The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark

The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark
Author: Laura C. Sweat
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2013-10-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567215709

Scholarship on the Gospel of Mark has long been convinced of the paradoxical description of two of its primary themes, christology and discipleship. This book argues that paradoxical language pervades the entire narrative, and that it serves a theological purpose in describing God's activity. Part One focuses on divine action present in Mark 4:10-12. In the first paradox, Mark portrays God's revelatory acts as consistently accompanied by concealment. The second paradox is shown in the various ways in which divine action confirms, yet counters, scripture. Finally, Mark describes God's actions in ways that indicate both wastefulness and goodness; deeds that are further illuminated by the ongoing, yet defeated, presence of evil. Part Two demonstrates that this paradoxical language is widely attested across Mark's passion narrative, as he continues to depict God's activity with the use of the three paradoxes observed in Mark 4. Through paradoxical narrative, Mark emphasizes God's transcendence and presence, showing that even though Jesus has brought revelation, a complete understanding of God remains tantalizingly out of their grasp until the eschaton (4:22).

The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark

The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark
Author: Laura C. Sweat
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2013-08-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567170055

Scholarship on the Gospel of Mark has long been convinced of the paradoxical description of two of its primary themes, christology and discipleship. This book argues that paradoxical language pervades the entire narrative, and that it serves a theological purpose in describing God's activity. Part One focuses on divine action present in Mark 4:10-12. In the first paradox, Mark portrays God's revelatory acts as consistently accompanied by concealment. The second paradox is shown in the various ways in which divine action confirms, yet counters, scripture. Finally, Mark describes God's actions in ways that indicate both wastefulness and goodness; deeds that are further illuminated by the ongoing, yet defeated, presence of evil. Part Two demonstrates that this paradoxical language is widely attested across Mark's passion narrative, as he continues to depict God's activity with the use of the three paradoxes observed in Mark 4. Through paradoxical narrative, Mark emphasizes God's transcendence and presence, showing that even though Jesus has brought revelation, a complete understanding of God remains tantalizingly out of their grasp until the eschaton (4:22).

The Gospel According to Mark

The Gospel According to Mark
Author:
Publisher: Canongate Books
Total Pages: 73
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Bibles
ISBN: 0857860976

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

The Baptismal Episode as Trinitarian Narrative

The Baptismal Episode as Trinitarian Narrative
Author: Hallur Mortensen
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2020-11-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3161596706

Hallur Mortensen examines the concept of God in Mark's Gospel, with particular emphasis on the baptismal scene of 1:9-11. This he closely relates to the beginning and end of the prologue (1:2-3 and 1:14-15) concerning the coming of the Lord, the gospel, and the kingdom of God. The allusions of the divine voice to Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42 reveal the function and identity of Jesus as the Son of God and thus also of God as the father of Jesus. The identity and descent of the Spirit at the baptism as an anointing is discussed in detail, and has a critical function in the coming of the kingdom and the defeat of Satan. These aspects are examined in the context of Jewish monotheism and what Hans W. Frei calls the "intention-action description" of identity - that 'being' is constituted by 'action' - and Mortensen thus argues that Mark's Gospel portrays a proto- and narrative trinitarian conception of God.

The Gospels as Stories

The Gospels as Stories
Author: Jeannine K. Brown
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2020-06-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 149342355X

Popular writer and teacher Jeannine Brown shows how a narrative approach illuminates each of the Gospels, helping readers see the overarching stories. This book offers a corrective to tendencies to read the Gospels piecemeal, one story at a time. It is filled with numerous examples and visual aids that show how narrative criticism brings the text to life, making it an ideal supplementary textbook for courses on the Gospels. Readers will gain hands-on tools and perspectives to interpret the Gospels as whole stories.

A Theology of Mark's Gospel

A Theology of Mark's Gospel
Author: David E. Garland
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2015-10-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310523125

A Theology of Mark’s Gospel is the fourth volume in the BTNT series. This landmark textbook, written by leading New Testament scholar David E. Garland, thoroughly explores the theology of Mark’s Gospel. It both covers major Markan themes and also sets forth the distinctive contribution of Mark to the New Testament and the canon of Scripture, providing readers with an in-depth and holistic grasp of Markan theology in the larger context of the Bible. This substantive, evangelical treatment of Markan theology makes an ideal college- or seminary-level text.

Handbook on the Gospels (Handbooks on the New Testament)

Handbook on the Gospels (Handbooks on the New Testament)
Author: Benjamin L. Gladd
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493429256

A leading New Testament scholar provides an easy-to-navigate resource for studying and understanding the Gospels. Written with classroom utility and pastoral application in mind, this accessibly written volume summarizes the content of each major section of the biblical text to help students, pastors, and laypeople quickly grasp the sense of particular passages. The series, modeled after Baker Academic's successful Old Testament Handbook series, focuses primarily on the content of the biblical books without getting bogged down in historical-critical questions or detailed verse-by-verse exegesis. The book covers all four Gospels and explores each major passage, showing how Jesus is the central figure of each plot. It also unpacks how the Old Testament informs the Gospels.

Christological Rereading of the Shema (Deut 6.4) in Mark's Gospel

Christological Rereading of the Shema (Deut 6.4) in Mark's Gospel
Author: John J. R. Lee
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2020-11-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3161528077

In Mark's Gospel, the Shema language of Deut 6.4 is not merely reiterated in a traditional sense but reinterpreted in a striking way that links Jesus directly and inseparably with Israel's unique God. Such an innovative rereading of the Shema must be understood in light of (a) various elements involved in and surrounding each of the three monotheistic references (Mark 2.7; 10.18; 12.29) relating to their respective literary contexts, and (b) Mark's nuanced, complex, and even paradoxical portrait of Jesus' relationship to God throughout his gospel. John J.R. Lee shows that Mark's use of the one-God language implies that his Jesus is not merely one who, as a Shema-observant Jew, speaks on behalf of God but also one whose status and significance fundamentally correspond to those of Israel's unique deity.

Reading Mark's Christology Under Caesar

Reading Mark's Christology Under Caesar
Author: Adam Winn
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830885625

Did Mark write his Gospel in response to Roman imperial propaganda surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem? Adam Winn helps us rediscover how Mark might have been read by Christians in Rome during the aftermath of this cataclysmic event. He introduces us to the imperial propaganda of the Flavian emperors and excavates the Markan text for themes that address the Roman imperial setting.

Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s Gospel
Author: C. Clifton Black
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2023-05-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 146746094X

A culmination of contemporary scholarship on the Gospel of Mark. A preeminent scholar of the Gospel of Mark, C. Clifton Black has been studying and publishing on the Gospel for over thirty years. This new collection brings together his most pivotal work and fresh investigations to constitute an all-in-one compendium of contemporary Markan scholarship and exegesis. The essays included cover scriptural commentary, historical studies, literary analysis, theological argument, and pastoral considerations. Among other topics Black explores: • the Gospel’s provenance, authorship, and attribution • the significance of redaction criticism in Markan studies • recent approaches to the Gospel’s interpretation • literary and rhetorical analyses of the Gospel’s narrative • the kingdom of God and its revelation in Jesus • Mark’s theology of creation, suffering, and discipleship • the Gospel of Mark’s relationship to the Gospel of John and Paul’s letters • the passion in Mark as the Gospel’s recapitulation Scholars, advanced students, and clergy alike will consider this book an indispensable resource for understanding the foundational Gospel.