A great opportunity to encounter Mark’s gospel about Jesus in a fresh translation! Richard Burridge is translating the Gospels in a bold, literal new translation. On Oct 14 we can listen in on a live performance of Mark.

THE ROUGH MARK:
THE LONDON PREMIÈRE
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14th 2022, 7.30-10pm (Central Time: 1:30-4pm)

Starring JUSTIN BUTCHER as ‘Mark the Narrator’ and ANDY HARRISON as ‘All the
Other Voices’, with author RICHARD BURRIDGE reading the words of Jesus
St Luke’s Church is glad and honoured to host the London première with the first live performance of the whole of the Gospel According to St Mark in a new translation by the respected biblical scholar, the Rev’d Canon Professor Richard Burridge. It will also be simultaneously live streamed online to encourage a wider, even international, audience. Richard has been translating gospel passages for his own prayer reflections since a 35-day silent Jesuit retreat at the home of St Ignatius in Loyola in the Basque country within Spain in 2019, and he has now finished Mark and Matthew’s gospels, with Luke and John still to go. . . .!

Richard’s solo performances of various sections of Mark to other New Testament scholars have already been received with acclaim.

The principles followed in the translation are to reflect as closely as possible the Greek text, keeping literally to the word order, to the original tenses (e.g. Mark suddenly jumps into the present tense over 150 times – but sadly English translations usually ignore this habit), to word-plays and puns in the Greek, or reflecting its Semitic background, recognizing that Greek was clearly not the author’s mother- tongue. The resulting word order of verbs preceding nouns has even led to the translation being nick-named the ‘Gospel according to Geoffrey Boycott’ or ‘Yoda the Jedi Master’!

Experience this live oral performance like the ancients! With first-century literacy rates at only around 10-15% of people being able to read and write, ancient texts were received by hearers through the ears by being read out loud or even performed, rather than through the eyes as in the modern habit of silent reading. Ancient texts were written on 35-feet long scrolls, one of which could be recited in a single evening, rather than today’s habit of hearing or studying small passages of a single story on our own.

Detail of Mark’s lion symbol and his opening words in the East Window, St Luke’s Church
* Doors open at 7pm with informal bar available. Live tickets in advance/at the door £10 (£7.50
concessions), to cover production and performance costs with profits going to St Luke’s Church.
* To reserve a seat with advance card payment please email treasurer@saintlukeschurch.org.uk
* Any questions, or for further details, and for log-in details for the online live-stream (also
online donations welcome of at least £5), please email richard.burridge@manchester.ac.uk