Unknown author wrote Mark’s ending

The Book of Mark was the first gospel written three decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection, around 55-65 A.D. Not only is Mark the shortest of the four gospels (only 16 chapters), but it is also the least used by ministers because it contains no Christmas story of Jesus’ birth and provides a shaky Easter—being devoid of Jesus’ resurrection appearances recorded by Matthew, Luke, and John. Mark 16:1-7 describes Mary and her companions arriving at Jesus’ tomb, where they meet a young man (not an angel). He tells the women that Jesus has risen from the dead and is going before them to Galilee, where they will see Him. Then, verse 8 abruptly ends Mark’s gospel with these unfulfilling words: “The women fled from the tomb for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” This strange ending leaves the reader dangling and desiring a continuation of the story. Bible scholars have wondered if Mark died before finishing the gospel or if the original ending was inadvertently torn from the parchment.

Although the earliest copies of Mark’s gospel end at verse 8, verses 9-20 were appended later in the second century by an unknown author who fixed the problem of its abrupt ending. Since the language and syntax of the appended passages (16: 9-20) differ from the rest of the gospel, it is generally agreed that they were penned by a writer other than Mark. A medieval source ascribes authorship to the elder Ariston, perhaps the man Papias (c. A.D. 135) called a disciple of the Lord.

A verse-by-verse examination of Mark 16: 9-20 reveals they were extracted from other gospels: 

16:9-11, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, Luke 24: 10-11; John 20: 11-18

16: 12-13, Jesus appears to two disciples, Luke 24:13-35

16: 14, Jesus’ appearance to eleven disciples, Luke 24: 36-49; John 20: 19-23

16: 15-16, Jesus issues Great Commission, Matthew 28: 18-20

16: 17-18, Signs that accompany believers, Matthew 10: 1; Luke 10:19

16: 19-20, Ascension of Jesus, Luke 24: 50-53

Should Mark 16:9-20 be disqualified as scripture because it was written by someone other than Mark? Absolutely not, because there is biblical precedence for including passages not written by the book’s principal author. For example, Moses did not write Deuteronomy 34:5-12 which describes his death and burial. Also, Jeremiah did not compose Jeremiah 52, which was excerpted from II Kings, chapters 24 and 25. 

In 1546, the Roman Catholic Council of Trent addressed this problem by confirming the canonicity of all 27 New Testament books. This included the ending of Mark’s gospel. In 1611, the passages from Mark 16:9-20 were included in the King James Version of the Bible. Other later modern translations followed suit; however, the appended passages are annotated by brackets and explanatory notes. In essence, Mark’s ending is a montage of resurrection passages extracted from Matthew, Luke, and John, and as such, should be accepted as Holy Scripture.

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