The Gospel According to Mark


Book Description

The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave




Gospel Women and the Long Ending of Mark


Book Description

Kara Lyons-Pardue examines the issue of the ending of the gospel of Mark, showing how the later additions to the text function as early receptions of the original gospel tradition providing an ancient “fix” to the problem of the ending in which the women flee the tomb in terror and silence. Lyons-Pardue suggests that the long ending functions canonically, smoothing out the “problem” of 16:8 in ways that support the nascent four-gospel canon. Lyons-Pardue argues that the long ending represents an ancient reception of the preceding gospel that continues to the unique portrait of discipleship that is characteristically Markan. Mary Magdalene forms the renewed paradigm of an unlikely person or outsider, here a woman, being the one to “go and tell” the good news. This pattern is then projected onto all disciples who are called to proclaim the news to the entire created order (16:15).




Perspectives on the Ending of Mark


Book Description

The debate continues among today's leading Bible scholars about the conspicuous exclusion of twelve verses (16:9-20) in the gospel of Mark from some early Greek manuscripts.




Jesus' Literacy


Book Description

This introductory textbook approaches the study of intercultural communication from the field of international studies, focusing on issues of power, conflict, cooperation, and diplomacy.




The Gospel According to Mark


Book Description

This new Pillar volume offers exceptional commentary on Mark that clearly shows the second Gospel though it was a product of the earliest Christian community to be both relevant and sorely needed in today's church. Written by a biblical scholar who has devoted thirty years to the study of the second Gospel, this commentary aims primarily to interpret the Gosepl of Mark according to its theological intentions and purposes, especially as they relate to the life and ministry of Jesus and the call to faith and discipleship. Unique features of James Edwards's approach include clear descriptions of key terms used by Mark and revealing discussion of the Gospel's literary features, including Mark's use of the "sandwich" technique and of imagistic motifs and irony. Edwards also proposes a new paradigm for interpreting the difficult "Little Apocalypse" of chapter 13, and he argues for a new understanding of Mark's controversial ending.




Women in Mark's Gospel


Book Description

"[This] is a timely topic, one that has not yet been dealt with. Miller writes clearly and competently. The first chapter sets out her method, which draws from both literary critical and feminist work. She then treats the women of Mark's Gospel in sequence. Her work will provide a helpful supplement to the standard commentaries. It will also be useful in women's studies classes, and provides a nice example of a balanced feminist interpretation of the Gospels." —Dr. Alan Culpepper, Mercer University, Atlanta. Miller examines the accounts of women in Mark's gospel and interprets them in relation to Mark's definition of discipleship and his understanding of new creation.




Gospel Women and the Long Ending of Mark


Book Description

Kara Lyons-Pardue examines the issue of the ending of the gospel of Mark, showing how the later additions to the text function as early receptions of the original gospel tradition providing an ancient “fix” to the problem of the ending in which the women flee the tomb in terror and silence. Lyons-Pardue suggests that the long ending functions canonically, smoothing out the “problem” of 16:8 in ways that support the nascent four-gospel canon. Lyons-Pardue argues that the long ending represents an ancient reception of the preceding gospel that continues to the unique portrait of discipleship that is characteristically Markan. Mary Magdalene forms the renewed paradigm of an unlikely person or outsider, here a woman, being the one to “go and tell” the good news. This pattern is then projected onto all disciples who are called to proclaim the news to the entire created order (16:15).




Paul and Jesus


Book Description

In this “compulsively readable exploration of the tangled world of Christian origins” (Publishers Weekly), religious historian James Tabor illuminates the earliest years of Jesus’ teachings before Paul shaped them into the religion we know today. This fascinating examination of the earliest years of Christianity reveals how the man we call St. Paul shaped Christianity as we know it today. Historians know almost nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have—the letters of Paul—as well as other early Chris­tian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity. Tabor shows how Paul separated himself from Peter and James to introduce his own version of Christianity, which would continue to develop independently of the message that Jesus, James, and Peter preached. Paul and Jesus illuminates the fascinating period of history when Christianity was born out of Judaism.







The Gospel of Mark


Book Description

This book offers the first sustained attempt to read the Gospel of Mark both as an ancient biography and as a form of ancient rhetoric. Ben Witherington applies to Mark the socio-rhetorical approach for which he is well known, opening a fresh new perspective on the earliest Gospel. Written when the fledging Christian faith was experiencing a major crisis during the Jewish war, Mark provides us with the first window on how the life and teachings of Jesus were presented to a largely non-Jewish audience. According to Witherington, the structure of Mark demonstrates that this Gospel is biographically focused on the identity of Jesus and the importance of knowing who he is--the Christ, the Son of God. This finding reveals that Christology stood at the heart of the earliest Christians' faith. It also shows how important it was to these earliest Christians to persuade others about the nature of Jesus, both as a historical figure and as the Savior of the world.