Loved to death: an Anabaptist critique of Christendom Christology through the narrative themes of kenosis and death in the Gospel of Mark

Tatum, David (2024). Loved to death: an Anabaptist critique of Christendom Christology through the narrative themes of kenosis and death in the Gospel of Mark. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

Preview

Tatum2024PhD.pdf
Text - Accepted Version
Available under License All rights reserved.
Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

This thesis expands the Anabaptist critique of Christendom Christology by examining the narrative motifs of kenosis and death in the Gospel of Mark.

Within their respective literary documents, modern Anabaptism, early Anabaptism, and Christendom Christology all present opposing Christological views related to God’s ability to change, the constitution of humanity, and the definition of death. One view exemplified in the Tome of Pope Leo and the Council of Chalcedon promotes the belief that God is necessarily immutable, humans are body/soul composites, and death is the separation of body and soul (a dualist view). An alternative view within Christendom and Anabaptist literature holds that God is kenotic, humans do not have souls, and death is the decomposition of a corpse (a physicalist view).

Historically, Anabaptism has critiqued Christendom by implementing a Christocentric narrative approach to developing theology. Working from within the Anabaptist tradition, this thesis applies a narrative critical examination of the Gospel of Mark to determine whether a dualist or physicalist view is most faithful to the story the author of Mark presents to his audience. To aid in this analysis, I adopt the strategic approach of narrative critic Peter Bolt, who suggests that knowledge of the first-century audience’s cultural mind provides helpful insight into the practice of narrative criticism. Using Bolt’s approach, I suggest that certain rhetorical, socio-religious, and linguistic knowledge of the first-century audience’s cultural minds proves useful in constructing a robust narrative analysis of Mark’s anthropology, thanatology, and eschatology.

I begin my narrative criticism by examining the narrative motif of death in Mark’s Gospel. From this analysis, I conclude that the author of Mark intends for his audience to embrace a physicalist understanding of death. Next, I investigate the theme of kenosis within Mark’s Gospel. From this analysis, I conclude that the author of Mark seeks to persuade his audience that Jesus was a kenotic messiah. Finally, I examine pericopes in Mark’s Gospel that combine the themes of kenosis and death. From these texts, I conclude that the author of Mark intended to convince his audience that Jesus was a kenotic mortal messiah.

In response to my conclusion that Mark desired his audience to view Jesus as a kenotic mortal messiah, I argue that the Anabaptist stream of Christology that has embraced the dualist view found in Christendom Christology should be rejected. In its place, I attempt to construction an Anabaptist Christology that embraces Mark’s portrayal of Jesus as a kenotic mortal messiah. I contend that this definition of Jesus has significant implications for how Anabaptists think about God, Jesus’ death, and human death.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):