104 Eve-Marie Becker 4. Résumé: Mk 1:1-3 in the frame of 1:1-13/15 Mk 1:1 and 1:2-3 do have a certain formal structure that is not repeated in the later Gospel narrative. Thus, they seem to play an important role for Mark’s introductory part. The introductory part is not defective, but styled intentionally by the author, i.e. it has a specific literary function. Certainly, the question remains, to what extent Mk 1:1 and Mk 1:2-3 are related to each other precisely82. As I have argued earlier, the story of events (‘Ereignisgeschichte’) already starts in Mk 1:4 (eögeßneto), not in 1:14, or 1:16. Thus, there is no reason for taking Mk 1:1-13/15 out of the whole Gospel narrative and treating it separately. The episodic style in Mk 1 indicates that Mark does not start his Gospel story with longer and more elaborated passages. The Markan story-concept is, however, short and concise83. Because of this observa- tion, we can hardly assume any possible Markan interest in styling a more extended literary introduction than we have it now in 1:1-3. Mark seems to be much more interested in telling his story about the aörxh? touq euöaggelißou (Mk 1:1 as ‘Buchüberschrift’/’Themenangabe’) as efficient and as rapidly as possible: It is certainly not accidental that already in Mk 1:10, 12 we find the typical Markan paratactical element: kai? euöjußw (...)84. Right from the beginning, Mark obviously likes to tell his story in a short and precise way, as well as with a temporal hastiness that also fits to the content of Jesus’ teaching (Mk 1:15: peplhßrvtai oÖ kairo?w kai? häggiken hÖ basileißa touq jeouq). The reason for creating such an episodic style could go back to Mark’s lack of knowing and using of other, possibly more developed, literary sources (Q) or (literary) collections of traditions (such as: M and L). Such an interpretation, however, remains vague. In any case: In regard to Mark’s overall narrative concept, there seems to be no place and no reason for starting his Gospel story with an expanded ‘preface’ or ‘Vorgeschichte’. A prooemium, consisting of three verses (Mk 1:1-3), however, does fit the length and general narrative concept of the Markan Gospel, especially if we confront it with Lukian’s rules for writ- ing ‘historiography’85: „Die Vorrede [= prooemium, E-MB] muß… – und das stellt Lukian als Regel auf – in ihrem Umfang harmonisch mit der 82 Cf. Wischmeyer, “Zitat”. 83 Cf. Mk 1:12-14 in comparison to Mt 4:1-11 and Lk 4:1-13. 84 Voelz, “The Greek of Codex Vaticanus”, 239. 85 Cf. Lukian, h c 52: paßntvn de? hädh pareskeuasmeßnvn, kai? aöprooimißaston meßn pote poihßsetai th?n aörxh?n, oÖpoßtan mh? paßnu katepeißgh# to? praqgma prodioikhßsasjai ti eön tvq# prooimißv#... Cf. also: E. Herkommer, Die Topoi in den Prooemien der römischen Geschichtswerke (Diss. Tübingen 1968).