Full Description
Believing that the needs of beleaguered Christian communities in turbulent times would be best met by drawing on the life of Jesus, Mark wrote a Gospel that was at once plain and subtle, fast-paced and yet profound. He clarified the essence of being a follower of Jesus, so that these communities might differentiate the essential from the trivial and be fortified in their testimony to the one true Gospel. In his important new commentary, Kim Huat Tan expounds the artistry of Mark in achieving all this in its original setting by focusing on the larger picture of themes and thrusts, paragraphs and plot, but without dodging important issues of interpretation. Following in the footsteps of his Gospel, Mark bridges the horizons between then and now, and show how it is still a powerful resource for a disciple of Jesus today.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
The Beginning of the Gospel (1:1-13)
- Fusing the Horizons
The Gospel in Galilee: The Mighty Acts of the Messiah (1:14-8:21)
- Excursus: Was Jesus Incensed or Compassionate?
- Excursus: The Pharisees
- Fusing the Horizons: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
- Excursus: The Location of the Story
- Excursus: Discrepancies Over What is Allowed
- Excursus: Mark and Josephus on John the Baptist
- Fusing the Horizons: Paltry Resources and a Needy World
- Excursus: Food and the Tradition of the Elders
- Excursus on 'Corban'
- Fusing the Horizons: Divine Integrity and the Abrogation of the Purity Code
On the Road to Jerusalem: The Gospel and the Suffering Messiah (8:22-10:52)
- Excursus: The Place of Jesus' Transfiguration
- Excursus: Elijah must first come
- Fusing the Horizons: Prayer and the Disciples' Failure
- Excursus: Jewish Attitudes Towards Divorce
- Fusing the Horizons: Marriage, Social Inequality, and Wealth
- Excursus: The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and Mark 10:45
- Excursus: The Son of David
The Climax of the Gospel: The Messiah and Jerusalem (11:1-16:8)
- Excursus: Problems of the Parable
- Excursus: The Appropriation of Psalm 118:22-23
- Excursus: The Chronology of the Last Supper in the Four Gospels
- Excursus: The Passover Meal
- Excursus: Caiaphas the High Priest
- Excursus: Sanhedrin
- Excursus: Pontius Pilate
- Excursus: Mark and John on the Hour of Crucifixion
- Fusing the Horizons: Mark's Achievement
A Sketch of Mark's Theology
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Ancient Sources Index
Modern Authors Index
