Editing Marcan priority (section)

===Marcan style===

Mark's style of Greek is unique among the Gospels. Some scholars have argued that Mark's style is unsophisticated and unrefined or awkward. But others find Mark's Greek very dense and detailed. Mark is full of Latinisms, in idioms and vocabulary. Mark tends to conjoin verbs and sentences with {{lang|grc|καὶ}} ({{transliteration|grc|kai}}, "and"); in fact, more than half the verses in Mark begin with {{lang|grc|καὶ}}. Mark is also notably fond of {{lang|grc|εὐθὺς}} ({{transliteration|grc|euthùs}}, "immediately") and {{lang|grc|πάλιν}} ({{transliteration|grc|pálin}}, "again"), frequently uses dual expressions, and often prefers the [[historical present]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zmP5-Jp8VzsC&pg=PA23 | title=Mark: A Commentary | year=2006 | pages=23–24 | isbn=0664221076 | last=Boring | first=M. Eugene | series=New Testament Library: Commentary Series }}</ref> In essence, then, Mark's style is not so much literary as thoroughly colloquial.{{sfnp|Powers|2010|pp=90–93}}{{sfnp|Goodacre|2001|p=62}}

The parallel passages in Matthew and especially in Luke tend to be in a more polished and eloquent style of literary Greek. Where Mark uses an unusual word or expression, Matthew and Luke often substitute something more natural. Though they often add material of substance, they tend to trim down Mark's redundancies and verbosity and express his meaning more concisely.

Supporters of Marcan priority see this as Matthew and Luke improving the style of the material they incorporate from Mark. Supporters of Marcan posteriority, however, see Mark as recasting material from Matthew and Luke in his own peculiar style, less like lofty literature and more in a vivid, fast-moving style befitting oral preaching.