Gospel of Mark, the translators typically set off Mark 16:9–20 with an editorial comment about how the earliest manuscripts do not contain that section. This is a particularly thorny issue, but, given the constraints of this essay, my comments must be brief. The manuscript evidence of the shorter ending (those manuscripts that omit 16:9–20) is particularly early and strong (א B). Second, scribes have a tendency to expand, elaborate, and smooth out difficulties. The rather abrupt ending of Mark’s