Woven Tapestry: Composite Citations in the Gospel of Mark

The hermeneutic used by the writers of the New Testament in their interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures seems so far from 21st century exegetical principles that it is often considered as puzzling. One of those mysteries is the way some authors combine citations from the Jewish Scriptures and integrate them in their text as if coming from a single text—combinations of citations also known as composite citations. This study examines why and how some authors adapt texts from the Old Testament to use them as literary devices with rhetorical intent. A simplified Socio-Rhetorical-Interpretation method is used to examine selected composite citations found in Mark’s Gospel. This investigation includes an exploration of literary devices, discourse analysis, grammatical and socio-cultural considerations, as well as a reflection on the integration of those composite citations and their motifs within the Markan narrative.