In the discussion of Mark 13:14ff I discerned a Judean oracle which was incorporated into the Markan eschatological discourse, and I undertook to explore the historical implications of this further. The discernment of such an oracle re-opens the much-debated question of the relationship between this synoptic material and the tradition of a flight by Jerusalem Christians to Pella prior to the Jewish War. I will outline the state of the question with regard to the origin of this tradition and offer some criticisms of the debate as it stands. Having done this, I will weigh the evidence which speaks for and against an association between the flight tradition of Mark 13:14ff and the Pella flight traditions of Eusebius and Epiphanius. In conclusion, I will present some historical reflections on the circumstances during which the Judean oracle may have been composed, as well as the circumstances which led to its transmission to the Markan community. The aim of the discussion is to see whether further evidence can be adduced which supports this present historical reconstruction of the factors shaping the eschatology of Mark and the Markan community.

The debate about the historicity of the Pella flight tradition

There has been renewed interest recently in the question of the historicity of a tradition recorded by Eusebius and Epiphanius of a flight of Jerusalem Christians to Pella just prior to the Jewish War of 70 CE.