Who Will See “The Kingdom of God Coming with Power” in Mark 9,1 — Protagonists or Antagonists? Much of the attention paid to Mark 9,1 in the last fifty years has focused on Jesus’ prediction of the “kingdom of God coming with power”. By contrast, the identity of the bystanders (tine" w|de tw'n ejsthkovtwn oi{tine") at whom the prediction is directed has received little attention. The logic is understandable. Pregnant mythical language has customarily overshadowed and/or interpreted “single dimensional” language in historically oriented exegetical practice. Consequently, the identity of the bystanders is determined by one’s understanding of the “kingdom coming with power”. Since the prediction of the kingdom in 9,1 is usually viewed as a promise of an apocalyptic victory or vindication, the bystanders — usually associated either with the three disciples who witness the Transfigura- tion (on the story level) (1), or with the longsuffering members of Mark’s community who anxiously await the parousia (on the redactional level) (2) — emerge as the recipients of the promise. In any event, it is customarily assumed that the bystanders play a protagonist role. But what if the conventional reading process were reversed whereby overshadowed portions of the episode, such as the interplay between antagonists and protagonists, were given prior attention and were permitted to inform the pregnant mythical language at the level of the story’s hearing and telling/performance? The aim of this paper (1) E.g. C.E.B. CRANFIELD, The Gospel According to St. Mark (Cambridge 1972) 288; J. MARCUS, The Way of the Lord. Christological Exegesis of the Old Testament in the Gospel of Mark (Louisville 1992) 67; E. NARDONI, “A Redactional Interpretation of Mark 9:1”, CBQ 43 (1981) 377-378; D. WENHAM – A.D.A. MOSES, “‘There Are Some Standing Here...’: Did They Become the ‘Reputed Pillars’ of the Jerusalem Church? Some Reflections on Mark 9:1, Galatians 2:9 and the Transfiguration”, NovT 36 (1994) 149-50, 158. This is also a common Patristic reading. See, for example, Origen, Commentary on Matthew, 12.31; Augustine, Sermons, 28.1; Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, 56. (2) See the survey of proponents in M. KÜNZI, Das Naherwartungslogion Markus 9,1 par. Geschichte seiner Auslegung mit einem Nachwort zur Auslegungsgeschichte von Markus 13,30 par (BGBE 21; Tübingen 1977) 157- 80; NARDONI, “A Redactional Interpretation of Mark 9:1”, 370-372.