Editing Gospel of Mark (section)

===Christology===
{{see also|Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament}}
[[Christology]] means a doctrine or understanding concerning the person or nature of Christ.{{sfn|Telford|1999|p=3}} In the New Testament writings it is frequently conveyed through the titles applied to Jesus. Most scholars agree that "Son of God" is the most important of these titles in Mark. It appears on the lips of God himself at the [[baptism of Jesus|baptism]] and the [[transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration]], and is Jesus' own self-designation.<ref>''Bible'' {{bibleverse|Mark|13:32}}</ref> These and other instances provide reliable evidence of how the evangelist perceived Jesus, but it is not clear just what the title meant to Mark and his 1st-century audience.{{sfn|Telford|1999|pp=38–39}} Where it appears in the Hebrew scriptures it meant Israel as God's people, or the king at his coronation, or angels, as well as the suffering righteous man.{{sfn|Donahue|2005|p=25}} In Hellenistic culture the same phrase meant a "divine man", a supernatural being. There is little evidence that "son of God" was a title for the messiah in 1st century Judaism, and the attributes that Mark describes in Jesus are much more those of the Hellenistic miracle-working "divine man" than of the Jewish Davidic messiah.{{sfn|Telford|1999|pp=38–39}}

Mark does not explicitly state what he means by "Son of God", nor when the sonship was conferred.{{sfn|Ehrman|1993|p=74}} The New Testament as a whole presents four different understandings:
# Jesus became God's son at his resurrection, God "begetting" Jesus to a new life by raising him from the dead{{snd}}this was the earliest understanding, preserved in Paul's [[Epistle to the Romans]], 1:3–4, and in [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 13:33;
# Jesus became God's son at [[baptism of Jesus|his baptism]], the coming of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] marking him as messiah, while "Son of God" refers to the relationship then established for him by God{{snd}}this is the understanding implied in Mark 1:9–11;<ref>''Bible'' {{bibleverse|Mark|1:9–11}}</ref> 
# Matthew and Luke present Jesus as "Son of God" from the moment of conception and birth, with God taking the place of a human father;
# John, the last of the gospels, presents the idea that the Christ was pre-existent and became flesh as Jesus{{snd}}an idea also found in Paul.{{sfn|Burkett|2002|pp=68–69}}

However, other scholars dispute this interpretation and instead hold that Jesus is already presented as God's son even before his baptism in Mark.{{sfn|Hurtado|2021|p=96}}

Mark also calls Jesus "christos" (Christ), translating the Hebrew "messiah," (anointed person).{{sfn|Donahue|2005|pp=25–26}} In the Old Testament the term messiah ("anointed one") described prophets, priests and kings; by the time of Jesus, with the kingdom long vanished, it had come to mean an [[eschatology|eschatological]] king (a king who would come at the end of time), one who would be entirely human though far greater than all God's previous messengers to Israel, endowed with miraculous powers, free from sin, ruling in justice and glory (as described in, for example, the [[Psalms of Solomon]], a Jewish work from this period).{{sfn|Edwards|2002|p=250}} The most important occurrences are in the context of Jesus' death and suffering, suggesting that, for Mark, Jesus can only be fully understood in that context.{{sfn|Donahue|2005|pp=25–26}}

A third important title, "[[Son of Man]]", has its roots in [[book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]], the [[Book of Enoch]], (a popular Jewish apocalyptic work of the period), and especially in [[Daniel 7]]:13–14, where the Son of Man is assigned royal roles of dominion, kingship and glory.{{sfn|Witherington|2001|p=51}}{{sfn|Donahue|2005|pp=26–27}} Mark 14:62 combines more scriptural allusions: before he comes on clouds<ref>''Bible'' {{bibleverse|Daniel|7:13}}</ref> the Son of Man will be seated on the right hand of God,<ref>''Bible'' {{bibleverse|Psalm|110:1}}</ref> pointing to the equivalence of the three titles, Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, the common element being the reference to kingly power.{{sfn|Witherington|2001|p=52}}