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The Gospel According to Mark (Greek: κατὰ Μᾶρκον εὐαγγέλιον, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Μᾶρκον, to euangelion kata Markon), commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second gospel in the Bible. However, most contemporary scholars now regard it as the earliest of the canonical gospels^[1] (c 70),^[2]

The Gospel of Mark narrates the Ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to his death and resurrection. It focuses particularly on the last week of his life (chapters 11–16) in Jerusalem. Its swift narrative portrays Jesus as a heroic man of action,^[2] an exorcist, healer and miracle worker. An important theme of Mark is the Messianic Secret.^[3] Jesus silences the demoniacs he heals, tries unsuccessfully to keep his messianic identity secret, and conceals his message with parables.^[3] Meanwhile, the disciples fail to understand both the implication of the miracles of Jesus^[2] and the meaning of the things he predicts about his arrest, death and resurrection.

According to tradition and some early church writers, the author is Mark the Evangelist, the companion of the apostle Peter.^[4] The gospel, however, appears to rely on several underlying sources, varying in form and in theology, and which tells against the tradition that the gospel was based on Peter's preaching.^[5] Various elements within the gospel, including the importance of the authority of Peter and the breadth of its basic theology, suggest that the author wrote in Syria or Palestine for a non-Jewish Christian community which had earlier absorbed the influence of pre-Pauline beliefs and then developed them further independent of Paul.^[6]

Composition and setting[link]

The Gospel According to Mark does not name its author.^[2] A 2nd century tradition ascribes it to Mark the Evangelist (also known as John Mark), the companion of Peter,^[7] on whose memories it is supposedly based.^{[1][8][9][10]} but the author's use of varied sources tells against the traditional account and according to the majority view the author is unknown.^[11][12]The gospel was written in Greek shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, possibly in Syria.^[5]

Authorship and sources[link]

Mantegna's St. Mark.

According to Irenaeus, Papias of Hierapolis, writing in the early 2nd century, reported that this gospel was by John Mark,^[7] the companion of Saint Peter in Rome, who "had one purpose only – to leave out nothing that he had heard, and to make no misstatement about it."^[13] Most modern scholars believe that the gospel was written in Syria by an unknown Christian no earlier than AD 70, using various sources including a passion narrative (probably written), collections of miracles stories (oral or written), apocalyptic traditions (probably written), and disputations and didactic sayings (some possibly written).^[5] Some of the material in Mark, however, goes back a very long way, representing an important source for historical information about Jesus.^[5]

Mark wrote primarily for an audience of gentile Greek-speaking residents of the Roman Empire: Jewish traditions are explained, clearly for the benefit of non-Jews (e.g., Mark 7:1–4; 14:12; 15:42), and Aramaic words and phrases are expanded upon by the author, e.g., ταλιθα κουμ (talitha koum, Mark 5:41); κορβαν (Corban, Mark 7:11); αββα (abba, Mark 14:36). When Mark makes use of the Old Testament he does so in the form in which it had been translated into Greek, the Septuagint, for instance Mark 1:2; 2:23–28; 10:48b; 12:18–27; also compare 2:10 with Daniel 7:13–14.

Genre[link]

Franz Overbeck considered the gospels as the only new Christian genre, whereas other books of the New Testament were modeled on traditional types of religious literature. The influential discipline called form criticism propagated this view and defined the genre as an account of the “good news” centering on life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the evocation of repentance and faith as primary function.^[14]

However, parallels to Greco-Roman literature exist, e.g. to didactic biographies like the life of Moses by Philo of Alexandria. Furthermore, Mark is not interested in origins, education and inner development of Jesus, but narrates the history of the fulfillment of the divine promises from his perspective. In this focus Mark resembles a historical biography like Suetonius's Lives of Caesars.^[15]

Often in ancient literature historical events were related to divine power by direct interactions, as the splitting of the heavens in Mark 1:10 or the cloud in 9:7. Yet the dominant strategy of Mark is to describe humans as acting independently, but in the context of an underlying divine plan. Hence, he reflects the difference between Homer's Iliad on the one hand and Herodotus and the Deuteronomist on the other. Historiography in antiquity was not predominantly interested in facts, as in modern positivism, but in representation and explanation. For this purpose, miracles were included by Herodotus in ethnography; in Old Testament traditions, Moses, Samuel or Elijah appear as mediators between God and the people.^[16]

Adela Yarbro Collins integrates these observations into the characterization of Mark as an “eschatological historical monograph”, a new type of writing enrooted in traditional and contemporary literature.^[17]

Source for Matthew and Luke[link]

The first page of Mark in Minuscule 544

Most scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the canonical gospels, and was available when the gospels of Matthew and Luke were written.^[18] The reason that such great importance is attached to this Gospel has been the widespread belief among scholars that the Gospel of Mark and probably Q were the basis of the Synoptic Gospels,^[19][20] as held in the two-source hypothesis.^{[21][22][23][24][25]} Mark's gospel is a short, Koine Greek basis for the Synoptic Gospels. It provides the general chronology, from Jesus' baptism to the empty tomb.^[25]

Differing versions[link]

Mark is the shortest of the canonical gospels. Manuscripts, both scrolls and codices, tend to lose text at the beginning and the end, not unlike a coverless paperback in a backpack.^[26] These losses are characteristically unconnected with excisions. For instance, Mark 1:1 has been found in two different forms. Most manuscripts of Mark, including the 4th-century Codex Vaticanus, have the text "son of God",^[27] but three important manuscripts do not. Those three are: Codex Sinaiticus (01, א; dated 4th century), Codex Koridethi (038, Θ; 9th century), and the text called Minuscule 28 (11th century).^[28] Textual support for the term "Son of God" is strong, but the phrase may not have been original.^[29]

Interpolations may not be editorial, either. It is a common experience that glosses written in the margins of manuscripts get incorporated into the text as copies are made. Any particular example is open to dispute, of course, but one may take note of Mark 7:16, "Let anyone with ears to hear, listen," which is not found in early manuscripts.

Revision and editorial error may also contribute. Most differences are trivial but Mark 1:41, where the leper approached Jesus begging to be healed, is significant. Early (Western) manuscripts say that Jesus became angry with the leper while later (Byzantine) versions indicate that Jesus showed compassion. This is possibly a confusion between the Aramaic words ethraham (he had pity) and ethra'em (he was enraged).^[30] Since it is easier to understand why a scribe would change "rage" to "pity" than "pity" to "rage," the earlier version is probably original.^[31]

Ending[link]

Mark 16:9–20, describing some disciples' encounters with the resurrected Jesus, appears to be a later addition to the gospel. Mark 16:8 stops at a description of the empty tomb, which is immediately preceded by a statement by a "young man dressed in a white robe" that Jesus is "risen" and is "going ahead of you into Galilee." The last twelve verses are missing from the oldest manuscripts of Mark's Gospel.^[32] The style of these verses differs from the rest of Mark, suggesting they were a later addition. In a handful of manuscripts, a "short ending" is included after 16:8, but before the "long ending", and exists by itself in one of the earliest Old Latin codices, Codex Bobiensis. By the 5th century, at least four different endings have been attested. (See Mark 16 for a more comprehensive treatment of this topic.) Possibly, the Long Ending (16:9–20) started as a summary of evidence for Jesus' resurrection and the apostles' divine mission, based on other gospels.^[33] It was likely composed early in the 2nd century and incorporated into the gospel around the middle of the 2nd century.^[33]

The 3rd-century theologian Origen of Alexandria quoted the resurrection stories in Matthew, Luke, and John but failed to quote anything after Mark 16:8, suggesting that his copy of Mark stopped there. Eusebius and Jerome both mention the majority of texts available to them omitted the longer ending.^[34] Critics are divided over whether the original ending at 16:8 was intentional, whether it resulted from accidental loss, or even the author's death.^[35] Those who believe that 16:8 was not the intended ending argue that it would be very unusual syntax for the text to end with the conjunction gar (γάρ), as does Mark 16:8, and that thematically it would be strange for a book of good news to end with a note of fear (ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ, "for they were afraid").^[36] If the 16:8 ending was intentional, it could indicate a connection to the theme of the "Messianic Secret". This abrupt ending is also used to support the identification of this book as an example of closet drama, which characteristically ended without resolution and often with a tragic or shocking event that prevents closure.^[37]

Characteristics[link]

Minuscule 2427 – "Archaic Mark"

The Gospel of Mark differs from the other gospels in language, detail and content. Its theology is unique. The gospel's vocabulary embraces 1330 distinct words, of which 60 are proper names. Eighty words, (exclusive of proper names), are not found elsewhere in the New Testament. About one quarter of these are non-classical. In addition Mark makes use of the "historic present" as well as the "Messianic secret" to make known his Gospel message.^[38]

Theology[link]

The "Suffering Messiah" is central to Mark's portrayal of Jesus, his theology and the structure of the gospel. This knowledge is hidden and only those with spiritual insight may see. The concept of hidden knowledge may have become the basis of the Gnostic Gospels.^[39] John Killinger, arguing that, in Mark, the resurrection account is hidden throughout the gospel rather than at the end, speculates that the Markan author might himself have been a Gnostic Christian.^[40]

Messianic secret[link]

In 1901, William Wrede^[41] challenged the then-current critical view that Mark comprised a straightforward historical account and gave the name “Messianic secret” to this gospel theme. He argued that the Messianic secret was a literary device that Mark used to resolve the tension between early Christians, who hailed Jesus as the Messiah, and the historical Jesus who, he argued, never made any such claim for himself.^[42]

In Mark, more than in the other synoptics, Jesus hides his messianic identity.^[43] When he exorcises demons, they recognize him, but he commands them to be silent. When he heals people, he tells them not to reveal how they were healed.^[44] When he preaches, he uses parables to conceal his true message from the crowds (Mark 4:10–12). According to v. 34, Jesus “explained everything in private to his disciples”. However, in sentences like Mark 6:52 also the disciples are obtuse, understanding the true significance of Jesus only after his death.^[45] This "Messianic secret" is a central issue in Bible scholarship.^[46]

Adoptionism[link]

Adoptionism is the idea that Jesus was fully human, born of a sexual union between Joseph and Mary.^[47][48] Jesus only became divine, i.e. (adopted as God's son), later at his baptism.^[49] He was chosen as the firstborn of all creation because of his sinless devotion to the will of God.^[50][51]

Adoptionism probably arose among early Jewish Christians seeking to reconcile the claims that Jesus was the Son of God with the strict monotheism of Judaism, in which the concept of a trinity of divine persons in one Godhead was unacceptable. Scholar Bart D. Ehrman argues that adoptionist theology may date back almost to the time of Jesus.^[52] The early Jewish-Christian Gospels make no mention of a supernatural birth. Rather, they state that Jesus was begotten at his baptism.

The theology of Adoptionism fell into disfavor as Christianity left its Jewish roots and Gentile Christianity became dominant. Adoptionism was declared heresy at the end of the 2nd century, and was rejected by the First Council of Nicaea, which proclaimed the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and identifies Jesus as eternally begotten of God. The Creed of Nicaea now holds Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. (See Virgin Birth).^[53]

Adoptionism may go back as far as Matthew and the Apostles.^[52] According to some early church writers,^[54] the first gospel was written by the Apostle Matthew, and his account was called the Gospel of the Hebrews or the Gospel of the Apostles.^{[55][56][57][58][59]} This, the first written account of the life of Jesus was adoptionist in nature. The Gospel of the Hebrews has no mention of a virgin birth and when Jesus is baptized it states, "Jesus came up from the water, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit descend in the form of a dove and enter into Him. And a voice from Heaven said, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’ And again, ‘Today I have begotten You.’ Immediately a great light shone around the place".^[60][61][62]

Scholars also see adoptionist theology in the Gospel of Mark. Mark names Jesus as the son of God at the strategic points of 1:1 ("The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God") and 15:39 ("Surely this man was the Son of God!"), but the virgin birth story has not been developed. The phrase "Son of God" is not present in some early manuscripts at 1:1. Bart D. Ehrman uses this omission to support the notion that the title "Son of God" is not used of Jesus until his baptism, and that Mark reflects an adoptionist view.^[63] The authenticity of the omission of "Son of God" and its theological significance has been rejected by Bruce Metzger and Ben Witherington III.^[64][65] but has been affirmed by other contemporary scholars, including the Jesus Seminar^[66] and Ched Meyers^[67]

By comparison, the gospels of Luke and Matthew portray Jesus as being the Son of God from the time of birth, while the Gospel of John portrays the Son as existing "in the beginning."^[63]

Meaning of Jesus' death[link]

Mark portrays Jesus' death as an atoning sacrifice for sin.^[68] The Temple curtain, which served as a barrier between the holy presence of God and the profane world, rips at the moment of Jesus' death, symbolizing an end to the division between humans and God.^[68]

The only explicit mention of the meaning of Jesus' death in Mark occurs in 10:45 where Jesus says that the "Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom (lutron) for many (anti pollōn)." According to Barnabas Lindars, this refers to Isaiah's fourth servant song, with lutron referring to the "offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10) and anti pollōn to the Servant "bearing the sin of many" in Isaiah 52:12.^[69] The Greek word anti means "in the place of", which indicates a substitutionary death.^[70]

The author of this gospel also speaks of Jesus' death through the metaphors of the departing bridegroom in 2:20, and of the rejected heir in 12:6–8. He views it as fulfilling Old Testament prophecy (9:12, 12:10–11, 14:21 and 14:27).

Many scholars believe that Mark structured his gospel in order to emphasise Jesus' death. For example, Alan Culpepper sees Mark 15:1–39 as developing in three acts, each containing an event and a response.^[71] The first event is Jesus' trial, followed by the soldiers' mocking response; the second event is Jesus' crucifixion, followed by the spectators mocking him; the third and final event in this sequence is Jesus' death, followed by the veil being rent and the centurion confessing, "truly this man was the Son of God." In weaving these things into a triadic structure, Mark is thereby emphasising the importance of this confession, which provides a dramatic contrast to the two scenes of mocking which precede it. D. R. Bauer suggests that "by bringing his gospel to a climax with this christological confession at the cross, Mark indicates that Jesus is first and foremost Son of God, and that Jesus is Son of God as one who suffers and dies in obedience to God."^[72] Joel Marcus notes that the other Evangelists "attenuate" Mark's emphasis on Jesus' suffering and death, and sees Mark as more strongly influenced than they are by Paul's "theology of the cross".^[73]

Characteristics of Mark's content[link]

Stained glass depiction of St. Mark at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The narrative can be divided into three sections: the Galilean ministry, including the surrounding regions of Phoenicia, Decapolis, and Cæsarea Philippi (1–9); the Journey to Jerusalem (10); and the Events in Jerusalem (11–16).

• Unlike both Matthew and Luke, Mark does not offer any information about the life of Jesus before his baptism and ministry, including neither a nativity nor a genealogy. He is simply stated as having come "out of Galilee;" the Gospel of John similarly refers to Jesus being of Galilean origin.
• Jesus' baptism is understated, with John not identifying Jesus as the Son of God, nor initially declining to baptize him
• Son of Man is the major title used of Jesus in Mark (Mark 2:10, 2:28; 8:31; 9:9, 9:12, 9:31; 10:33, 10:45; 14:21, 14:41). Many people (for instance, Morna Hooker, Maurice Casey, etc.) have seen that this title is a very important one within Mark’s Gospel, and it has important implications for Mark’s Christology. Jesus raises a question that demonstrates the association in Mark between "Son of Man" (cf. Dan 7:13–14) and the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:13–53:12—"How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt?" (9:12b NRSV). Yet this comparison is not explicit; Mark's Gospel creates this link between Daniel and Isaiah, and applies it to Christ. It is postulated that this is because of the persecution of Christians; thus, Mark's Gospel encourages believers to stand firm (Mark 13:13) in the face of troubles.
• To the question "Are You the Christ?", Jesus gives the direct answer, "I am": Mark 14:62; cf. Mark 15:2, Matthew 26:63–64, 27:11, Luke 22:70, 23:3, 23:9, John 18:20, 18:33–37.

• Mark is the only gospel that has Jesus explicitly admit that he does not know when the end of the world will be (Mark 13:32). The equivalent verse in the Byzantine manuscripts of Matthew does not contain the words "nor the Son" (Matthew 24:36) (but it is present in most Alexandrian and Western text-type).^[74] See also Kenosis.

• The character of Jesus appears as secretive and capricious, his actions as unpredictable and scandalous. In the narrative of Jesus' walk on water (Mark 6:45-56), e.g., there is a gap: Jesus only says, but is not reported to really dismiss the crowd. It appears to be an excuse to separate from the disciples. V. 48c. has often been an enigma: Jesus wants to pass by the disciples, whereas v. 48a suggests that he intends to help them – 8 hours after having seen their distress. Similarly, Mark 5:39 unsettles and contradicts vv. 23 and 35; Mark 7:24ff. contrasts with Jesus' mission directed to everyone (Mark 1:38). George W. Young notes parallels to a Greek “capricious god toying aimlessly with his subjects”.^[75]

• "No sign will be given to this generation" 8:12; Matthew and Luke include "except for the sign of Jonah" Matthew 12:38–39, Luke 11:29. See also Typology (theology). In John, Jesus provides six signs specifically to demonstrate his divine role.^[68]

Characteristics of Mark's language[link]

The phrase "and immediately" occurs forty-two times in Mark; while in Luke, which is much longer, it is used only seven times, and in John only four times.^[76] The word from Greek: νομος, which roughly translates as law, ([6]) is never used, while it appears 8 times in Matthew, 9 times in Luke, 15 times in John, 19 times in Acts, many times in Romans.

Latin loanwords are often used: speculator, sextarius, centurion, legion, quadrans, praetorium, caesar, census, flagello, modius, denarius.^[77] Mark has over a dozen direct Old Testament quotations: 1:2–3, 4:12, 7:6–7, 7:10, 9:7,10:19, 11:9–10, 11:17, 12:10–11, 12:29–31, 12:36, 13:24–26, 14:27, 15:34. Mark makes frequent use of the narrative present; Luke changes about 150 of these verbs to past tense.^[78] Mark frequently links sentences with Greek: και (and); Matthew and Luke replace most of these with subordinate clauses.

[edit] Other characteristics unique to Mark

• The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).^[79] Not present in either Matthew 12:1–8 or Luke 6:1–5. This is also a so-called "Western non-interpolation". The passage is not found in the Western text of Mark.
• People were saying, "[Jesus] has gone out of his mind", see also Rejection of Jesus (Mark 3:21).
• Mark is the only gospel with the combination Mark 4:24–25, the other gospels split them up: Mark 4:24 being found in Luke 6:38 and Matthew 7:2; Mark 4:25 being found in Matthew 13:12 and 25:29, Luke 8:18 and 19:26.
• Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26–29).
• Only Mark counts the possessed swine; there are about two thousand (Mark 5:13).
• Two consecutive healing stories of women; both make use of the number twelve (Mark 5:25 and Mark 5:42).
• Only Mark gives healing commands of Jesus in the (presumably original) Aramaic: Talitha koum (Mark 5:41), Ephphatha (Mark 7:34). See Aramaic of Jesus.
• Only place in the New Testament Jesus is addressed as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3).
• Mark is the only gospel where Jesus himself is called a carpenter (Mark 6:3). In Matthew he is called a carpenter's son (Matthew 13:55).
• Only place that both names his brothers and mentions his sisters (Mark 6:3; Matthew has a slightly different name for one brotherMatthew 13:55).
• The taking of a staff and sandals is permitted in Mark 6:8–10 but prohibited in Matthew 10:10 and Luke 9:3.
• The longest version of the story of Herodias' daughter's dance and the beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14–29).
• Mark's literary cycles:

• 6:30–44 – Feeding of the five thousand;
• 6:45–56 – Crossing of the lake;
• 7:1–13 – Dispute with the Pharisees;
• 7:14–23 – Discourse on Defilement^[80]

Then:

• 8:1–9 – Feeding of the four thousand;
• 8:10 – Crossing of the lake;
• 8:11–13 – Dispute with the Pharisees;
• 8:14–21 – Incident of no bread and discourse about the leaven of the Pharisees.

• Customs that at that time were unique to Jews are explained (hand, produce, and utensil washing): 7:3–4.
• "Thus he declared all foods clean."^[81] 7:19 NRSV, not found in the Matthean parallel Matthew 15:15–20.
• There is no mention of Samaritans
• Jesus heals using his fingers and spit at the same time: 7:33; cf. Mark 8:23, Luke 11:20, John 9:6, Matthew 8:16; see also Exorcism.
• Jesus lays his hands on a blind man twice in curing him: 8:23–25; cf. 5:23, 16:18, Acts 6:6, 9:17, 28:8, laying on of hands.
• Jesus cites the Shema Yisrael: "Hear O Israel ..." (12:29–30); in the parallels of Matt 22:37–38 and Luke 10:27 the first part of the Shema (Deut 6:4) is absent.
• Mark points out that the Mount of Olives is across from the temple (13:3).
• When Jesus is arrested, a young naked man flees: 14:51–52. A young man in a robe also appears in 16:5–7, see also Secret Gospel of Mark.
• Mark doesn't name the High Priest, cf. Matt 26:57, Luke 3:2, Acts 4:6, John 18:13.
• Witness testimony against Jesus does not agree (14:56, 14:59).
• The cock crows "twice" as predicted (Mark 14:72). See also Fayyum Fragment. The other Gospels simply record, "the cock crew". Early codices 01, W, and most Western texts have the simpler version.^[82]
• Pilate's position (Governor) isn't specified, 15:1, cf. Matt 27:2, Luke 3:1, John 18:28–29.
• Simon of Cyrene's sons are named (Mark 15:21).
• A summoned centurion is questioned (Mark 15:44–45).
• The women ask each other who will roll away the stone (Mark 16:3), cf. Matt 28:2–7.
• A young man sits on the "right side" (Mark 16:5), cf. Luke 24:4, John 20:12.
• Afraid, the women flee from the empty tomb. They "tell no one" what they have seen (Mark 16:8), compare with Mark 16:10, Matt 28:8, Luke 24:9, John 20:2.
• Mark is the only canonical gospel with significant various alternative endings (see Mark 16, Possible Scenarios); however, most of the contents of the traditional "Longer Ending" (Mark 16:9–20) are found in other New Testament texts and are not unique to Mark, see Mark 16#The Longer Ending. The one significant exception is 16:18b "and if they drink any deadly thing", it will not harm those who believe, which is unique to Mark.

Secret Gospel of Mark[link]

The Secret Gospel of Mark refers to a version of the Gospel of Mark being circulated in 2nd century Alexandria, which was kept from the Christian community at large. This non-canonical gospel fragment was discovered in 1958, by biblical researcher Morton Smith at the Mar Saba monastery.^[83]

In this fragment, Clement of Alexandria explains that Mark, during Peter's stay in Rome wrote an account of the life of Jesus. Mark selected those events that would be the most helpful to the Church. When Peter died a martyr, Mark left Rome and went to Alexandria. He brought both his own writings and those of Peter. It was here that Mark composed a second more spiritual Gospel and when he died, he left his composition to the Church.^[84] The Carpocrates got a copy of this Gospel and they misinterpreted it, which caused problems for the early Church.

Some modern scholars maintain the Secret Gospel is a clumsy forgery, while others accept this text as being authentic.^[85][86] The nature of the Secret Gospel of Mark as well as Morton Smith's role in its discovery are still being debated.^{[87][88][89][90]}

Canonical Status[link]

A related issue is the adoption of the Gospel of Mark as a Canonical Gospel, given that, like the hypothetical Q, it is largely reproduced in Matthew and Luke, but, unlike Q, it did not become "lost". Traditionally Mark's authority and survival has derived from its Petrine origins (see above "Authorship"). A recent suggestion is that Mark gained widespread popularity in oral performance, apart from readings from manuscript copies. Its widespread oral popularity ensured it a place in the written canon.^[91]

Content[link]

See also[link]

• Gospel harmony
• Textual variants in the Gospel of Mark
• List of Gospels
• Apocalyptic literature
• Acts of the Apostles (genre)
• List of omitted Bible verses
• Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus (reference to Mark)

Notes[link]

References[link]

Gospel of Mark online[link]

• Biblegateway

Commentaries[link]

• Edwards, James (2002). The Gospel According to Mark. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-85111-778-2. http://books.google.com/?id=0MjWS_4La_EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwards,+James.+%E2%80%9CThe+Gospel+According+to+Mark#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

General[link]

• Aune, David E. (1987). The New Testament in its literary environment. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25018-8. http://books.google.com/?id=XdSto1nkx9AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+New+Testament+in+its+literary+environment#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Bockmuehl, Markus; Hagner, Donald A. (2005). The Written Gospel. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83285-4. http://books.google.com/?id=pAZxCMRztQ4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bockmuehl,+Markus+and+Donald+A.+Hagner,+The+Written+Gospel#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Browning, W.R.F (2004). Oxford Dictionary of the Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860890-5. http://books.google.com/?id=lKsdAtPUoRgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=W.+R.+F.+Browning,+Gospel+of+Matthew,+A+dictionary+of+the+Bible#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Burkett, Delbert (2002). An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00720-7. http://books.google.com/?id=EcsQknxV-xQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=An+introduction+to+the+New+Testament+and+the+origins+of+Christianity+Delbert+Royce+Burkett#v=onepage&q=Gospel%20of%20Matthew&f=false. 

• Dunn, James D.G. (2003). Jesus Remembered. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3931-2. http://books.google.com/?id=G4qpnvoautgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Jesus+remembered++By+James+D.+G.+Dunn#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Harrington, Daniel J. (2004). What are they saying about Mark?. Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-4263-7. http://books.google.com/?id=LQqpXA9h8-AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=What+are+they+saying+about+Mark#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Levine, Amy-Jill. "Visions of kingdoms: From Pompey to the first Jewish revolt". , in Coogan, Michael D., ed. (2001). The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Oxford University Press. 

• Morris, Leon (1986). New Testament Theology. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-45571-4. http://books.google.com/?id=6D3o6fZd67EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Morris+New+Testament+Theology#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Perkins, Pheme (1998). "The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: Telling the Christian Story". The Cambridge companion to biblical interpretation. ISBN 978-0-521-48593-7. http://books.google.com/?id=PSHCRgS_SAUC&pg=PR7&dq=The+Cambridge+Companion+to+the+Bible+1997#v=onepage&q=Pheme%20Perkins&f=false. , in Kee, Howard Clark, ed. (1997). The Cambridge companion to the bible: part 3. Cambridge University Press. 

• Strecker, Georg (1996, 2000). Theology of the New Testament. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-664-22336-6. http://books.google.com/?id=_6NxpAvdrOgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Strecker+Theology+New+Testament#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Brown, R., et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, 1990.
• Bultmann, R., History of the Synoptic Tradition, Harper & Row, 1963.
• Dewey, J., The Survival of Mark’s Gospel: A Good Story?, JBL 123.3 (2004) 495–507.
• Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus, Harper Collins, 2005. p. 66–68.
• Grant, Robert M., A Historical Introduction to the New Testament Harper and Row, 1963: Chapter 8: The Gospel Of Mark
• Dormeyer, Detlev, Das Markusevangelium, Wiss. Buchgeselschaft Darmstadt 2005, ISBN 978-3-534-15613-9
• Guy, Harold A, The Origin of the Gospel of Mark, Hodder & Stoughton 1954
• Holmes, M. W., "To Be Continued... The Many Endings of Mark", Bible Review 17.4 (2001).
• Ladd, George Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.
• R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek text, NICNT, Wm. Eerdmans, 2002.
• Mack, Burton L., 1993. The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian origins, HarperSanFrancisco.
• McKnight, E. V., What is Form Criticism?, 1997.
• Neill, Stephen and Wright, Tom, The Interpretation of The New Testament 1861–1986, Oxford University Press, 1990, 1989, 1964, ISBN 0-19-283057-0
• Perrin, N., What is Redaction Criticism?
• Perrin, Norman & Duling, Dennis C., The New Testament: An Introduction, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1982, 1974
• Schnelle, Udo, 1998. The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings (M. Eugene Boring translator), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.
• Telford, W. (ed.), The Interpretation of Mark, Fortress Press, 1985.
• Tuckett, C. (ed), The Messianic Secret, Fortress Press, 1983

External links[link]

Wikiversity has learning materials about Biblical Studies (NT) #The Gospels: The Life and Ministry of Jesus

Online translations of the Gospel of Mark:

• Bible Gateway 35 languages/50 versions at GospelCom.net
• Unbound Bible 100+ languages/versions at Biola University
• Online Bible at gospelhall.org
• Early Christian Writings: Mark in numerous English translations, on-line scholarly resources
• Mark on Wikisource (King James version)

Related articles:

• Resources for the Book of Mark at The Text This Week
• An Online Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels by Wieland Willker, including detailed text-critical discussion of the 300 most important variants of the Greek text (PDF, 411 pages) and the variant endings (PDF, 17 pages).
• Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture Gospel of Mark, Author Dr. Mary Healy

vep:Evangelii Markan mödhe

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Mark A. Driscoll (born October 11, 1970) is an American pastor and author. He is the founder and preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, he co-founded Churches Helping Churches and the Acts 29 Network. Driscoll served as president of the Acts 29 Network, which was also housed at Mars Hill Church, for a short period of time until he recently passed the presidency to Matt Chandler and moved the offices to Chandler's The Village Church in order to focus more on Mars Hill Church and his writing. Driscoll continues to serve on the board of Acts 29.^[1]. He has contributed to the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times and the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post. He helped start The Resurgence, a repository of missional theology resources.^[2] With his wife, he authored Real Marriage, which reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List in January 2012.^[3]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Driscoll was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and was raised Roman Catholic in the Riverton Heights area of Seatac, WA, which is located just south of Seattle, WA.^[4] He is a 1989 graduate of Highline High School in Burien, Washington, where he served as student body president and editor of the school newspaper. He earned a Bachelor's degree in communications from Washington State University^[5] with a minor in philosophy and holds a Master of Arts degree in exegetical theology from Western Seminary.

The Resurgence[link]

Driscoll founded The Resurgence, a theological cooperative whose partners include Acts 29 Network and Mars Hill Church. The Resurgence aims to train church leaders in conservative reformed theology. It has three main branches: Re:Lit, a publishing house; Re:Train, a missional training centre; and Re:Sound, a music arm.

ABC Nightline Special[link]

In 2009, Driscoll was involved in a debate with Deepak Chopra, Annie Lobert, and Carlton Pearson in an ABC special entitled, "Does Satan Exist?". He has also been featured on the program discussing other topics including the 10 Commandments and sex.

Haiti relief[link]

In January 2010, following the 7.0-measured earthquake disaster, Driscoll and James MacDonald took a crew to Haiti to provide prayer and relief to Haitian churches through their ministry ChurchesHelpingChurches.com.

PastorMark.tv[link]

In 2011, Driscoll started his own webpage that currently serves as a large collection of his teachings, writing, and some of his sermons. It is formatted in a similar fashion to The Resurgence, but it consists of material almost exclusively from Driscoll. Here, links can be found to Mars Hill Church and all the ministries Driscoll is active in.^[6]

Style of sermons[link]

Driscoll's casual, but direct approach style of sermons has resonated in the Pacific Northwest, a region considered the least churched in the nation, according to the North American Religion Atlas.^[7] Driscoll's style, he says, is influenced by stand-up comedians like Chris Rock.^[8] Driscoll preaches series like Vintage Jesus, Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions, The Peasant Princess, and Trial, focusing on a book of the Bible or topical sermons. Driscoll delivers his sermons with a Systematic Theology approach.

Rob Wall, a professor at Seattle Pacific University, explains the success for the church in Mark Driscoll's direct answers to complicated spiritual questions: "His style of public rhetoric is very authoritative. Whether it's about the Bible, or about culture, he is very clear and definitive."^[9] In a Crosscut.com article, his style was described this way: "Pacing the stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on marriage roles as he saw them set forth in the Song of Solomon. He told stories from his own marriage, offered statistics, and dropped jokes without their feeling forced. Every few minutes he would sniff in a thoughtful, practiced sort of way. This untucked, down-to-earth demeanor was the opposite of a huckster televangelist, but polished in its own way. It makes the guy easy to listen to."^[10]

Driscoll has been widely inspired by other theologians including Augustine (especially on predestination), John Calvin (especially on city transformation), Martin Luther (especially on the gospel), along with the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards and, Charles Spurgeon. And he finds himself in connection with contemporary theologians including Lesslie Newbigin, Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, John Stott, Wayne Grudem, Don Carson, John Piper and David Wells.^[11]

Beliefs[link]

Calvinism[link]

Driscoll distinguishes between double and single predestination, and says that unlike John Calvin, he believes only in single predestination.^[12]

Driscoll denies the orthodox Calvinist view of Limited Atonement and believes instead that Jesus died for all people in some sense, and for some people (the elect) in another sense.^[13] He thinks this position was what John Calvin believed, saying in a humorous tone: 'Calvinism came after Calvin... I will argue that the Calvinists are not very Calvin. I will argue against Calvinism with Calvin... What kind of Calvinist are you? I'm a Calvin, not a Calvinist, that came later'.^[13] Driscoll also believes that this position (or slight variations thereof) was held by men like Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, and Richard Baxter.^[13]

Driscoll has on several occasions cited Charles Spurgeon as having a major influence on his theology, pastoral ministry and preaching.

Emerging church[link]

His description of his association with, and eventual distancing from the Emerging church movement:^[14]

In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake.

Gender roles[link]

Driscoll holds to a complementarian view of gender roles.^[15] He sometimes asks his wife to come up on stage to help him answer questions texted in from the audience,^[16] and believes that this does not clash with his understanding that preaching/teaching by women is prohibited by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12.^[17]

When the Evangelical leader Ted Haggard left New Life Church in Colorado, Driscoll raised an uproar with the comment on his blog: "A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs is so frank about is not responsible for her husband's sin, but she may not be helping him either."^[10] Driscoll later apologized for his statement.^[18]

When the Episcopal Church elected a woman as its bishop, Driscoll wrote on his blog, "If Christian males do not man up soon, the Episcopalians may vote a fluffy baby bunny rabbit as their next bishop to lead God's men."^[18]

Bibliography[link]

Books[link]

• Driscoll, Mark (2012). Real Marriage: Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-4002-0383-3. 
• Driscoll, Mark; Gerry Breshears (2010). Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. Crossway Books. ISBN 978-1-4335-0625-3. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2009). Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions. Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0616-5. 
• Driscoll, Mark; Gerry Breshears (2009). Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods. Crossway Books. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/1-4335-0130-2|1-4335-0130-2]]. 
• Driscoll, Mark; Gerry Breshears (2008). Death by Love: Letters from the Cross. Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0129-5. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2008). On the New Testament (Book You'll Actually Read). Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0134-1. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2008). On the Old Testament (Book You'll Actually Read). Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0135-X. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2008). On Church Leadership (Book You'll Actually Read). Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0137-6. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2008). On Who Is God? (Book You'll Actually Read). Crossway Books. ISBN 1-4335-0136-8. 
• Driscoll, Mark; Gerry Breshears (2008). Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions. Crossway Books. ISBN 1-58134-975-0. 
• Driscoll, Mark; et al. (2007). John Piper. ed. The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. Crossway Books. ISBN 1-58134-922-X. 
• Driscoll, Mark; et al. (2007). Robert E. Webber. ed. Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-27135-5. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2006). Confessions of a Reformission Rev.. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-27016-2. 
• Driscoll, Mark (2004). The Radical Reformission. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-25659-3. 
• Howerton, Mike (2004). The Relevant Church: A New Vision For Communities Of Faith. Relevant Books. ISBN 0-9746942-4-X. 

eBooks[link]

• Driscoll, Mark. Pastor Dad. http://relit.org/pastordad/. 
• Driscoll, Mark. Porn Again Christian. http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/. 

See also[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mark Driscoll

• Missiology
• Missional
• New Calvinism
• Missional Quotes

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mars Hill Church Homepage

Billy Graham
Billy Graham in 2008.
Born	William Franklin Graham, Jr. (1918-11-07) November 7, 1918 (age 93) Charlotte, North Carolina
Education	Diploma in Biblical Studies, Florida Bible Institute (Trinity Bible College), 1940 B.A. in Anthropology, Wheaton College, 1943
Occupation	Evangelist
Religion	Evangelical Christian
Spouse	Ruth Graham (m. 1943–2007; her death)
Children	Franklin, Nelson, Virginia, Anne Ruth
Signature
Ordained	Southern Baptist[1]
Offices held	President, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Title	Doctor (Honorary)
Website
www.billygraham.org

William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. (born November 7, 1918) is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status with national media backing of William Randolph Hearst and Henry Luce in 1949. His sermons were broadcast on radio and television, with some still re-broadcast today.

Graham is notable for having been a spiritual adviser to several United States Presidents; he was particularly close to Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon.^[2] During the civil rights movement, he began to support integrated seating for his revivals and crusades; in 1957 he invited Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to jointly preach at a huge revival in New York City, where they appeared together at Madison Square Garden, and bailed the minister out of jail in the 1960s when he was arrested in demonstrations.

Having built an evangelical empire and organized huge events worldwide, Graham has personally preached the Gospel to more people than any other person in history. His institutions include a variety of media and publishing outlets.^[3] According to his staff, more than 3.2 million people have responded to the invitation at Billy Graham Crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. As of 2008, Graham's estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion.^[3]

With his renown and international travel, Graham has repeatedly been on Gallup's list of most admired men and women. He has appeared on the list 55 times since 1955 (including 49 consecutive years), more than any other individual in the world.^[4]