Did the Gospel of Mark originally end at 16:8?

The passages

And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Mark 16:8

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mark 16:17-18

The problem

The two oldest complete Greek Bibles, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (both fourth century), end the Gospel at 16:8. So do other early witnesses, and Eusebius and Jerome say that the best manuscripts they knew lacked the longer ending. Other manuscripts add verses 9–20 (the "Long Ending"), which has appearances of Jesus, a commission, and the signs including snake handling. Some manuscripts have a "Short Ending", and a few have both. The vocabulary and style of 9–20 differ from the rest of Mark.

The resulting question: did Mark mean to end with fear and silence, was the original ending lost, or was it written and removed?

What believers and scholars say

The ending is original. A minority of scholars and some church traditions defend the long ending, noting that it is attested by Irenaeus and Tatian in the second century and by the vast majority of later manuscripts. The King James Version follows the Greek text then available, which included it.

Mark ended at verse 8, deliberately. Most critical scholars hold this view. They see the abrupt ending as a literary choice that leaves readers to complete the story themselves, in keeping with Mark's emphasis on fear and awe. Other Gospels, they suggest, supplied the appearances that Mark withheld.

The ending was lost. Some argue that a Gospel could not close on the Greek word gar ("for") and that the last page of the scroll or codex was lost early. Croy has defended this view. Collins and others reply that there are Greek works that end similarly.

Status of the Long Ending. Many modern translations print verses 9–20 in brackets or with a note. Churches differ on whether to treat it as scripture. Most agree that it was widely read and quoted from an early date.

Where this leaves it

Which ending a reader hears depends on which manuscripts they trust and on what they think Mark was doing. The four verses most often cited in support of snake handling belong to the disputed section. The empty tomb and the women's announcement are in all versions of the text.