Introduction to the Reclaimed Translation of Mark
This translation presents the Good-Message of Mark as a Jewish eyewitness account captured within a Greek medium. It is founded on the principle that the Greek text acts as a veil over a deeper Hebrew reality.
I. The Authoritative Source
This work utilizes the earliest complete version of the Codex Sinaiticus. This text is treated as authoritative, ensuring the translation reflects what was actually written rather than "standard" or later theological substitutions.
II. Core Methodology: Hebrew Primacy
The defining characteristic of this translation is Hebrew Primacy. While the manuscripts are Greek, the thoughts, idioms, and historical frameworks are Hebrew/Aramaic.
- Conceptual Authority: The Hebrew substrate is the authoritative deciding factor in every translational choice.
- Philological Framework: Every word is first analyzed via Greek etymology—utilizing the Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek to identify classical, secular meanings—before being finalized through the Hebrew conceptual reality.
- The Two Ages: The translation recognizes the specific Hebrew temporal framework of the present age (Olam Ha-Zeh) and the age-to-come (Olam Ha-Ba).
- Linguistic Precision regarding Duration: While aïdios appears over twice as often as aiōn in secular Greek literature, the New Testament writers use aiōn approximately 120 times and aïdios only 2 times. Consequently, aiōn is rendered as "an age" or "age-long" to reflect the Hebrew Olam (hidden horizon/duration).
III. The Hebrew Overlay in Practice: Berit and Diathēkē
The methodology is illustrated in the translation’s treatment of διαθήκη (diathēkē). In traditional renderings it becomes “covenant” or “testament,” but a strictly Greek-only reading can flatten the concrete Hebrew world behind it. In Mark’s Jewish conceptual frame, diathēkē corresponds to Hebrew בְּרִית (berit): a binding agreement often spoken of in Hebrew as something one “cuts” (karat berit).
Two major berit patterns stand behind Mark’s covenant-blood language:
Abrahamic (Gen 15): animals are cut and laid out, and the covenant is portrayed as God’s presence passing between the pieces, emphasizing divine initiative and unilateral commitment.
Mosaic/Sinai (Exod 24): the covenant is ratified with explicit “blood of the covenant” language and is followed by a covenant-confirming meal.
Accordingly, in Mark 14:24, “my blood of the diathēkē … being poured out on behalf of many” is rendered as covenant-ratification language: “blood” here is not a vague religious symbol. It is the tangible, enacted sign that a binding agreement has been ratified — Yeshua’s own life given.
IV. Theological De-Overlay
A primary goal is De-Theologizing the text. It systematically strips away centuries of institutional and doctrinal development to recover the concrete, physical meanings of the first century.
| Traditional Term | Reclaimed Translation (Hebrew Primacy) |
|---|---|
| Cross | Stake (Reflecting the Akedah wood of sacrifice) |
| Sin | Mistake (Missing the mark) |
| Disciple | Apprentice (The Hebrew Talmid / imitation) |
| Soul | Self-life (soul) (The Hebrew Nephesh / the whole breathing being) |
V. Linguistic Precision
The translation employs a specific "Connector Guideline" to preserve the force of the original Greek:
- Hyphens (
-): Used for unified concepts or to highlight Greek prefixes in compound verbs (e.g., "cast-out" for ek-ballō). - Slashes (
/): Used for alternative manifestations of the same concept (e.g., "glory / radiance"). - AND (
-and-): Used when two distinct concepts apply simultaneously (e.g., "loyal love and mercy").
By applying these rigorous standards, this translation seeks to recover the vivid, vocalized power of the Hebrew record.