SUBJECT:  Mark 16:9-20

QUESTION:  Is Mark 16:9-20 part of the original transcript?

ANSWER:

Mark 16:9-20

9  Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

10  And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11  And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

12  After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.

13  And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

14  Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20  And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

One of the most controversial points in religious circles is whether Mark 16:9-20 is actually part of Scripture. Although it appears in the King James Version, many other translations either label this section as an appendix or leave it in the footnotes, as in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The Moffatt Translation, together with the Goodspeed and others, not only has the long ending found in the King James Version, but it also has ANOTHER shorter ending.

The longer ending to Mark's gospel is quoted extremely early in church history. Mark 16:19 is quoted AS A PART OF MARK'S ACCOUNT by Irenaeus in "Against Heresies" (Bk. iii, 10, 6) between A.D. 182 and 188. There are allusions to these disputed verses in even earlier writings, although not as true quotations. Not only did Irenaeus accept it as a part of Mark's gospel when arguing with "heretics," but, says Hastings: "No writer before Eusebius is known to have rejected them, and their presence in all later MSS [manuscripts] shows that the successors of Eusebius, in spite of his great authority, did not follow his judgment in the matter." (Eusebius was the court favorite and the church historian in the days of Emperor Constantine.) These facts point plainly to the great antiquity of the longer ending as preserved in the common English versions.

If these last verses of Mark's gospel are left out, the book does not come to an orderly conclusion, as does EVERY OTHER BOOK IN THE BIBLE. Human writings are filled with error, but the Bible is COMPLETE, INSPIRED and WHOLLY PRESERVED through the power of God. These verses are an INSPIRED PART of the Word of God.

 
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