Why does Mark’s Gospel, the earliest, lack a resurrection appearance in its original ending?

I. Historical and Textual Context of Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s Gospel has been widely recognized as the earliest written account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Many manuscripts attest to its circulation among the earliest Christian communities. Within the sphere of textual study, scholars highlight that the most ancient Greek manuscripts of Mark (such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, both fourth-century) conclude at 16:8 without recording Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. This prompts the question: Why would the earliest Gospel appear to end without recounting the risen Lord’s encounters with His disciples?

While later “longer” or “shorter” endings show up in certain manuscripts and patristic citations, close manuscript analysis suggests these endings were likely added as supplements by scribes who wished to harmonize Mark with the other Gospels. The internal evidence, external manuscript witness, and comparison with early Christian writings form the basis for understanding this phenomenon.

II. The Abrupt Ending at Mark 16:8

A pivotal observation is that the Gospel of Mark as preserved in the earliest copies ends with the women fleeing the empty tomb in astonishment and fear. Mark 16:8 states: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”

This abrupt, even surprising, conclusion does not negate the resurrection itself. Indeed, even in these final verses, the angelic announcement clearly declares: “He has risen! He is not here” (Mark 16:6). The resurrection is proclaimed, though a firsthand appearance is noticeably absent in the original manuscript tradition.

III. Possible Reasons for the Original Ending

1. Deliberate Literary Style

One proposal is that Mark crafted a purposeful literary tension. By concluding abruptly, Mark may have intended to provoke readers and early Christian communities to reflect on their own response: Would they flee in fear, or would they proclaim the news? The repeated emphasis on misunderstanding or fear throughout Mark could lend credence to this view.

2. Loss of the Original Conclusion

Another compelling possibility is that the original ending beyond verse 8 was lost. Ancient manuscripts, often copied onto scrolls or codices, were prone to physical wear, especially at the beginning and end. While there is no definitive physical copy known to contain an original longer ending from Mark’s own hand, the phenomenon of missing sections in scrolls has been documented in other ancient writings.

3. Resurrection Known and Affirmed Elsewhere

Mark, writing from the vantage point of the earliest Christian belief, may have assumed that the resurrection appearances were already well-known through apostolic preaching and other oral/written traditions. He records the empty tomb and the angel’s pronouncement, leaving the rest—Christ’s appearances—to what believers had already received through living testimony from eyewitnesses, such as Peter (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:5).

IV. Internal Evidence of Mark’s Resurrection Emphasis

Even though Mark 16:9–20 does not appear in the earliest manuscripts, Mark does affirm the resurrection in multiple ways prior to verse 9:

• Jesus’ Own Predictions: Mark 8:31 indicates that Jesus “began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things … and after three days rise again.” Similar predictions appear in Mark 9:31 and Mark 10:34. These statements reveal a clear expectation of resurrection.

• Prophecy of Meeting in Galilee: In Mark 14:28, Jesus says, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” This declaration fosters the expectation that a post-resurrection gathering is certain to happen, even if Mark does not describe the actual event within the original text.

• Testimony of the Empty Tomb: Mark 16:4–6 lays out the heart of the resurrection message, when the women discover the stone rolled away, and an angelic figure declares, “He has risen!” Although appearances to the disciples are not narrated here, the fact of the resurrection is unequivocally proclaimed.

V. External Witness: Early Christian Attestation

Outside of Mark’s Gospel, very early sources serve as corroboration that believers were fully convinced of Christ’s bodily resurrection:

1. Paul’s Epistles

In 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, an early creed is quoted, describing numerous appearances of the resurrected Jesus, including one to more than five hundred believers at once (verse 6). This passage is dated even earlier than written Mark, testifying to the consistent teaching of Christ’s resurrection.

2. Patristic Writings

Writers like Polycarp (c. AD 69–155) and Irenaeus (c. AD 130–202) refer to the resurrection as a foundational fact of Christian faith. Their affirmations do not reveal any hint that the earliest believers questioned Christ’s post-resurrection appearances simply because Mark’s text ended abruptly.

3. Harmonization in Later Manuscripts

As Christian communities circulated the different Gospels, scribes—perhaps disquieted by the incomplete feel of Mark—appended material from other traditions or from Matthew and Luke, blending the accounts into longer endings. The presence of these additions does not necessarily undermine Mark’s authenticity; it reflects the scribal desire to underscore the same resurrection truth found throughout the New Testament.

VI. Theological Significance of the Shorter Ending

1. Focus on the Crucifixion and Resurrection Statement

Mark’s priority seems to be the proclamation that Jesus “has risen.” This core message stands at the heart of the Gospel. Though Matthew, Luke, and John elaborate on the appearances, Mark’s text stands as a distinct portrait of astonishment at the empty tomb and the invitation to faith.

2. Mark’s Emphasis on Immediate Action

A defining theme of Mark is immediacy (Greek: εὐθύς, “immediately”), seen repeatedly throughout the narrative. The abrupt conclusion echoes a stylistic consistency, prompting believers, then and now, to move swiftly from the knowledge of the resurrection into proclamation and discipleship.

3. Harmony with Other Gospels

While Mark does not narrate the appearances in the undisputed text, those appearances are found in Matthew 28:9–10, Luke 24:13–49, and John 20:11–29. The short ending of Mark does not contradict them; instead, it crops the narrative in a manner that leaves the resurrection accounts implied and confirms the consistent witness of Scripture.

VII. Early Manuscript Evidence and Reliability

In the study of biblical manuscripts, Mark’s ending is one of the most researched variations. Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (fourth century), as well as fragments like Papyrus 45 (third century), preserve significant evidence of Mark’s Gospel. While these manuscripts reveal the abrupt close at 16:8, they also confirm the consistent text of all preceding chapters up to that point.

This coherence in Mark’s earlier chapters, combined with the unified teaching of the resurrection in other canonical Gospels, underscores how these documents together uphold Christ’s rising from the dead as historical and theological fact. Indeed, the multiplicity of early textual witnesses affirms that no Christian community challenged the resurrection itself, but rather recognized variation at the end of Mark.

VIII. Addressing Concerns About Historicity

1. No Contradiction with Eyewitness Testimony

Though Mark stops at the empty tomb, there is no contradiction with firsthand eyewitness accounts. The same communities that treasured Mark also circulated accounts from Matthew, Luke, John, and Pauline epistles, weaving together a unified portrait of Jesus’ triumph over death.

2. Archaeological and Historical Corroborations

Archaeological studies in Jerusalem, including examinations of tomb sites from the Second Temple period, affirm that the style of burial and the rolling-stone doorway described (Mark 16:3–4) align with historical details of first-century Jewish practice. Such details support the credibility of Mark’s Passion and resurrection narrative.

3. Early Christian Growth Rooted in the Resurrection

From Jerusalem outward, Christianity spread rapidly (Acts 2:41–47). A movement so deeply grounded in the resurrection would not have thrived if the earliest records contradicted that central claim. Mark’s abrupt ending in the earliest manuscripts did not deter believers; rather, the empty tomb announcement provided fertile ground for faith, supplemented by other apostolic teachings of the risen Christ.

IX. Conclusion

Though Mark’s Gospel may appear to conclude abruptly in its earliest form, it does not omit the core truth of Jesus’ resurrection. From the angel’s proclamation at the empty tomb to Jesus’ own predictions of His rising, Mark offers a foundational testimony that prepares the believer for the fuller resurrection accounts in the other Gospels.

Whether the original ending was lost or Mark intentionally concluded with an open-ended drama, the overall biblical record—from manuscripts to patristic writings—resoundingly affirms the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In this, the earliest Gospel remains consistent with the unified testimony of Scripture that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead, securing salvation and victory over sin and death. As Mark 16:6 proclaims, “He has risen! He is not here,” pointing every reader toward the living hope found in Christ.