âSpiritual Blindnessâ in the Bartimaeus Pericope (Mark 10:46â52): Toward Decentering Ableist Readings
äºBiblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by M. John-Patrick OâConnor in
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Abstract
It is commonly acknowledged that blindness and seeing play an important role in the theology of the Gospel of Mark. Typically, readers interpret âspiritual blindnessâ as the moral thrust of the discipleship discourse in Mark 8:22â10:52. While the disciples fail to see their teacher as the Christ, blind Bartimaeus appears to identify Jesus as the âSon of Davidâ (10:46â52). However, centering blindness-as-vice not only plays on an unfortunate ableist binary but also renders Markâs more marginal characters as insignificant. Research on blindness in antiquity demonstrates how socioeconomic status was a leading factor in determining social perceptions of the blind. This article contends that Markâs Bartimaeus pericope should be read accordingly. Instead of serving as a metaphor for âspiritual blindness,â physically blind characters are raised to the status of insider as a condemnation of mistreatment of the poorâa motif found within the broader terrain of Markâs moral landscape (6:30â44; 8:1â10; 12:38â44; 14:1â11).
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| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 1258 | 397 | 18 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 366 | 62 | 2 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 823 | 140 | 5 |
âSpiritual Blindnessâ in the Bartimaeus Pericope (Mark 10:46â52): Toward Decentering Ableist Readings
äºBiblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by M. John-Patrick OâConnor in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
It is commonly acknowledged that blindness and seeing play an important role in the theology of the Gospel of Mark. Typically, readers interpret âspiritual blindnessâ as the moral thrust of the discipleship discourse in Mark 8:22â10:52. While the disciples fail to see their teacher as the Christ, blind Bartimaeus appears to identify Jesus as the âSon of Davidâ (10:46â52). However, centering blindness-as-vice not only plays on an unfortunate ableist binary but also renders Markâs more marginal characters as insignificant. Research on blindness in antiquity demonstrates how socioeconomic status was a leading factor in determining social perceptions of the blind. This article contends that Markâs Bartimaeus pericope should be read accordingly. Instead of serving as a metaphor for âspiritual blindness,â physically blind characters are raised to the status of insider as a condemnation of mistreatment of the poorâa motif found within the broader terrain of Markâs moral landscape (6:30â44; 8:1â10; 12:38â44; 14:1â11).
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 1258 | 397 | 18 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 366 | 62 | 2 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 823 | 140 | 5 |
