Mark 16:9-20
Should it be in your bible? It currently is in most modern translations but almost always with a footnote:
[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.] – ESV
[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.] – NIV
[Later mss add vv 9-20] – NASB
[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] – NLT
This is the same way they treat John 7:53–8:11.
The issue with the decision to include this footnote while retaining the passage lies in the inconsistency of textual handling. Many omitted sections share the same rationale for exclusion. Thus, the question arises: Why retain this specific passage? The plausible explanation is that the passage’s size prevents its inclusion as a mere footnote, prompting its retention within the main text before adding footnotes. I anticipate that future editions may likely follow the precedent set by 1 John 5:7, relegating the passage to a footnote, especially in online versions where such formatting is more manageable.
Nevertheless, I counter this argument by citing instances where second-century church fathers, including Justin (165 AD), Tertullian (220 AD), Hippolytus (235 AD), Ambrose (397 AD), and even Augustine (430 AD), quoted and ascribed these passages to the scriptures. Mere age does not guarantee superiority. Was there ever a period when the church was devoid of these passages? No. Church fathers attested to their presence in early scriptures. These passages were embedded in Latin versions, extant copies of which exist. They persisted in the Majority Text, appeared in the Geneva Bible, and later in the King James, currently enduring in the New King James. We should view this as an elimination of scripture and manipulation of the preserved word of God.
In 177 AD, Irenaeus, in his work “Against Heresies” (3:10:5), quoted Mark’s conclusion as we find it in the Majority Text today. No evidence suggests its loss.
“Also, towards the conclusion of his Gospel, Mark says: “So then, after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God; ” confirming what had been spoken by the prophet: “The LORD said to my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool.” Thus God and the Father are truly one and the same; He who was announced by the prophets, and handed down by the true Gospel; whom we Christians worship and love with the whole heart, as the Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things therein.” -177 AD Irenaeus, Against Heresies (3:10:5).
Textual critics assert that the authentic ending of Mark eludes us, contradicting the belief in God’s preservation of His word for all humanity (Isa 40:8, Mt 24:35, Psalms 119:89, Matthew 5:18, John 1:1-51, Psalms 12:6-7).
Furthermore, consider the foundation of the gospel, as delineated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, which encompasses the risen Jesus being witnessed by the apostles. Excising Mark’s extended ending eradicates this pivotal gospel element. Without this preserved Markan passage, it can no longer be regarded as a “gospel.”
“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”
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