Jesus the Oracle: Reading Mark in Roman Egypt

In Jesus the Oracle, Annelies Gisela Moeser reads Jesus’ journey from Capernaum to Jerusalem in Mark’s gospel through the cultural context of 2nd-3rd century Roman Egypt. Moeser provides a rich description of the Egyptian practice of oracles, including processional oracles, to build a model with which to read Mark. This prism brings attention to descriptions of Jesus’ supernatural knowledge and wisdom, e.g., in the story of the Rich Man (Mk 10:17-22). In contrast to Clement of Alexandria’s homily on the Rich Man which counseled detachment from possessions, this reading from a non-elite perspective considers Jesus’ advice to be more radical. This model of processional oracles highlights the importance of access to the divine, including by non-elite crowds, by persons with disabilities (for example, in comparing Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52) with Gemellus Horion of Karanis (a town in Egypt)), and by children. Traditional Egyptian religion upheld the existing socio-political regime. However, Jesus’ procession and proclamation of the basileia (reign) of G*d subverts the Roman world order and that of their local, elite allies.