This dissertation tries to interpret the characteristic image of Jesus and of disciples in Mark in the view of the audience who heard the story of Markan-teller in the first century. Jesus in Mark is the person who was from the low-rung, a carpenter, not acknowledged his identity as the Son of God by his family, forsaken by his followers, and died on the cross like a human being crying out abandonment from God. Unfortunately but Jesus as a human being in Mark more than in any other gospels has not been magnified so much, instead unaccountable acts of Jesus who kept his messiahship in secret, has been focused by the scholars.
By the time that Mark was delivered, the early Christians could not meet the text of Mark, but hear the story of Mark. The communication in the first century in the Graeco-Roman world was often done through orality, not through literacy. Oral media was prevalent in society. Since the invention of print machine, the modern people have thought the culture of ancient period with the literacy biased view. On this account the biblical interpreters envisaged Mark transmitted to the reader who had capability of getting and interpreting the papyrus of Mark. On the contrary, the ancient could not afford to buy the expensive scroll and to read it. Therefore they could meet Mark in acoustic media by the gospel-teller.
When the storyteller performs the narrative before the audience, he/she is supposed to pay attention to the response of the audience. As a result, the audience plays a key role to control the content, direction, and the color of the story from the mouth of the storyteller even in unawareness. The audience in the oral performance venue can be called 'co-creator' of the story with the storyteller. The Markan audience who heard the story of Jesus, could have responsibility of composing the present Mark.
According to the studies of Korean folklorists, the audience from the common tend to hear the story of the hero who was from the common and succeeded or failed in his life. To the contrary, the audience from the aristocrats, like to hear the story of the hero who is from the high blood and succeed in his life. On basis of the Korean folkloric studies, Markan Jesus who was a hero from the common, not from the Davidic loyalty, and failed in his death on the cross, fits into the preference of the common, not of the noble. The audience who was from the common, could be connected well with the story of Jesus who was from the same social level. They had to live through the tough life with disgraceful deeds, not with honorable behaviors. They could, thus, have affinity with Jesus who showed the aspect of human being in Markan story.
The Markan disciples, also, who are described in negative tone, could be interpreted well in the folkloric field researches. The story of characters degraded can be delivered before the audience who has the same opinion about the characters narrated. Similarly the dishonorable aspect of the Markan disciples could be conveyed before the audience who didn't respect the historical disciples. Markan audience might live in the region of Rome or near where had weaker authority of them than in the Palestine around 70 AD. If they would live in the Palestine, they would have still held the strong recognition to the disciples.
The Gospel of Mark is the performance text made up from many oral performances. Each Gospel has characteristic image of Jesus, in consequence it would have borne its own audience hearing, being touched, and feeling connected to Jesus. It does come from the specific audience, especially of different social level, not come from the common audience of cross-section society. The divergent image of Jesus in the Gospels holds the distinctive nature of the audience. That's why the audience should be seen the 'co-worker' with the gospel-teller in the composition of the Gospels beyond the name of the interpreter.