Not here, but ahead The proagein motif in the Gospel of Mark as the virtue of “faith that follows after” for Christian religious education
Abstract
The term “empty tomb” has become standard vocabulary in Christian religious education, although the New Testament never predicates κενός of Jesus’ tomb. This article traces where the predicate of emptiness is actually lodged and finds that Paul attaches it to proclamation and to faith (1 Cor 15:14), so that emptiness migrates from space to act and relation. What remains at the mouth of the tomb is not an adjective but a verb of motion, προάγει. Employing narrative criticism and lexical motif analysis, the study maps the five occurrences of προάγω in Mark (6:45; 10:32; 11:9; 14:28; 16:7) and identifies two structures: the reversal of the position of going ahead, from human beings to Christ, and an inclusio of fear linking 10:32 with 16:8. From this motif a formative virtue is constructed, “faith that follows after,” the disposition to set out because Christ has already set out, with a negative boundary drawn from 2 John 9. The virtue requires reconstructing Christian religious education at three points: locus, teacher authority, and telos with its assessment.
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Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 Sokhiziduhu Ndruru, Herman Poroe, Ramses Sianturi, Rorogo Zalukhu
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