So that they may not undestand: veiled resistant discourse in Mark 4,1-34

Abstract

This paper draws on James C. Scott’s research on resistant languages in contexts of domination to show that the parabolic discourse in Mark’s Gospel can be understood as a case of resitant discourse, and to determine the function it had in communicating the gospel message to its original addressees. With the help of the analytical tools used by Scott to detect such type of language, it also proposes an interpretation of Mark 4,1-34 that seeks to make sense, not only of its content, but also of the gaps, opacities, tensions and ambiguities  that overlie this text.