This thesis takes a novel, inter-disciplinary approach to an examination of the Markan evangelist’s portrayal of Jesus’ interface with Gentiles in a central section of his Gospel (Mk 4.35-9.29). As a framework to this section, Mark created a connected account of Jesus’ itinerary that included trips to perform miracles in the Gentile territories of Gerasa, Tyre, Bethsaida, the wider Decapolis and Caesarea Philippi. This thesis examines the role of these pericopae in the narrative as a whole and challenges the view that Mark’s geographical references were largely symbolic, rural and for the most part aimed at Jewish followers. The study scrutinizes Mark’s choice of geographical locations, systematically examines recent research on the religious milieu in these specific locations and brings this research into connection with the Gentile mission portrayed by Mark. The polytheistic and social environment in which Mark’s first century audience functioned has received little attention in recent scholarship and represents a lacuna in New Testament historical-critical research which this study addresses. A detailed exegesis of this section of the narrative concludes that Mark (a) deliberately redacts his text to place miracles in geographical regions where Gentiles predominate; (b) emphasizes obduracy and faithlessness on the part of Jewish officialdom and the Jewish disciples, in contrast to an implied understanding on the part of the Gentiles; (c) orchestrates a prolonged and sustained Jesus mission to the Gentiles as a precursor to his own community’s mission, to respond to their need for support and reassurance and (d) formulates his narrative to engage with his intended first century audience's Graeco-Roman religious and social worldview, inviting them to make comparison between the activities of Jesus and other contemporary miracle-performing men and polytheistic gods.

Notre recherche propose une synthèse sur les pratiques religieuses dans le Proche-Orient romain. Elle trouve son intérêt dans la confrontation de sources variées: textes littéraires et épigraphiques, objets archéologiques et représentations iconographiques. Nous nous sommes donné comme tâche d'étudier ces sources non pas séparément mais de les comparer afin d'identifier les instruments de culte, de les décrire et de déterminer quelle était leur place dans les rites religieux du Proche-Orient romain. Le but de ce travail est de poser les bases d'une nouvelle interprétation des rites de cette région grâce à l'ensemble des données réunies dans un corpus. Notre étude considère les cérémonies religieuses, non pas au travers des mythes ou des divinités, mais par la pratique, par les gestes accomplis au moyen d'objets cultuels laissant apparaître les liens entre sacrifiants, offrandes et dieux. Cette étude permet de souligner la variété des cultes et des rites du Proche-Orient romain et la diversité culturelle de cette région, au carrefour de différentes civilisations et mêlant des traditions orientales, grecques et romaines. / Our research presents a synthesis of the religious practices in the Roman Near East. Its interest is based on the confrontation of various sources: literary and epigraphic texts, archaeological objects and iconography. These sources are not studied separately but comparatively in order to identify the instruments of worship, to describe them and to determine their use in the religious rites of the Roman Near East. The aim of this work is to lay the foundations for a new interpretation of the rites of this region through all the data collected in a corpus. Our study proposes to consider the religious ceremonies, not through myths and deities, but from the practices and the gestures made with cultual objects revealing the links between sacrificers, offerings and gods. This study brings out the variety of cults and rites of the Roman Near East and the cultural diversity of this region, at the crossroads of different civilizations mixing Eastern, Greek and Roman traditions.