A Further Word on Final Γάρ (Mark 16:8)

Author(s): KELLY R. IVERSON

Source: The Catholic Biblical Quarterly , January 2006, Vol. 68, No. 1 (January 2006),
pp. 79-94
Published by: Catholic Biblical Association

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43725642

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 A Further Word on

Final Tá p (Mark 16:8)

KELLY R. IVERSON
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC 20064

The ending of Mark's Gospel has long been a source of contention

among NT scholars.1 Does the Gospel conclude with the abrupt statement
e^oßowro yap (16:8), or did the original autograph proceed beyond v. 8 (either
with vv. 9-20 or some other, now lost ending)? During the early stages of the dis-
cussion (1920s) much of the attention concentrated on the possibility of a sen-
tence ending with the postpositive conjunction yap. Over the next several decades
numerous yáp-concluding sentences and paragraphs were discovered among the
extant literature.2 But despite the texts brought forward as examples, many schol-
ars continued to insist that a sentence or paragraph ending with yap is not the
same as a book ending with yáp. Then, in 1972, P. W. van der Horst published a
landmark article, in which he demonstrated, by citing a parallel in the thirty-sec-
ond treatise of Plotinus ( Ennead 5.5), that a book could end with yáp.3 Van der
Horst was quick to note that according to the respected Plotinus scholar Richard
Harder, treatises 30, 31, 32, and 33 were originally part of a larger composite

1 I refer to the author of the book as Mark, though this writer is never identified in the text of
the Second Evangelist.
2 R. R. Ottley, "e<J)oßowco yap Mark xvi 8," JTS 27 (1926) 407-9; Carl H. Kraeling, "Brief
Communications: A Philological Note on Mark 16:8," JBL 44 (1925) 357-58; Morton S. Enslin,
"e<1>oßowco yap, Mark 16:8," JBL 46 (1927) 62-68; Henry J. Cadbury, "Brief Communications:
Mark 16:8," JBL 46 (1927) 344-45; Frederick W. Danker, "Menander and the New Testament,"
NTS 10 (1964) 365-68. See also BAG(D), 3rd ed., 189, s.v. yap.
3 P. W. van der Horst, "Can a Book End with a TAP? A Note on Mark X VI.8," JTS 23 ( 1 972)
121-24, esp. 123; see also the Twelfth Tractate by Musonius Rufias, which concludes with yap.

79

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 80 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

work that was fractured into smaller units by Plotinus's pupil and editor, Por-
phyry. Clearly, Porphyry did not consider it problematic to end a treatise with
yáp, and, as Harder noted, his division of the work was likely guided by Ploti-
nus's own markings.4 Van der Horst concluded his article by noting, "The proof
was really not necessary for common sense alone could argue that, if a sentence
or paragraph can end with yap, a book can too."5
The cumulative effect of these publications, along with the rise in narrative
criticism, helped substantiate Mark 16:8 as a viable conclusion to the Gospel.
Although there has never been unanimous agreement about the ending of Mark's
Gospel, the current consensus among NT scholars seems to be that 16:8 is the
authentic conclusion.6
In his recent book The Mutilation of Marks Gospel , N. Clayton Croy chal-
lenges the consensus, calling it a "sea change in scholarly opinion."7 He cites
numerous philosophical, methodological, and textual reasons for the shift, most
of which are beyond the scope of this study. In one of the more interesting textual
discussions, Croy draws new attention to one of the perennial issues of the
debate - the use of final yap in 16:8. 8 Unlike previous discussions, the thrust of
Croy's thesis is different.

4 Van der Horst, "Can a Book End with a TAP?" 123-24.

5 Ibid., 124.
6 For NT scholars representing the consensus, see, e.g., Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of
Mark: A Commentary (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002) 348-54; Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel
According to Saint Mark (BNTC; London: A. & C. Black, 1991) 382-94; David Rhoads, Joanna
Dewey, and Donald Michie, Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel (2nd ed.;
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999) 142-43; Ernest Best, Mark: The Gospel as Story (Edinburgh: Clark,
1983) 72-78; Mary A. Tolbert, Sowing the Gospel: Mark's World in Literary-Historical Perspec-
tive (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996) 288-99; Donald H. Juel, The Gospel of Mark (Interpreting Bib-
lical Texts; Nashville: Abingdon, 1999) 169-73; Jack Dean Kingsbury, Conflict in Mark: Jesus ,
Authorities, Disciples (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989) 112-17. Notable objectors include John W.
Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel According to S. Mark (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1871; reprint, Ann Arbor: Sovereign Grace, 1959) and William R. Farmer, The Last Twelve
Verses of Mark (SNTSMS 25; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974). More recent com-
mentators on the Gospel of Mark who advocate the theory of a mutilated text include, among oth-
ers, James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary;
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 495-504; Craig A. Evans, Mark 8:27-16:20 (WBC 34B; Dallas:
Word Books, 2001) 538-39; R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text
(NIGTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 680-88; Robert H. Gundry, Mark: A Commentary on
His Apology for the Cross (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993) 1009-12; Ben Witherington III, The
Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001) 412-19.
7 N. Clayton Croy, The Mutilation of Mark's Gospel (Nashville: Abingdon, 2003) 18. Por-
tions of this book were covered by Croy in "The World According to Gar: The Debate over Mark's
Ending at 16:8," a paper read at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in
Nashville, in 2000.
8 For purposes of this study, "final yap" refers to a construction where yap is followed by a
period.

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 8 1

The relevant question is no longer, can gar end a sentence? but rather what kinds of
sentences end with gar ? Obviously, such sentences must be short, usually two or
three words long. Less obvious is the fact that such sentences occur most often in
certain kinds of literature. Short sentences ending in gar reflect an informal oral or
conversational style. They often have the parenthetical quality of an aside. The text
almost always continues. Sentences ending in gar are much less common in narra-
tive.9

Croy deems the argument from style to be of lesser importance, but histori-
cally this line of reasoning reflects a new approach to this important issue.10 His
contention is unique in that he considers the genres in which final yap typically
occurs. By suggesting that sentences ending with yap are less common in narra-
tive literature, Croy argues that 16:8 is not the closing verse of Mark's Gospel but
represents the extant remains of a mutilated text. If accurate, Croy's research
could have an impact on the continued debate over Mark's ending. The purpose
of this study is to investigate Croy's assertion, specifically, the kinds of literature
in which yap is followed by a period. It is hoped that the study will provide a bal-
anced assessment of Croy's research and contribute to the ongoing debate over
Mark's ending.

I. Examination of the Data

The scope of this investigation will be the period surrounding the writing of
the NT documents - third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. An endeavor
of this magnitude would be impossible without a computer-driven search engine.
Thanks to the work of Thesaurus Linguae Graecae {TLG), a research center
founded in 1972 at the University of California, Irvine, nearly all of the extant
Greek texts from Homer to the fall of Byzantium in 1453 C.E. have been digi-
tized. The CD-ROM version of the database ( TLG CD-ROM E) was released in
February 2000 and contains approximately seventy-six million words.11 Before

9 Croy, Mutilation , 48.

10 Ibid., 50.
11 Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (CD-ROM E; Irvine: University of California Irvine, TLG
Project, 2000; used with TLG Workplace version 6.0; Cedar Hill, TX: Silver Mountain Software,
1997). The database is also available online (www.tlg.uci.edu) to subscribing institutions or indi-
viduals. This version of the database is updated quarterly and contains approximately ninety-one
million words, encompassifig thirty-seven hundred authors and twelve thousand texts. TLG CD-
ROM E is more than adequate to evaluate the trends in genre. It is unlikely that the online database
would significantly differ from the data obtained with CD-ROM E. Thirteen years prior to the
release of CD-ROM E, almost all of the extant pre-600 C.E. literature had. been digitized. Subse-
quent additions to the database have concentrated on the period from 600 to 1453 C.E. See Luci
Berkowitz and Karl A. Squitier, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae: Canon of Greek Authors and Works
(3rd ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 1990) x-xiii.

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 82 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

examining the data in question, it might be helpful to take a diachronic look at the
frequency of the construction. The following table lists the number of instances in
which yap is followed by a period from the eighth century B.C.E. to the eighth
century C.E. 12

Table 1

Century Number of
final yáp

ri

3rd 13

ui

Total 1059

Across the entire scope of the survey, there is tremendous deviation in the
number of concluding yap statements, but at the very least the table demonstrates
the statistical precedence for the construction. Table 2 provides a more descrip-

12 In the complete TLG database, which ranges far outside the scope of this study, there are
1,884 sentences that conclude with yap. There are also a total of 786 texts, 75 from the third cen-
tury B.C.E. to the second century C.E., where yap is followed by a question mark. Because this con-
struction falls outside the semantic situation in Mark 16:8, these texts were not included in the
study.

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 83

tive look at the shaded region in table 1 . It provides, by century, the spec
authors utilizing concluding yap constructions.

Table 2

3rd c. B.C.E.

Polybius 1 Athenaeus 23
Apollonius 1 Galen 9
Antigonus 1 Pseudo-Lucian 1
Aristophanes 3 Lucian 23
Erasistratus 2 Apollonius Dyscolus 7
Chrysippus 3 Aelius Herodianus 67
Straton 1 Pseudo-Plutarch 2

Euclides 1 Diogenianus 3
Aelius Aristides 3

2nd c. B.C.E. 2 Dio Cassius 3

Apollodorus 1 Pseudo-Galen 5
Demetrius 1 Sextus Empiricus 3
Claudius Aelianus 2

Iste. B.C.E. 20 Artemidorus 3

Philo Judaeus 1 Clement of Alexandria 3

Dionysius Halicarnassus 2 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus 1

Strabo 1 Hermógenes 2
Aristonicus 14 Polyaenus 1
Philoxenus 2 Flavius Philostratus 9

Justin Martyr 2
Iste. C.E. 16 Aretaeus 3

Plutarch 2 Alexander 23

Novum Testamentům 2 Anon. Comm. in Platonis 1

Aëtius 1 Arístocles 1

Epictetus 1 Corpus Hermeticum 3

Heron 1 Favorinus 1

Dio Chrysostom 3 Oenomaus 1

Gaius Musonius Rufus 1 Philostratus Major 1
Anonymus Londinensis 1 Phrynichus 6
Apollonius 3 Origen 8
(H)eren(n)ius Philo 1 Sextus Julius Africanus 1

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 84 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

Several items should be noted about table 2. First, the 272 occurrences of
yáp followed by a period are not limited to a few isolated authors. Rather, fifty-
six different writers utilize this construction.13 Second, several authors make
unusually high use of concluding yap statements. Most notable are Aristonicus
(14), Athenaeus (23), Lucian (23), Aelius Herodianus (67), and Alexander (23).
These variations are peculiar, given the restricted use by most authors. Such
usage could be due to a variety of factors, not the least of which is stylistic prefer-
ence or literary genre.
The next step in the study is to examine the genres in which these occur-
rences of final yap appear. Utilizing the genre classifications assigned to each
text in TLG' s Canon of Greek Authors and Works , table 3 summarizes the number
of hits occurring in each genre along with the total number of works.14 It might be
surprising to find decimals in the columns listing the number of hits and the num-
ber of works. This was necessary because many of the texts involved in the sur-
vey were assigned multiple genres by TLG. The number of hits was calculated by
dividing the number of sentences concluding with yáp in the particular text by the
number of genres assigned to the particular text. Likewise, the number of works
was computed by dividing the number of books in which the multiple-genre tag
occurred by the number of genres reflected in that work.15 The upshot of this
method is that it creates the least distortion of the data and the greatest possibility
for a side-by-side comparison of the output. A simple example might be helpful.
Clement of Alexandria's book Paedagogus contains one concluding yáp state-
ment and is classified by TLG as a theological and philosophical work.16 Using
the above formulas, the number of hits for both theology and philosophy would
be 0.5 - that is, the number of hits (1) divided by the number of genres (2). The
number of works assigned to both theology and philosophy would be 0.5 - that
is, the number of works ( 1 ) divided by the number of genres (2).
Table 3 is important because it indicates that the use of final yáp occurs in
approximately 40 percent of the literary genres in the TLG Canon}1 It also shows

13 Technically speaking, there are fifty-seven authors. According to the table, only fifty-six
authors are listed. The designation Novum Testamentům (i.e., the NT) includes final yáp construc-
tions for two authors, Mark ( 1 6:8) and John (13:13). Thus, there are fifty-seven, not fifty-six, authors.
14 For a detailed discussion of TLG's method and listing of genres, see Berkowitz and
Squitier, Canon , xxxi-xlix. The full canon of authors is also available for public use on the TLG
Web site. The online Canon was used in calculating the data presented in table 3.
15 Some of the computations resulted in repeating decimals. Decimals extending beyond the
hundredths position were truncated.
16 For a helpful tool in defining some of the genres and acquiring background information
about the authors, see The Oxford Classical Dictionary : The Ultimate Reference Work on the Clas-
sical World (3rd ed.; ed. Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth; Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1996).
17 Table 3 lists thirty-one different genres. The TLG Canon lists a total of seventy-six genres
in its classification system. See Berkowitz and Squitier, Canon , xxxiii.

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 85

Table 3

Literary Genres Number Number

of hits of works

Grammatica 89.00 18.50

Philosophica 31.50 1 8.33

Polyhistorica

Medica

Dialogus

Satura 12.00 5.50

Lexicographa

Rhetorica

Exegetica 8.33 4.33

Commentarius 7.33 2.33

Biographa 5.00 1.50

Histórica

Naturalis Historia 4.16 2.00

Narratio Ficta

Paradoxographa

Theologica 3.16 2.66

Doxographa

Onirocritica 3.00 1.00

Paroemiographa 3.00 1.00

Mathematica 2.00 2.00

Oratio 2.00 1.00

Invectiva 1 .50 0.50

Apologetica 1 .00 0.50

Coquinaria 1 .00 0.50
Evangelica 1 .00 1 .00
Geographa 1 .00 1 .00
Mechanicus 1 .00 1 .00

Religiosa 1.00 1.00

Tactica 1.00 1.00

Encomiastica 0.50 0.50

Magica 0.33 0.33

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 86 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

that the vast majority of sentences ending with yap occur in grammatical works.
Even without the Aelius Herodianus texts, which account for sixty-seven of the
constructions, grammar is still one of the top genres. Philosophy and other techni-
cal works (i.e., medical, lexical, and exegetical works, and commentaries) round
out the upper echelons. In the literary genres most resembling the Gospels - his-
tory, biography, narrative fiction, evangelical literature, and religious literature -
there are a total of sixteen hits.18 Of the sixteen texts, twelve occur in dialogue
and one is the passage in question (Mark 16:8). 19 Three of the historical texts,
two of which are identical, parallel the construction found in Mark 16:8.

Polybius (third century B.C.E.)

Historiae 2.60. 1 . 1 7tapírj|ii xà Ttap' o'ov xòv ßiov aÙTOÛ Kai tô>v 7tpoyóvcov aaeßf|-
jiaxa: |iaicpòv yáp.

I say nothing of the crimes that he and his ancestors were guilty of all through their
lives: it would be too long a story.20

Dio Cassius (second century C.E.)

Historiae Romanae 63.19.2.3 (SI 8 1.5) Kai èyéveio JlIÉv tiç étatiç imo xeuiwvoç
amò v <ļ)0apf|aea0ai, jiárriv 8è rcoÄAoi TļaOrļaav: eacoOrļ yáp.

There was, indeed, some hope of his perishing in a storm and many rejoiced, but to
no purpose, as he came safely to land.21

The passage from Polybius represents a nice parallel, though it is slightly

different from the concluding yáp statement in Mark. Mark 16:8 contains a finite
verb, whereas the yáp clause in this text is elliptical. The narrator in this context
is speaking in the first person, as opposed to the third person in Mark 16:8. 22
Nonetheless, this represents a legitimate example of a final yáp construction in

18 Polyhistorica, although a branch of histórica, is not included as a genre comparable to the

Gospels, as twenty-three of the twenty-four hits are attributed to a single work, The Learned Ban-
quet , by Athenaeus of Naucratis. Composed as a symposium, this work, like the other remaining
hit (Favorinus) is philosophical in nature ( Oxford Classical Dictionary , 202, 590, 1461).
19 The twelve texts occurring in dialogue are the following: Apollodorus Fragmenta 222.2;
John 13:13; Dio Cassius Historiae Romanae 52.20.3.4; Flavius Philostratus Vitae Sophistarum
2.583.5; and Life of Apollonius 2.15.1; 2.40.26; 3.26.19; 6.9.37; 6.11.6; 6.22.14; 6.27.35; 7.14.83.
Mark 16:8 and John 13:13 are classified as evangelical and religious.
20 Trans. W. R. Paton (LCL).
21 Trans. Earnest Cary (LCL). Dio Cassius Historiae Romanae SI 81. 5, which is identical to
Dio Cassius Historiae Romanae 63.19.2.3, is preserved in Xiphilinus's epitome.
22 Mark A. Powell ( What Is Narrative Criticism ? [Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990] 25) notes

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 87

the body of a narrative work. The passage from Dio Cassius contains a narrat
third-person finite verb in a two-word clause - an excellent parallel to the co
struction in Mark.

These narrative examples, which are understated by their placement in th

appendix to Croy's book, demonstrate that final yap constructions can and
occur in narrative genres.23 This is not to mention the excellent examples found
the Septuagint (Gen 18:15; 45:3).24 The most impressive parallel occurs in G
18:15, in which Sarah, barren in her old age, laughs at the angelic messenge
announcement that she would conceive and give birth to a child. When con-
fronted by Abraham, Sarah denies it, e<|)oßf|0r| yáp - an expression with strik
similarity to Mark 16:8.

II. Evaluation of Clayton Croy's Argument

Croy states that sentences ending with yáp "are much less common in nar
tive" and occur most frequently in conversational types of literature such as p
losophy, dialogue, and other technical works.25 Therefore, he concludes, "th
limited use of 'final gar ' sentences in narrative prose and their extreme scarcity
the end of narrative works . . . argues against the likelihood that Mark conclu
his entire Gospel with such a clause."26
This study has confirmed that narrative sentences ending in yáp are spar
Of the 272 concluding yáp statements from the third century B.C.E. to the sec
century C.E., only sixteen are found in genres similar to Mark's Gospel. By w
of comparison, there are 89 sentences that ended with yáp in grammatical w
and 3 1 .5 in the philosophical genre. In this respect, the elementary facts of Cro
thesis are confirmed. There are more occurrences of sentences ending with yá
philosophical and other technical works than in narrative literature (histori
works, narrative fiction, biography, evangelical works, and religious works).
But does the relative infrequency of final yáp in the narrative genres as com
pared to the philosophical and other technical genres argue against Mark's abr
ending? Croy responds in the affirmative; I am not so sure. To argue for a hy
thetical longer ending based on the scarcity of this particular construction is dif
cult, given the current parameters of the discussion. A narrative sentence end

that narrators may also speak in the first as well as the second person. See Acts 16:10-17; 20:
21:1-18; 27:1-28:16.
23 Croy, Mutilation , 180-85.
24 TLG does not assign a date to the Septuagint; thus these texts did not appear as hits in the
search.

25 Croy, Mutilation , 48.

26 Ibid., 49.

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 88 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

with yáp may indeed be rare, but in comparison to what? Croy's assessment of
frequency is based on a comparison between the number of final yáp instances in
philosophical and other technical works and the number of final yáp instances in
narrative literature. But this comparison is potentially misleading. It could be that
there are more final yáp constructions in philosophical and other technical works
because these types of literature make up a larger proportion of the extant data.
Conversely, it may be that sentences ending with yáp are less common in the nar-
rative genres because these works make up a smaller percentage of the extant lit-
erature. Hypothetically speaking, if narrative literature comprises only a small
percentage of the extant literature, while philosophical and other technical works
make up a considerably larger percentage, final yáp could actually be more fre-
quent in narrative literature (even though the construction occurs fewer times in
comparison to the number of occurrences in philosophical and other technical
works). In other words, a simple comparison between the number of final yáp
instances in different genres is insufficient. Until the relative sizes of the extant
genres can be approximated during this period, there is no reliable way to identify
a construction as common or uncommon. For this reason, Croy's assessment of
the data is inadequate and must be regarded as tentative. His figures are accurate,
but they do not provide the full interpretive framework in which to assess their
significance.
In order to set up an adequate comparison between sentences ending with
yáp, it is first necessary to assess the size of the extant body of literature (table 4).
Only then can the relative frequencies of final yáp across various genres be com-
pared (table 5). Table 4 is my attempt to estimate numerically, by genre, the body
of literature from the third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. The table
includes the total number of words and works for each literary type. Percentages
are also included to offer some perspective on the relative size of the individual
genres with respect to the entire body of extant literature (in terms of the number
of both words and works).27 The figures in table 4, obtained from TLG s Canon of
Greek Authors and Works , approximate the total population of extant literature in
the study.28 The data set under scrutiny is large enough (17,729,880 words) to
provide a solid basis for determining the trends in literary genre.

27 See the discussion of table 3 for an explanation of the decimals under the number of
works.

28 Berkowitz and Squitier, Canon , 1-406. The data were collected page by page, author by
author according to the following guidelines. All works from the third century B.C.E. to the second
century C.E. were collected along with less precisely dated works (e.g., 5/3 B.C.E., 4/3 B.C.E., 2/3
C.E., and 2/4 C.E.). The only texts not included in the survey were those labeled NQ, or no quota-
tion. Because TLG is an ongoing electronic tool, the total number of words in the Canon is less
than that in CD-ROM E. The Canon contains approximately sixty-five million words, while the
current version of TLG encompasses seventy-six million words. This discrepancy should not be

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 89

Table 4

Genre Number Percentage N limber Percentage

of words of words of works of works

Medica

Histórica

Philosophica

Exegetica

Rhetorica

Grammatica

Mathematica

Commentarius

Biographa

Polyhistorica

Geographa

Naturalis Historia 419,195

Theologica

Narrado Ficta

Apologetica

Epistolographa

Lexicographa

Oratio

Dialogus

Religiosa

Astrologica

Astronomica

Periegesis

Tactica

Paradoxographa

Comica

Acta

Satura

Mythographa

Paroemiographa

Onirocritica

Mechanica

Epica

Homiletica 62,670 0.35 8.24 0.39

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 90 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

Table 4 (continued)

Genre Number Percentage Number Percentage

of words of words of works of works

Catena

Epigrammatica

Musica

Metrologica

Apocalypsis

Gnomica

Encomiastica

Pseudepigrapha

Evangelica

Magica

Doxographa

Hagiographa

Oraculum

Hymnus

Bucolica

Chronographa

Apocrypha

Hexametrica

Ecclesiastica

Iambica

Fabula

Tragica

Invectiva

Elegiaca

Lyrica

Parodica

Physiognomonica

Hypothesis

Poema

Satyra

Testimonia

Coquinaria

Mimus

Total 17,729,880 2,105

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 9 1

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the raw data. Notice, however, that the th

dominant genres in this period, in terms of both the number of words and t
number of works, are medical literature (14.48% of words, 6.61% of works)
history (13.17% of words, 17.16% of works), and philosophy (12.18% of wor
1 1.53% of works). Though the statistics could be parsed further, the figur
provide a reference point from which it is now possible to evaluate the relati
frequency of concluding yáp statements with respect to the extant genres.
Table 5 (see p. 92) summarizes the proportion of sentences ending with ya
to the number of words in the respective genres across the period of study.29 Th
table is the culmination of this study. For each genre, the table provides the t
number of extant words, the number of final yáp constructions, and the relat
frequency of final yáp for every 10,000 words. For example, when reading
grammatical work, one might expect to read slightly fewer than 10,000 words
order to find a single occurrence of a sentence ending with yáp.
The number of sentences ending with yáp is uncommon, particularly wit
regard to history. Croy concludes from this that Mark may have ended
account at v. 8, though likely did not because "all things that are possible are
equally probable "30 True, all things are possible but not equally probable. But
that is the case, then one must admit that it is extremely unlikely that yáp w
end a sentence in most genres including philosophy, commentaries, history -
the list goes on. Even though only sixteen examples of the construction wer
found in genres similar to the Gospels, this should not be surprising. In the m
profuse final yáp genres, the construction can be expected approximately o
every 10,000 words.31 In the overwhelming majority of genres, the frequenc
considerably less. In the median genre, mechanical literature, one would have
read nearly 100,000 words before likely finding a sentence ending with yáp
Considering the Gospels as a point of reference - Matthew, Mark, and Luke c

considered problematic, as almost all of the extant literature up to 600 C.E. was digitized before
printed publication of the Canon.
29 One might argue that I have skewed the data by including all sixteen hits from the narr
tive genres when in actuality only three represented true parallels to Mark 16:8. It would be
curate, however, to eliminate numerous occurrences in the narrative genres via selection cri
that are not applied uniformly to the entire population of the study. The purpose of the table i
show trends among the literary genres. All hits should be included, whether or not they are
examples of the semantic situation in Mark 16:8, as they occur in one of the narrative genres. F
purposes of this table, I am concerned with the macro-genre. If the semantic situation of Mark
were used as a selection criterion across the entire body of literature, the vast majority of
would be eliminated indicating that the narrative genres were the most likely place to find the
struction.
30 Croy, Mutilation , 49.
31 The minimal amount of words in the coquinaria genre distorts the statistical frequen
This genre should not be considered significant.
32 The median is the middle figure in an ordered set of numerical values.

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92 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

Table 5

Literary Genres Number Number Frequency/

of words of hits 10k words

Coquinaria

Invectiva

Grammatica

Satura

Doxographa

Dialogus

Lexicographa

Polyhistorica

Onirocritica

Paroemiographa

Paradoxographa

Evangelica

Philosophica

Encomiastica

Narratio Ficta

Medianica

Rhetorica

Commentarius

Oratio

Naturalis Historia

Theologica

Magica

Biographa

Exegetica

Tactica

Medica

Religiosa

Apologetica

Mathematica

Histórica

Geographa 556,458 1.00 0.0180

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 A FURTHER WORD ON FINAL TAP 93

tain 18,346, 11,133, and 19,482 words respectively - the vast majority of b
would never contain this type of construction.33 Essentially, it would be jus
unusual to find yap at the end of a sentence in a philosophical work as it wou
to find it at the end of a sentence in a narrative work. In this respect, Croy's
clusion is misleading. The discussion of final yap in certain kinds of literatur
conversation about the relative frequency of a construction that is exceedi
infrequent. Croy notes that yáp is followed by a period 1,884 times in the
database, which at first blush might seem to suggest that the construction is
mon, but when this figure is understood against the'magnitude of the
database, which spans twenty-three centuries, this figure is not nearly as im
sive. The fact is concluding yáp statements are extremely ; extremely rare a
times and in all genres ?A
To suggest, as Croy does, that "to the extent that the stylistic argume
weighs into the debate, it must be said to give its modest force to the thesis
mutilated text" is to misunderstand the data.35 The use of final yáp suggests
both the argument of frequency in selected genres and the use of yáp as the
cluding word in a piece of literature are moot points. In and of themselves,
data suggest nothing. They can be marshaled to argue for a hypothetical lost
ing or the abrupt ending. Croy uses the infrequency of the construction to a
for a mutilated text, but if Mark consciously and purposefully intended to en
account abruptly, why use a clichéd or even widely attested phrase? If Mar
intent was to shock his readers contextually (i.e., without a resurrection app
ance), why not add a stylistic punch with an unusual concluding yáp stateme
If, as Croy states, it is "awkward for a narrative to end as Mark does," per
this was the author's original intent?36 This is not to mention the other factors
support the abrupt ending, including the open-ended parallels in Greco-Ro
literature, narrative readings that make sense of the conclusion in 16:8, or
possibility that the entire discussion may be misguided owing to the distin
nature of the gospel genre.37 The point of this article is not to argue for a part
lar theory but to demonstrate that the usage of final yáp is inconclusive and
be utilized with equal force to support the case for a mutilated text or the in
tional, abrupt ending.

33 The number of words listed for Mark includes 1:1-16:8.

34 Of course, the specific study concerns the third century B.C.E. to the second century
but this statement is likely valid for all periods.
35 Croy, Mutilation , 49.
36 Ibid.

37 For a discussion of open endings in Greco-Roman literature, see J. Lee Magness, Sense
and Absence: Structure and Suspension in the Ending of Mark's Gospel (SBLSS; Atlanta: Schol-
ars Press, 1 986). The question of gospel genre is hardly a settled issue. For a discussion of the issue
or narrative explanations for the abrupt ending, see the commentaries listed in n. 6.

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 94 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006

In a similar fashion, the fact that yap has never been found as the concluding
term in a narrative work - an argument generally used as evidence to suggest that
Mark could not have concluded at 16:8 - is equally misleading. Again, the prob-
lem is in the presentation of the facts. Most scholars acknowledge, as does Croy,
the existence of one or two examples of final yap occurring at the end of an
essay/book (Plotinus Ennead 5.5; Musonius Rufus Twelfth Tractate ).38 Oppo-
nents of the abrupt ending suggest that because the Gospel of Mark represents a
narrative work as opposed to the known philosophical example(s), it is improba-
ble that Mark concluded at 16:8, as no precedence for a similar ending in the nar-
rative genre exists. Although it is legitimate to seek literary parallels in order
better to understand or validate the existence of a particular construction, it is
erroneous to argue for the probability or improbability of a given construction
with any degree of certainty based on the occurrence of a construction that is
itself a remarkably unusual phenomenon. Having literary precedence only sug-
gests possibility; it does not necessarily provide any indication of probability and
may actually lead to greater uncertainty. Consider that there exists one, or possi-
bly two, philosophical works that conclude with yáp. Compared to the total num-
ber of texts in this genre, the odds against this one occurrence are astronomical.
Yet despite its statistical improbability, the occurrence exists. It would not be
unreasonable, nor necessarily surprising, if the Gospel of Mark represents the
only extant piece of narrative literature to conclude with yáp. Unfortunately, the
frequency, genre, and final yáp literary parallels do not aid the interpreter in
determining the location of Mark's ending.
Statistics are always open to interpretation and must be used with prudence;
however, after examining the data, I think that Croy's argument from genre is
inaccurate, and, moreover, a non-issue. It neither bolsters nor undermines the
hypothesis of a mutilated text or an abrupt ending. The argument from genre aids
little in the discussion of Mark's ending, as it occurs infrequently at all times and
across all kinds of literature. The construction is so infrequent that the evidence
can be used to argue both for and against the theory of a mutilated text or the
abrupt ending. What the research does affirm is that scholars should use caution
in utilizing final yáp as a basis for postulating a theory of Mark's ending. Barring
significant discoveries of new literature, statistical probability and literary paral-
lels provide little direction in this ongoing debate. The use of final yáp from the
third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. indicates that both theories are pos-
sible, but it does not render one theory more probable.39

38 Most scholars favoring the theory of a mutilated text do not recognize Plotinus as a legiti-
mate example of the phenomenon. See Croy, Mutilation , 48-49; also see the commentaries favor-
ing the theory of a mutilated text in n. 6.
39 Special thanks to Daniel B. Wallace, Dallas Theological Seminary, for reading a prelimi-
nary version of the article.

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