The Endings of the Book of Mark

What is the true ending of the book of Mark? The ESV puts Mark 16:9-20 as the ending, but has the note: “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.”

So what gives? Does the Bible have a “made up” ending to Mark? Why did someone add it? And if this isn’t the original ending, where did the original ending go?

This last semester, I wrote an essay for seminary answering these questions, and I conclude that we can be confident that the author of Mark intentionally ended his book at 16:8. There is no lost ending, because 16:1-8 is the original, intended, and thus inerrant, ending to the book of Mark. You can download the essay here.