Editing Marcan priority (section)

===Dualisms===

Mark displays a special fondness for "dualisms" of various kinds,<ref>{{cite book | last=Neirynck | first=Frans | title=Duality in Mark: Contributions to the Study of the Marcan Redaction | year=1988 | publisher=Leuven University Press | isbn=9061862795 }}</ref> one of which is repeating essentially the same thing in two adjacent phrases. In a majority of cases, the parallel passages in Matthew and Luke, if any, echo only one of the two, and it often happens that Matthew chooses one and Luke chooses the other.<ref name="Riley">{{Cite book | last=Riley | first=Harold | title=The Making of Mark: An Exploration | year=1989 | isbn=0865543593 | pages=219–227 | publisher=Mercer University Press | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSkupTd-J-IC&pg=PA219 }}</ref><ref>Cf. {{cite journal | title=Marc, première harmonie évangélique? | journal=Revue Biblique Jérusalem | year=1983 | volume=90 | issue=1 | pages=23–79 | last=Rolland | first=Philippe }}</ref> Some prominent examples:

* "When it was evening, after sunset"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|1:32|NET}}</ref> vs "When it was evening"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|8:16|NET}}</ref> + "As the sun was setting"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|4:40|NET}}</ref>
* "the leprosy left him and he was cleansed"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|1:42|NASB}}</ref> vs "the leprosy left him"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|5:13|NASB}}</ref> + "his leprosy was cleansed"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|8:3|NASB}}</ref>
* "the word that was sown in them"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|4:15|NET}}</ref> vs "the word from their hearts"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|8:12|NET}}</ref> + "what was sown in his heart"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|13:19|NET}}</ref>
* "They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|10:46|NET}}</ref> vs "As Jesus approached Jericho"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|18:35|NET}}</ref> + "As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|20:29|NET}}</ref>
* "immediately as you enter it"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|11:2|NRSV}}</ref> vs "immediately"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|21:2|NRSV}}</ref> + "as you enter it"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|19:30|NRSV}}</ref>
* "were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|14:1|NASB}}</ref> vs "were seeking how they might put him to death"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|22:2|NASB}}</ref> + "conspired to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|26:4|NASB}}</ref>
* "Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|14:12|NET}}</ref> vs "Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|26:17|NET}}</ref> + "Then came the day for the feast of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|22:7|NET}}</ref>
* "today, on this night"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|14:30|NASB}}</ref> vs "today"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|22:34|NASB}}</ref> + "this very night"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|26:34|NASB}}</ref>
* "Now when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation" (that is, the day before the Sabbath)<ref>{{bibleverse|Mk|15:42|NET}}</ref> vs "Now when it was evening"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|27:57|NET}}</ref> + "It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning"<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|23:54|NET}}</ref>

Supporters of Marcan posteriority advance these as clear cases of Mark conflating the parallel accounts from Matthew and Luke. Supporters of Marcan priority, on the other hand, point to a larger number of instances where both Matthew and Luke have chosen the same half of a Marcan dualism and argue that, when each gospel trimmed down these redundant expressions, sometimes by chance Matthew and Luke made opposite choices.

Riley observes when Matthew has one or both halves of a Marcan dualism, it usually occurs where Matthew and Mark are following the same sequence; when Luke has one or both halves of a Marcan dualism, it always occurs where Luke and Mark are following the same sequence. This is expected under Marcan posteriority, assuming the Marcan account can more easily refer to Matthew from memory, but more difficult to explain under Marcan priority.<ref name="Riley" />