Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Mark

[Jiggle]

are you immune to cyanide and snake poison/venom?

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

- Mark 16:16-18

i read the whole chapter to be sure i didn't get it out of context.

so my question is... do you think that you are immune to cyanide (a poison) and venomous snake bites?

[jimwalton]

No. Mark 16 ends at verse 8. Verses 9-20 were added later. they do not appear in either the oldest or most reliable manuscripts: Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, minuscules 304 and 2386, the Old Latin manscript K, the Sinaitic Syriac, and several MSS of the Ethiopic version, along with the Adysh and Opiza MSS of he Georgian version. Eusebius writes that Mark ends at 16:8. Jerome says Mark ends at 16:8. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Cyprian, and Cyril of Jerusalem show no awareness of the existence of these verses.

Therefore, because these verses are strongly evidenced as non-authentic, we don't take these verses as the foundation for any doctrine or practice. In other words, we ignore them. They were added later.