• What is the difference between a primary and secondary source?

• What are the primary ones – below?

Mark’s Secondary SourcesTo know what secondary sources

Mark used

To evaluate secondary sources

To contrast the reliability of secondary and primary sources

What is a primary source?

How much of what you learn about in school eg in science, geography, is from a primary source?

If not from primary sources, where do you get your information? Do you trust this information?

1. Using P.16 AQA book, write out the headings and answer the questions :

• Collections of teachings: what was in the collection?

• The Passion narrative: – what is it? – why is this important and reliable source?

• Ur Markus: what is it?• Oral Tradition: why is it considered a

secondary source?

3. Which secondary source is least reliable? Why? 4. Do you think Marks’ written secondary sources

are generally reliable?

**Would you personally put more faith in the primary or the secondary sources that Mark used? Which ones?

SECONDARY SOURCES

• Name 2 primary sources

• Name 2 secondary sources.

• Which is more reliable? Primary or secondary? Why?

Complete the reasons why some sources are reliable.** Why might some of these sources not be 100% reliable? 2 reasons.

1. Eyewitness information from Peter is reliable because...

2. Mark’s personal experience is reliable because..3. Mark was directly inspired by God so he is reliable

because...

4. Oral tradition is reliable because...5. Written accounts of stories about Jesus’ miracles

etc are reliable because...6. Earlier documents eg collections of Jesus’ sayings/

UR Markus in Aramaic are reliable because...

Mark heard Peter himself, many times, telling what he had seen and heard, and he was closest to Jesus

Mark could tell for himself that facts like the Last Supper and the arrest were true, as he may have been there.

The Holy Spirit would have helped Mark explain truthfully & correctly who Jesus was

They were written down very soon after Jesus, while the stories were told by eyewitnesses.

People in those days had very good memories and remembered accurately. St Paul even quotes oral tradition when explaining how Communion should be celebrated 20 years after Jesus.

The stories are written in Aramaic, which is how they were first told, and Mark was using this Aramaic version & translating it.

Overall, how reliable were Mark’s sources? Score 1-5

• Peter• Oral tradition• Personal experience• Written documents eg UR markus• Divine inspiration?