Magness's case for Mark is that the evangelist has developed themes involving the concepts of fear and silence.13 In Mark, silence is not necessarily the function of ignorance or misunderstanding, but of knowledge and awe (see exorcism accounts and remarks about confessing Jesus as Messiah in public). More than that, fear is an appropriate response to the display of divine power. So Magness argues that the silence of the women is not to be seen as absolute and the fear reflects a response to something divine, made clear by observation and instruction.
