PALIN: THE ASS AGAIN (Mk 11,3d) J. DUNCAN M. DERRETT Since 1881 most editors display an incorrect and misleading text at Mk 11,3d. Pavlin is an intrusion. The TR is corroborated by Is 32,20, whence we learn that the righteous speedily send an ass to the Messiah. 1. Introduction Here we are concerned with coagulated conundrums inherent in the reading(s) of Mk 11,3, to which I did not attend (nor to Is 32,20) in my earlier study of the Ass (1971). In determining to follow Tischendorf and then Westcott and Hort, editors (Nestle, Souter, Kilpatrick, Aland, Metzger) have been swayed (as is normal) by the sense they imputed to the passage. I new opine (as will appear) that they were mistaken, and the sense of Mark is as good as lost so long as the post-1881 reading is relied on. In reality Mark is making a somewhat fanciful point, which may relate to reminiscence. 1 Enquiry into that is confused by the question of Jesus’ prescience vibrant in the Passion story (Mk 14,13 ajpanthvsei) which does not aid commentators’ reconstruction of the event. Perhaps it is bet- ter to find Jesus’ followers colluding in a charade to bring ancient prophets to life. Many will now believe that miracles were staged (I do not mean «fabricated») in order to prove to an unsophisticated audience that the old prophecies were taking effect. And to impress such an audience it would not be necessary to use only simple and transparent techniques. Mk 11,3 offers several problems. Assuming for the moment that WH (now 26 UBS3 and NA26) were to be reliable, (1) who is the subject of apostellei or ajpostelei' (2) as between ajpostevllei and ajpostelei' j v admittedly virtually synonymous 2, which is right; (3) if pavlin is reliable what does it mean; and (4) what is meant by w|de? These problems are not present in Matthew, who at 21,3 reads eujqu;" de; ajpostevllei (or apostelei) autou" (according to Matthew two animals are involved). j ' jv Yet even in Matthew some ambiguity was detected in the past. 1 Is Jesus’ foreknowledge a notion of Hellenistic-Jewish circles? H. Patsch, «Der Einzug Jesu in Jerusalem», ZTK 68, 1971, 1-26. Whether the popular acclamation was a separate story is not our immediate concern. 2 Blass-Debrunner-Funk, Greek Grammar of the New Testament (Cambridge & Chicago, 1961), §323(1). «In prophecies it is very frequent in the NT». Cf. LXX Josh 1,11 diabaivnete. B.M. Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (London & New York, 1976), 108-109 takes the future to be a scribal «correction». Filología Neotestamentaria - Vol. XIV - 2001, pp. 121-129 Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de Córdoba (España)