ABSTRACT
Some interpreters have suggested that these transliterations provide historical evidence that Jesus did not ordinarily speak Aramaic, and that it was therefore remarkable when Aramaic words are used. If Jesus actually spoke Aramaic in most circumstances, as many scholars believe, then transliteration of these particular Aramaic words, and none of the others, needs to be explained. Mark begins with Jesus and the disciples crossing the sea; Jesus calms the storm which threatens them. It is significant that all of the instances of unexplained transliteration and translation in the gospels are found in Mark. The attention is given to possible theological connotations of the story. But it is this ignored materiality of the text, represented in this story in the doubled phrases of the transliteration/translation combination that is crucial in the gospel of Mark. Transliteration and translation in combination set up a referential loop within the narrative, a lack of significance at a critical point in this seemingly significant story.
