The Gospel of Mark

2137 Words5 Pages

INTRODUCTION

At the risk of being judgmental this book is very complicated. The points are many and varied. In his lead up to his commentary proper Myers makes many points as he expounds the many topics that would influence that commentary. The World of Jesus and the World of Mark, the filters and models of that social world, the cross-cultural history and the socio-economic tensions of both worlds are all considered. The Jewish War is also a point to consider in that it occurs around the time of writing and most of the historicity comes from the works of Josephus. The major point to consider however is Myers' self confessed socio-historical hermeneutic.

Because there are two parts to this essay discussion has been restricted to those points that have to do with traditioning and the consequences of translation from an oral tradition to a written tradition, the world of Jesus and the world of Mark and how one influences the other. The time and place of writing also will have a bearing on a reading of this story even in this present day. Finally, there is a discussion of the tensions of war and Jesus' roles as Bandit, Prophet, Priest and King.

The above will necessarily govern a contemporary reading of this gospel but it will also indicate in what way we can be pulled into the "war of myths" of which Myers speaks. The purpose of the gospel as a result of this and other readings is then discussed not so much to set this purpose in concrete but to indicate that each gospel is a living breathing thing that each reader puts their own life into and thereby draws on the life of Jesus.

TRADITIONING

One of the points to emerge from this book is the importance of the continuity or discontinuity of the message of the gospe...

... middle of paper ...

...s Story Of Jesus. Maryknoll: Orbis Books.

Nineham, D. E. 1986. The Gospel of Saint Mark. (13th reprint) Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Rhoads, David, Joanna Dewey and Donald Michie. 1999. Mark as Story: An Introduction To the Narrative of a Gospel. (2nd edition). Minneapolis: Fortress.

Van Iersel, Bas. 1989. Reading Mark (translated by W. H. Bisscheroux). Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark.

Additional References

Botha, Pieter J.J. 1993. "The Historical Setting of Mark's Gospel Problems and Possibilities" in JSNT 51, 27-55.

Mayer, Herbert T. 1969. The Books of the New Testament. St. Louis: Concordia.

Rhoads, David. 1992. "Social Criticism: Crossing Boundaries" in Mark and Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies. Ed. by Janice Capel Anderson and

Stephen Moore. Minneapolis: Fortress. Wilder, Amos. 1991. The Bible and the Literary Critic. Minneapolis: Fortre

Open Document