The question
Read and compare
Read Mark 16:1-20 in the KJB. Look at the ESV note before verse 9. Then read Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.10.5. Which verse does he say came from Mark?
Evidence
A quotation from the AD 100s
Irenaeus quotes Mark 16:19 and names Mark as its source. His work shows that the longer ending was known in the second century, the AD 100s. We know this through later copies of his work. It is strong early evidence, but it is not an original second-century copy of Mark’s Gospel.
Read Irenaeus 3.10.5 →Evidence
The old copies differ
The ESV publisher notes that some early copies do not have verses 9-20. Its footnote also describes other endings. These notes explain why scholars question how Mark first ended. The longer ending has early support, but the copies do not all agree.
Read Mark 16 and the publisher’s notes →Evidence
What this shows
The longer ending was known long before 1611. The KJB did not invent it. But an old ending is not always the ending the first writer wrote. We accept it as part of the KJB while showing why people still debate the old copies and the wording.
Read why we trust the KJB →The strongest challenge
Could someone add an ending early in a book’s history? Yes. Old words are not always the first words. At the same time, copies that lack the ending do not erase Irenaeus’s quotation. A fair case weighs both.
What the evidence supports—and what remains open
The early use of this ending is clear. Whether Mark first wrote it is still debated. We keep Mark 16:9-20 in the KJB. That choice goes further than the historical fact that early Christians knew it.
Follow the evidence
What does the evidence show?
No score and no forced answer. Use the sources above to weigh the claim.
- Check the source. Read the linked passage or record in context. Note its edition, date and language where relevant.
- Test the explanation. Compare the strongest challenge with what the source actually shows. Which point does it support, and which point needs more evidence?
- Choose your next step. Record the question you still need answered below, then follow a source or the next related study.
Your study notebook
What do you think—and what is still unclear?
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