:

1. This is about the death of John, a significant death, which deserves attention and clarity. The clarity is that John was wrongly killed – a tragedy composed of loose braggadocio words of Herod in front of his henchmen and the vengeful resentment of Herod’s illegitimate wife. While today John has the role as the “forerunner,” and is not terribly well known aside from a few stories, during their lifetimes John was more popular than Jesus – if we can rely on Josephus to give a 1^st century perspective.

2. This story seems full of intertexual echoes. See my comments following the exegesis.

3. Mark’s overall story seems to have a ‘setback leads to new possibility’ motif. It is when John is thrown into prison that Jesus emerges preaching the same message (1:14). Now, the story of John’s death happens in between Jesus sending the 12 out and their return. The crucifixion and resurrection, of course, is the ultimate moment when the death of one leads to the empowerment of others. 

4. Mark often brackets one story within another. Vv. 14-29 interrupts the twelve’s mission story that breaks off in v.13 and resumes in v.30. When Mark does this, I assume that one story brings meaning to the other story. That partly explains why I am picking up on the ideas that I mention in comment #3.

5. And speaking of resurrection, notice the commonplace presumption of resurrection as a possibility when Herod hears about Jesus. But, of course, Jesus and John the Baptist were contemporaries - only a few months apart in age, if Luke's story is historically accurate - and that messes with our typical understanding of what the people in our text might have meant by someone rising from the dead. Jesus was not born after John died, to where people are thinking that John is reincarnated into Jesus. Jesus is speaking and acting in the power of the Spirit that was evident in John, and that seems to be what "rising from the dead" can mean. If that's a common understanding of "rising from the dead," it is much more in line with Archbishop Romero's insistence that if he were to die his spirit would rise up among the poor; or Tertullian's famous phrase that the "blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." There's a beautiful fluidity in that view of rising from the dead that defies the individualistic "you live, you die, you live again" kind of narrative. Would I be as empowered by the thought that my spirit, my passions, my contributions rise to new life after my death as I would by the idea that my consciousness would rise to new life? I hope so. 

¹⁴ Καὶ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης, φανερὸν γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, 

καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεργοῦσιν αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν αὐτῷ. 

And the king Herod heard, for his name became known, and they were saying that John the Baptist has risen out of death, and through this the powers are operating in him.

ἤκουσεν: AAI 3s, ἀκούω 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being

ἔλεγον: IAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain

ἐγήγερται: PerfPI 3s, ἐγείρω, 1) to arouse, cause to rise  1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake  1b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life 

ἐνεργοῦσιν: PAI 3p, ἐνεργέω, 1) to be operative, be at work, put forth power

1. The word for “powers” (δυνάμεις) is transliterated into English as dynamite.

2. Some commentators point out that this Herod, Herod Antipas, is not properly a king, but a “Tetrarch,” a “Quarter Ruler,” since his father’s (Herod the Great) kingdom was divided into four regions after his death.

3. We don’t know who the “they” are who were saying this about John. Presumably it was someone who had access to Herod’s ears, but maybe it was John’s disciples or even some of Jesus’ followers. Some early English translations (KJV, Young’s Literal Translation) have “for he said …” ascribing this assumption to Herod. (Note to self: Check Greek text for variants.)

4. Whoever said this, the form of this claim is noteworthy. We often think the death and resurrection of Jesus is a unique story. But, if this kind of story is floating around regarding John – even if that is only Mark’s rendition of what happened – then the notion that a dead person can rise from the dead and empower other persons to do what the dead person once did was not unique to Jesus. That is how Mark understands the death and resurrection of Jesus. But, it is also how Mark understands the manner of resurrection in general. That would make the resurrection of Jesus not “unique” in the sense of “this is something no one ever imagined might happen!” It means something more like, “Resurrection – which we all know means rising from the dead to empower others to do what oneself was doing before death – happened to this one.” Jesus becomes the one who fits into the existing category of resurrection, rather than resurrection being a predicate of who Jesus is.

¹⁵ ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἠλίας ἐστίν: ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον ὅτι προφήτης ὡς εἷς τῶν 

προφητῶν. 

Yet others were saying that he is Elijah; still others were saying that a [he is] a prophet as one of the prophets.

ἔλεγον (2x): IAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain

ἐστίν: PAI 3s, εἰμί,  1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

1. My suspicion is that these sequential attempts to name who/what Jesus is lends strength to the reading of v.15 as “they” and not “Herod” making the first guess.

2. These guesses are not pulled out of thin air. Deuteronomy 18:15 reads, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.” Malachi 4:5-6 reads, “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.”

3. The return of Elijah would also be a form of resurrection, yes? Perhaps the lack of a death story or Elijah would make this an option that anti-resurrectionists (like Sadducees) could accept.

¹⁶ ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἔλεγεν,Ὃν ἐγὼ ἀπεκεφάλισα Ἰωάννην, οὗτος 

ἠγέρθη. 

But hearing, the Herod was saying, “John whom I beheaded, he has been raised.”

ἀκούσας: AAPart nsm, ἀκούω 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

ἔλεγεν: IAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain

ἀπεκεφάλισα: AAI 1s, ἀποκεφαλίζω, 1) to cut off the head, behead, decapitate

ἠγέρθη: API 3s, ἐγείρω, 1) to arouse, cause to rise  1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake  1b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life 

1. Now Herod makes his guess, agreeing with the first possibility from v.14. Mark draws an interesting picture of Herod in this pericope. It raises the question of whether he is describing an individual with a guilty conscience, who was caught in the snare of his own boasting, or if he is making Herod a type of how the entire Roman Empire has been caught in its own legitimation story and, therefore, was the active hand that put both John the Baptist and Jesus to death. Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan are particularly helpful in showing how the Roman Empire legitimized its use of death and the threat of death as the way imperial control. Once the foundation of death is denied – via resurrection – Rome’s entire superstructure is set to crumble.

¹⁷Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἀποστείλας ἐκράτησεν τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ ἔδησεν 

αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, 

ὅτι αὐτὴν ἐγάμησεν: 

For Herod himself having sent arrested John and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he married her; 

ἀποστείλας: AAPart nsm, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed  2) to send away, dismiss

ἐκράτησεν: AAI 3s, κρατέω, 1) to have power, be powerful  1a) to be chief, be master of, to rule

ἔδησεν: AAI 3s, δέω, 1) to bind tie, fasten  1a) to bind, fasten with chains, to throw into chains 

ἐγάμησεν: AAI 3s, γαμέω, 1) to lead in marriage, take to wife  1a) to get married, to marry

1. “Herod himself”: No matter what the reasons, guilty conscience, or shenanigans that are at play in this story, Mark ascribes the arrest to Herod.

2. The διὰ, “on account of,” describes the issue at hand – John’s arrest was over Herodias, who was Philip’s wife, whom Herod took as his own wife. John’s message was not just limited to “spiritual” matters of personal repentance and baptism. He spoke against the ruler of the Jews. It was risky and it seems to be different from the kind of ‘live and let live’ settlement that the Jewish religious leaders had struck with Herod.

3. One could read John’s criticism of Herod as a religious critique, since Herod’s marriage violates the religious law. Or, one could read it as a political critique, since the marriage was a power play against his brother.

4. Chris Haslam writes: According to the contemporary historian Josephus, John was imprisoned at a fort and prison at Machaerus, 8 km (5 miles) east of the Dead Sea, on the Nabatean border. [The New Oxford Annotated Bible]

¹⁸ ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὁ Ἰωάννης τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ ὅτι Οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα 

τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. 

For John was saying to Herod “It is not lawful for you to take the wife of your brother.”

ἔλεγεν: IAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain

ἔξεστίν: PAI 3s, ἔξεστι, 1) it is lawful

ἔχειν: PAInf, ἔχω, 1) to have, i.e. to hold 

1. I get the feeling that John is the only one in the crowd willing to say “The Emperor is naked.” This is a classic example of someone speaking truth to power.

¹⁹ ἡ δὲ Ἡρῳδιὰς ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἤθελεν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ οὐκ 

ἠδύνατο: 

But Herodias was begrudging him and was wishing to kill him, and was unable;

ἐνεῖχεν: IAI 3s, ἐνέχω, 1) to have within, to hold in  1a) to be held, entangled, be held ensnared  1b) to be engaged with, set one's self against, hold a grudge  against someone

ἤθελεν: IAI 3s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend

ἀποκτεῖναι: AAInf, ἀποκτείνω, 1) to kill in any way whatever 1a) to destroy, to allow to perish

ἠδύνατο:  IMI 3s, δύναμαι, 1) to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, a state of mind, through favorable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom

1. Now Herodias is implicated as a player in the unjust murder of the prophet. See below for some background of Herodias. 

²⁰ὁ γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ἐφοβεῖτο τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰδὼς αὐτὸν ἄνδρα δίκαιον καὶ 

ἅγιον, καὶ συνετήρει αὐτόν, καὶ ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἠπόρει, καὶ ἡδέως 

αὐτοῦ ἤκουεν. 

For Herod was afraid of John, having known him a righteous and holy man, and was protecting him, and having heard of/from him repeatedly was verklempt, and was gladly hearing of/from him.

ἐφοβεῖτο: IPI 3s, φοβέω to strike with fear, scare, frighten. Middle or passive as here, to be put in fear, take fright

εἰδὼς: PeftAPart nsm, ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes  2) to see with the mind, to perceive, know 

συνετήρει: IAI 3s, συντηρέω, 1) to preserve (a thing from perishing or being lost)  2) to keep within one's self, keep in mind (a thing, lest it be forgotten) 

ἀκούσας: AAPart nsm, ἀκούω 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

ἠπόρει: IAI 3s, ἀπορέω, 1) to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting,  to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn

ἤκουεν: IAI 3s, ἀκούω 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

1. Okay, I don’t even know if “verklempt” is a proper term, but it seems to capture the confusion behind Herod’s “gladly” hearing John and the fact that John was calling him out. thebible.org has this long definition for ἠπόρει: to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn; [impf. in Mk. vi. 20 (see above) πολλὰ ἠπόρει he was in perplexity about many things or much perplexed. The older translations have “was doing many things;” the newer ones have “was greatly perplexed.”

²¹ Καὶ γενομένης ἡμέρας εὐκαίρου ὅτε Ἡρῴδης τοῖς γενεσίοις αὐτοῦ δεῖπνον 

ἐποίησεν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τῆς

Γαλιλαίας, 

And there came a timely day when Herod for his birthday prepared a feast for his magnates and the commanders and the chief persons of the Galileans,

γενομένης: AMPart gsf, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being  2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen

ἐποίησεν: AAI 3s, ποιέω, 1) to make  1a) with the names of things made, to produce, construct,  form, fashion, etc.

1. “Magnates” (μεγιστᾶσιν) is literally ‘mega-standers.’ “Commanders” (χιλιάρχοις) is ‘thousand-rulers.’ “Chief persons” (πρώτοις) is literally ‘firsts.’

2. “Timely” is my translation of εὔκαιρος, a term that combines the prefix ‘good’ (εὔ) with the root ‘time’ (καιρος). YLT has ‘seasonable,’ while the KJV has ‘convenient.’ Other translations go with ‘opportune.’ The only other use of this term in the NT is Heb. 4:16.

3. Readers of Paul Tillich will remember his distinction between kairos and chronos, the other Greek word for time. For Tillich, chronos pointed to linear calendar and clock time, while kairos had the connotation of ‘the right time.’ I think the term ‘timely’ has that kairos character that Tillich intended. Some NT scholars argue that Tillich is making this distinction up but in this pericope Tillich’s distinction is helpful. This was the ‘right’ occasion for Herod to do exactly what he did, contrary to his normal practice of protecting John.

²²καὶ εἰσελθούσης τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῳδιάδος καὶ ὀρχησαμένης, 

ἤρεσεν τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ καὶ τοῖς συνανακειμένοις. εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ κορασίῳ, 

Αἴτησόν με ὃ ἐὰν θέλῃς, καὶ δώσω σοι: 

And in the daughter of Herodias having entered and having danced, [it] pleased Herod and the ones sitting together at the table.  The King said to the maiden, “Ask me whatever you may wish, and I will give to you;

εἰσελθούσης : AAPart gsf, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter

ὀρχησαμένης: AMPart gsf, ὀρχέομαι, 1) to dance

ἤρεσεν: AAI 3s, ἀρέσκω, 1) to please  2) to strive to please  2a) to accommodate one's self to the opinions desires and interests  of others

συνανακειμένοις: PMPart dpm, συνανάκειμαι, 1) to recline together, feast together  1a) of guests

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain 

Αἴτησόν : AAImpv 2s, αἰτέω, 1) to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require 

θέλῃς: PASubj 2s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend  1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose

δώσω: FAI 1s, δίδωμι, 1) to give  2) to give something to someone

1. “And in this daughter of Herodias having entered and having danced” looks to me like a “genitive absolute,” so refined translations present it as a simple nominative/subject. The genitive may imply that Herod had her brought in to dance and then she accommodated his wish (‘accommodate’ is one possible translation for ἤρεσεν, which also could be “pleased.”)

2. I don't understand what the αὐτοῦ is masculine, while everything else in this phrase – including the participles ‘entered’ and ‘danced’ are all feminine. Also, since ‘daughter’ and ‘Herodias’ are both genitive feminine singular, it seems to be implying that the girl is Herod’s daughter, named Herodias. But, she is Herodias’ daughter, whom Josephus says is named Salome. There are textual variants that say “daughter of Herodias,” which seems to be an attempt to correct the original. Here are Chris Haslam’s notes: Verse 22: “his daughter Herodias”: Some manuscripts say “the daughter of Herodias”, as does Matthew 14:6. [NOAB] The Codexes Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Bezae all agree that Herodias' daughter is also named Herodias (Meier 1994, p228). This agreement would undoubtedly be accepted as the original reading, as it is the more difficult, but it runs against history. Jack Elliot (1981) argues that on internal evidence of other Markan passages that the Greek here is intended to be parenthetical: "her daughter (Herodias')" should be the correct reading.

3. The fact that she is a “maiden” (κορασίῳ), a diminutive term, makes this whole “pleasing” thing kind of creepy. The movies make her a voluptuous young woman, but this term might imply that she is much younger and this whole scenario is improper. This is not a mid-thirties Rita Hayworth, but a child. The words ἀρέσκω can have sexual connotations, like in I Corinthians 7, where Paul speaks of husbands pleasing their wives, and wives pleasing their husbands.  

²³ καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῇ [πολλά], Ο τι ἐάν με αἰτήσῃς δώσω σοι ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς 

βασιλείας μου. 

And he promised to her [repeatedly], “Whatever you ask me I will give to you even half of my kingdom.” 

ὤμοσεν: AAI 3s, ὀμνύω, 1) to swear  2) to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath 

δώσω: FAI 1s, δίδωμι, 1) to give  2) to give something to someone

1. Herod was only the Tetrarch by dint of the Emperor. The kingdom is not his to give away or to divide. This could be Mark’s way of paralleling this story with the Esther story; or, Herod could be a pervert, showing off in front of his fellow perverts. “Randy sots” in my title displays my own take on what is going on here.   

²⁴ καὶ ἐξελθοῦσα εἶπεν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς, Τί αἰτήσωμαι; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, Τὴν 

κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτίζοντος. 

And having gone out, she said to her mother, “For what shall I ask?”  Then she said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”

ἐξελθοῦσα: AAPart nsf, ἐξέρχομαι, 1) to go or come forth of  1a) with mention of the place out of which one goes, or the  point from which he departs

εἶπεν (2x): AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain 

αἰτήσωμαι: AMSubj 1s, αἰτέω, 1) to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require

1. The girl’s question shows that it is her mother who is behind the hideous request for John’s head, but also could show that she was a child that turned to her mother for guidance. It kind of stinks for her. She could have gotten a new chariot or a puppy or something. Instead, she gets a lesson in imperialism from an adept teacher. 

²⁵ καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα εὐθὺς μετὰ σπουδῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ᾐτήσατο λέγουσα, 

Θέλω ἵνα ἐξαυτῆς δῷς μοι ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ. 

And having entered immediately with haste to the king she asked saying, “I wish you would right away give to me on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

εἰσελθοῦσα: AAPart nsf, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter

ᾐτήσατο: AMI 3s, αἰτέω, 1) to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require 

λέγουσα: PAPart nsf, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  1a) affirm over, maintain 

Θέλω: PAI 1s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend  1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose  1b) to desire, to wish 

δῷς: AASubj 2s, δίδωμι, 1) to give  2) to give something to someone

1. The terms “immediately” (common in Mark) and “with haste” (or “with zeal,” only here in Mark) and “right away” (only here in Mark) could imply that this girl is quite willing to do what her mother asks and is not just a pawn in her mother’s scheme. She also adds a few details – quickness, platter – to her mother’s original request. So, maybe she has learned the lessons of imperialism already to this point. 

²⁶ καὶ περίλυπος γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς 

ἀνακειμένους οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἀθετῆσαι αὐτήν: 

And the king having become aggrieved because of the promises and the dining together did not wish to disregard her;

γενόμενος: AMPart nsm, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being  2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen

ἀνακειμένους: PMPart apm, ἀνάκειμαι, 1) to lie at a table, eat together, dine

ἠθέλησεν: AAI 3s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend  1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose

ἀθετῆσαι: AAInf ἀθετέω, 1) to do away with, to set aside, disregard  2) to thwart the efficacy of anything, nullify, make void, frustrate  3) to reject, to refuse, to slight

1. The term “aggrieved” (περίλυπος, surrounded with sorrow), is used one other time in Mark (14:34), to describe Jesus’ state of mind/soul when he was in the garden just before being betrayed.

2. Herod is clearly trapped by his own braggadocio. He had repeatedly promised the girl whatever she asked and now, with this peeps looking on, he cannot break that promise.  

3. Herod’s quandary brings to mind Hegel’s description of the inversion of masters and servants – how the master ironically ends up serving the servants.

²⁷ καὶ εὐθὺς ἀποστείλας ὁ βασιλεὺς σπεκουλάτορα ἐπέταξεν ἐνέγκαι τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπεκεφάλισεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ 

And immediately the king having sent a sentinel commanded to bring his head.  And having gone out he beheaded him in the prison.

ἀποστείλας: AAPart nsm, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed  2) to send away, dismiss

ἐπέταξεν: AAI 3s, ἐπιτάσσω, 1) to enjoin upon, order, command, charge

ἐνέγκαι: AAInf, φέρω, 1) to carry   1a) to carry some burden   1a1) to bear with one's self 

ἀπελθὼν: AAPart nsm, ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart 

ἀπεκεφάλισεν:  AAI 3s, ἀποκεφαλίζω, 1) to cut off the head, behead, decapitate 

1. Just like that, God’s prophet is put to death. It is Lincoln in Ford's Theater. It is MLK on the balcony. It is Romero as he serves the sacraments. It is the “disappeared” among base communities. It is the Atlatl raid on the religion faculty of the University of Central America. This is how Rome and its offspring deal with truth. 

2. I translate σπεκουλάτορα (specoulatora) as sentinel, which may be far too neutral. It is not originally a Greek word, but a Latin one, courtesy of the Roman Empire I reckon, to denote a spear (spicula) wielder who protects and executes. 

²⁸ καὶ ἤνεγκεν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πίνακι καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῷ κορασίῳ, 

καὶ τὸ κοράσιον ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς. 

And he brought his head on a platter gave it to the maiden and the maiden gave it to her mother. 

ἤνεγκεν: AAI 3s, φέρω, 1) to carry   1a) to carry some burden 

ἔδωκεν (2x): AAI 3s, δίδωμι, 1) to give  2) to give something to someone 

1. This is gruesome. The plattered head of the prophet as the pièce de résistance. With presentation. 

²⁹ καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἦλθον καὶ ἦραν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ 

ἔθηκαν αὐτὸ ἐν μνημείῳ. 

And having heard his disciples came and carried his body and placed it in a tomb.

ἀκούσαντες: AAPart npm, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

ἦλθον: AAI 3p, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come  1a) of persons  1a1) to come from one place to another, and used both of  persons arriving and of those returning

ἦραν: AAI 3p, αἴρω, 1) to raise up, elevate, lift up  

ἔθηκαν : AAI 3p, τίθημι, 1) to set, put, place  1a) to place or lay  1b) to put down, lay down  1b1) to bend down

This ends the reading.

On Intertextuality

Intertextuality is a way that an author takes up a previous text and draws meaning from it while adding meaning in the re-telling. This story echoes the drunken King Ahasuerus dispatching with Queen Vashti because she did not respond to a besotted request (Esther 1) and Solomon’s son Rehoboam following the advice of his young, foolish frat brothers instead of the wise elders when confronted with the a reasonable request from his people (I Kings 12). If we read this story intertextually, as a story of royal hubris, it brings Herod’s own responsibility forward and does not simply ascribe the guilt to Herod’s conniving illegitimate wife and her daughter. The women of Herod’s house are guilty enough, but the intertextual reading shows that kings do exactly what the God said they do in I Samuel 8.

I find this to be incredibly sophisticated storytelling. The characters are profoundly complex. Herod likes to hear John, but is condemned for political adultery by John; He protects John, he kills John; he is boastful, he is afraid and sorrowful. The girl is commanded, then promised; she asks her mother for guidance, then she hastily complies. Herodias seems to be the only one-dimensional character, despising John and scheming for his death.

If Herod is more than an individual, but a type of the Roman Empire, then Mark is also saying something profound about the complicity of the Empire in killing the prophets and in being trapped in their own contrivances. Remember, this began as a story about Jesus, not John. Herod is convinced that Jesus is John redivivus, or that John’s spirit has empowered Jesus to do the things that he is doing. In that sense, it is also a foreshadowing of Jesus’ fate and perhaps of the complexity of those who were complicit in Jesus’ death. 

On Herodias: I am a little shy to go on and on about Herodias and her complicity here. It is warranted, textually and historically, but I also want to be sensitive to how women of power - like Herodias and Cleopatra several generations before her - probably had thin lines between ambition and survival when they were born into politically powerful families. That said, here is some history of Herodias that John Dominic Crossan gives in God and Empire. Herod the Great - the murderous Herod of the birth narrative in Matthew - married a Hasmonean princess named Mariamme, which merged his political appointment with the Jewish priestly Hasmonean family line. He later had her executed - rightly or wrongly? Crossan wonders - for conspiracy against him. Herod Antipas, of our story at hand, gained his Jewish priestly credentials, among other political advantages, when he divorced his wife and took Herodias from his half-brother Philip. Herodias was the granddaughter of Mariamme. Crossan calls this marriage the fourth act by which Herod Antipas tried to secure favor from Rome to become the King of the Jews as his father was (see pp. 102-104). 

Herodias had a full-brother, Agrippa, who was good friends with Caligula. When he became the Caesar, Caligula appointed Agrippa to be King of the Jews. In 41 CE, Herod Antipas and Herodias went to Caligula to plead their case and try to get that appointment, but instead they were sent into exile. 

PSA: This is as good a place as any to promote my friend Rima Nashashibi's organization, Global Hope 365, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, locally, nationally, and worldwide through raising awareness, education, collaboration, and prevention. Their focus is on ending harmful practices toward women and girls such as Child Marriage, Human Trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence. For more information, visit https://www.globalhope365.org.