Not in earliest MSS; some Bibles exclude or bracket; content theologically sound
Anglican biblical scholarship recognizes that Mark 16:9-20 is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts and is therefore textually uncertain. Modern Anglican Bibles (such as the New Revised Standard Version) often bracket or note this passage. However, the theological content—Christ's resurrection appearances, the commission to proclaim the Gospel—is affirmed by mainstream Anglican theology.
Anglican approach: the passage may be included in some printed Bibles but with textual notation; if it is encountered in worship or study, its content is affirmed. The resurrection of Christ and the Great Commission are well-attested elsewhere in Scripture, so the textual question does not create doctrinal crisis.
Key Distinctions
- Textual status:
- absent from earliest MSS; textually uncertain
- Canonical status:
- Theological value:
- affirmed; resurrection and commission are central to Gospel witness
Scripture References
Sources
- Modern biblical scholarship
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion