Abstract:
This article investigates the concepts of eschatology and kingdom in Mark from a narratological point of view. Special attention is given to the narrator's use of story time and plotted time, the narrative function of Mark 13, and the Son of man sayings in the Gospel. The two most important conclusions reached are that Mark uses the Son of man sayings in a non titular way, and that the coming of the son of man (parousia) refers to Jesus' vindication by God at his resurrection. In Mark the kingdom is equated with Jesus' new household, a household that replaces the temple. The concepts of kingdom (new household), eschatology and son of man are thus so closely linked in Mark's narrative that eschatology is the kingdom and the kingdom is eschatology. A possible sociohistorical setting for Mark's community, in which the above understanding of the concepts of kingdom, eschatology and Son of man sayings would have made sense, is also postulated.
