A Centurion's "Confession": A Performance-Critical Analysis of Mark 15:39 (Essay‪)‬

In many respects, Mark 15:39 is deceptively simple. Immediately after Jesus dies and the temple curtain is torn from top to bottom, the centurion standing opposite the crucifixion scene speaks seven uncomplicated words: [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. The lexical meaning of these individual terms is not in doubt, and the christological significance of the utterance, at this juncture in Mark's story, is widely recognized. At issue, and what complicates an otherwise straightforward verse, is the intended force of the utterance. At the level of the story, what precisely did the centurion mean when speaking these words? Is the so-called confession a genuine expression of faith and devotion, a final, derogatory statement of mockery meant to belittle Jesus and his followers, or an ambiguous pronouncement whose intent cannot be determined? (1) While various grammatical and historical issues weigh on the interpretation of this statement, the verse hinges on elements that are not readily obvious in the textual remains of Mark's story. Taken in isolation and stripped from the printed page, the response might be construed in a variety of ways. Most germane to the problem is how Mark and/or early storytellers dramatized the statement, since it makes a profound difference whether the words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity or a condemnatory scowl. These paralinguistic and extralinguistic features--the intonation of the storyteller's voice, gestures, facial expression, and so on--are inherent in all communication and, as Whitney Taylor Shiner has shown, used with skill and passion by early performers of the Gospels. (2) Unfortunately for the modern reader, these additional conveyors of meaning have not been recorded in our written artifacts.