chapter-level decision records generated from the live translation registry
The evidence beneath the English
Every consequential choice
leaves a record.
John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke were developed through direct Greek analysis, lexical work, and manuscript comparison. Where surviving witnesses materially disagree, the competing Greek readings and their effect on English remain open to the reader.
public provenance schema, designed to remain machine-readable and auditable
standardized inspectable Greek reference edition
Textual basis
SBL Greek New Testament
Edited by Michael W. Holmes. The project's standardized, publicly inspectable Greek reference edition. It is not presented as retroactive proof that every existing chapter originated from one uniform printed edition.
This is an honest reference claim, not a retroactive claim that all completed work began from one uniform printed edition. Material manuscript forks remain independently documented at the reading they affect.
Translation record
Mark 16
115 records217 records315 records417 records516 records618 records718 records822 records923 records1026 records1120 records1219 records1317 records1430 records1527 records1613 records
mark.16.m16Ending
τέλος τοῦ κατὰ Μᾶρκον / endings after 16:8
TEXTBOUNDARYhigh confidence
Where does the earliest recoverable text of Mark end?
The manuscript tradition preserves several endings. The two earliest complete Greek copies end at 16:8. Most later copies contain 16:9–20; a smaller stream preserves a shorter ending, sometimes followed by the longer one. The long ending is ancient and influential, but its vocabulary, transition, and external evidence make it unlikely to be Mark’s original conclusion.
Why this default
Ending at 16:8 is the project default because the earliest complete Greek witnesses stop there, several early writers show no knowledge of 16:9–20, and the longer ending’s transition, vocabulary, and style differ noticeably from the preceding narrative. Ancient attestation shows that the long ending is early, but early existence is not the same as Markan authorship.
Evidence
ExternalEnd at 16:8: א and B, with support from important early versions and patristic discussion. Longer ending: A, C, D, W, Θ, Ψ, family 13 and the Byzantine tradition; Irenaeus quotes 16:19 around 180 CE. Shorter ending: L, Ψ, 099, 0112 and several versional witnesses, commonly together with the longer ending.
InternalVerse 9 reintroduces Mary Magdalene after 16:1, shifts the subject abruptly, and uses a concentrated cluster of vocabulary and constructions uncommon in Mark. The shorter ending reads like an explicit attempt to repair the fear and silence of verse 8.
Project default⟦The earliest recoverable text ends at 16:8.⟧
Project default · earliest complete Greek witnesses
Witnessestext ends at ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ · א, B; important early versional and patristic supportAlternativeAnd all the things commanded they reported briefly to those around Peter. And after these things Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.
The shorter ending
Witnessesshorter ending · L, Ψ, 099, 0112; several versions (often before 16:9–20)AlternativeAnd having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
The longer ending · verses 9–20
Witnesses16:9–20 · A, C, D, W, Θ, Ψ, family 13, Byzantine tradition; known to Irenaeus c. 180AlternativeAnd all the things commanded they reported briefly to those around Peter. And after these things Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ⟦Then the longer ending follows:⟧ And having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Shorter and longer endings displayed
Witnessesshorter ending + 16:9–20 · L, Ψ, 099, 0112 and related witnessesRecord integrity
One registry drives both the reader and this record.
The manifest is regenerated from the translation source before every production build. Its source digest is 450adc54c1fc782fbae5e9ed6a640a2ae0e3be080722ac134c84e1248c2a312a.
Decision-level revision history begins with this ledger. Earlier development is not reconstructed into false precision; future material changes can be appended to the relevant record with their reason and date.