Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 88 No. 4, 2018.
Original scientific paper
A Generous Act by an Unnamed Woman. A Semantic Analysis and Interpretation of the Account of Anointing at Bethany (Mark 14:3-9)
Stipo Kljajić
orcid.org/0000-0002-5455-3191
; Franciscan Theology – Institution of Higher Education, Sarajevo, Bosna and Herzegovina
Abstract
One of the peculiarities of Mark’s Gospel is the presence of so‑called little people, entrusted with the discursive role of explaining the plot but also of illuminating the (dis)honesty of others, of great people, of their faith or lack thereof. One of those littlepeople is also the unnamed woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany while he was at the table in the home of Simon the Leper (Mark, 14:3-9). Her gesture was met with indignation and very strong reaction among some of the people present, but also with a very determined response by Jesus who came to her defence, proclaiming her act not only good and beautiful, but also anticipating his anointing for the burial and the deed of mercy. Although the scene leaves the reader with many open questions such as: why it is not right for some of the present to be indignant even though they advocate for the poor; should Jesus put himself before the poor who otherwise enjoy his ardent support; and what is the meaning of Jesus’s proclamation that the woman’s act will be recounted wherever the gospel is preached? The goal of this article is, therefore, to find the right path that can lead to an understanding of the meaning of this account, while providing answers, messages, or lessons for the contemporary proclaimers and receivers of evangelical messages. The article is structured in three parts. The first part, as a major prerequisite for any exegetic study, consists of the preliminary operations including contextual differentiation of the text itself, its structure, and comparison with other synoptic gospels. The second part addresses the understanding and interpretation of the text: after interpretation and review of the text, the author analyses the text in examine, using the synchronic approach and, primarily, the semantic method. The third and the last part is dedicated to the position and meaning of the account of anointing at Bethany in the context of Mark’s Gospel and the wider and closer literary context, including the overall theological message and its contemporary meaning or urgency.
Keywords
unknown woman; anointing; the poor; anticipatory anointing for the burial; resurrection.
Hrčak ID:
212933
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2018.
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