Greek: semeîa dè toîs pisteúsasin taûta parasoloutʰèsei
Proposed solution: And signs will accompany them having been faithful to these things [i.e. Christ’s commandment in Mark 16:14 to go into the entire world and preach the good news to all Creation]
Importance: The dominant translation tradition (at least from the KJV onward) opens the door for the tragic and possibly entirely wrong practice of testing Christian belief by handling poisonous snakes, or insisting on healing without medical doctors or medicines (cp. Ecclesiasticus / Ben Sira 38:1-15), etc.
Evidence in favour of the proposed solution:
(1) The New Testament repeatedly describes precisely these miraculous signs accompanying Christ’s apostles.
(2) The logic of the text fits with the rest of the New Testament: God does miracles so that people will believe God’s messengers.
(3) That logic—of apostles being confirmed and aided by God’s provision of miraculous signs—is explicitly described in the immediately following text (Mark 16:20).
(4) The Christian Bible explicitly gives place to medical science as a gift from God (Ecclesiasticus / Ben Sira 38:1-15). If every church (or every Christian) could heal, there would be no need for Holy Scripture to exhort believers to go to physicians (who pray to God).
Proposed solution: And signs will accompany them having been faithful to these things [i.e. Christ’s commandment in Mark 16:14 to go into the entire world and preach the good news to all Creation]
Importance: The dominant translation tradition (at least from the KJV onward) opens the door for the tragic and possibly entirely wrong practice of testing Christian belief by handling poisonous snakes, or insisting on healing without medical doctors or medicines (cp. Ecclesiasticus / Ben Sira 38:1-15), etc.
Evidence in favour of the proposed solution:
(1) The New Testament repeatedly describes precisely these miraculous signs accompanying Christ’s apostles.
(2) The logic of the text fits with the rest of the New Testament: God does miracles so that people will believe God’s messengers.
(3) That logic—of apostles being confirmed and aided by God’s provision of miraculous signs—is explicitly described in the immediately following text (Mark 16:20).
(4) The Christian Bible explicitly gives place to medical science as a gift from God (Ecclesiasticus / Ben Sira 38:1-15). If every church (or every Christian) could heal, there would be no need for Holy Scripture to exhort believers to go to physicians (who pray to God).
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