Simon Peter's Mother in Law Revisited. Or Why One Should Be More

© Smit, Peter’s Mother in Law lectio difficilior http://www.lectio.unibe.ch/03_1/smit.htmApostle for the Whole Church, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994, 58-9) suggest that a (mere)confirmation of the reality of the miracle should be regarded as the core of the story. Unfortunately, SimonPeter’s mother-in-law does not get much attention in Irene Danneman, Aus dem Rahmen fallen, Frauen imMarkusevangelium, eine feministische Re-Vision (Berlin: Alektor Verlag, 1996, 70), as the author prefers to dealmore thoroughly with some longer narratives. But what Simon Peter’s mother-in-law has to do with preaching orbeing an authoritative person in the community (p. 162), and even leading this community (p. 248, but her role isagain reduced to that of a disciple of Jesus on p. 267 and 272) remains unclear. I myself cannot think of aconvincing argument in favour of this view. Confessing agnosticism as to the leadership of the community inCapharnaum seems better to me.12 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 42, note 14.13 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 43, for the verb diakone/w, see Hermann W. Beyer, ‘ diakone/w, diakoni/a,dia/konoj’, in: Theological Dictionary of the New Testament II, 81-93.14 See Hans Joachim Kraus, Psalms 1-59 (transl. Hilton C. Oswald; Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1988), 129-132.15 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 44, she does not combine these two features of the text, but points to it elsewhere; itwould have strengthened her argument here as well, of course. See Idem, 47.16 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 45, referring to Maria Selvidge, ‘And Those Who Followed Feared (Mark 10:32),’Classical Biblical Quarterly 45 (1983), 396-400.17 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 45f.18 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 46f.; Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her, 320-321.19 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 47-8 (see p. 48, note 31 for bibliographical references).20 See Winsome Munro, ‘Women Disciples in Mark,’ Catholic Biblical Quarterly 44 (1982), 225-241. For thediscussion between Munro and others, see Munro, ‘Women Disciples: Light from Secret Mark’, Journal ofFeminist Studies in Religion 8 (1992), 49-51.21 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 49.22 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 50, confirmed by Kathleen Corley, Private Women, Public Meals: Social Conflict inthe Synoptic Tradition (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), 241.23 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 50, see Joanna Dewey, ‘Mark,’ in: E. Schüssler Fiorenza (ed.), Searching theScriptures: A Feminist Introduction and Commentary I (2 vols.; New York: Crossroad, 1993), 470-509, esp. 476.24 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 50.25 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 50f.26 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 52.27 Krause, ‘Mother-in-Law,’ 52f.28 On the basis of I Corinthians 9:5 most scholars accept the existence of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, as Paulstates that Peter took his wife with him on his missionary journeys. See Raymond E. Brown / Karl P. Donfried /John Reumann, Der Petrus der Bibel, Eine Ökumenische Untersuchung (transl. Erminold Füssl, Stuttgart:Calwer Verlag/Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, 1976), 35. See also Anthony Thiselton, The First Epistle to theCorinthians (New International Greek Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2000),679-682, who refers to Matthew 8:14 instead of Mark 1:29ff. for the ‘widely known’ fact that Peter was married.Historically speaking, it would have been rather exceptional, if a fisherman like Peter would have remainedunmarried.10