The Omens at Jesus's Death (Mark 15:33-39) and the Divine Abandonment of the Temple before Its Destruction in 70 CE.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): VETTE, NATHANAEL1
  • Source:
    Journal of Biblical Literature. 2023, Vol. 142 Issue 4, p657-675. 19p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      Bible. Mark; Jesus Christ; Temples; Belief & doubt; Tutelaries
    • Abstract:
      When Jesus dies in Mark's account, the sky darkens, a loud voice declares that it has been forsaken by its god, and the temple curtain tears in two. These phenomena closely resemble the omens thought to have taken place before Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE as recorded by Josephus, Tacitus, 2 and 4 Baruch, the Pesiqta Rabbati, and the Talmudim. By surveying the ancient belief that tutelary deities would abandon cities before they were destroyed, I propose that the portents described by Mark and elaborated in subsequent gospels are another version of the popular tradition reporting the Judean god's departure from the temple before 70 CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]