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Mark: An Introduction and Study Guide

Shaping the Life and Legacy of Jesus

Abraham Smith author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:12th Jan '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Mark: An Introduction and Study Guide cover

This student-friendly guide to Mark shows how the biography-form chosen by the Author shaped the content, specifically in terms of how Jesus is portrayed.

This Guide reads the Gospel of Mark as a 1st-century CE story about Jesus, for his followers, and against tyranny or the abusive use of power.

First, the book shows students how the Gospel uses the form of a traditional laudatory biography (a ‘Life’) to reshape the memory of the shame-ridden trials and suffering of Jesus. Such a biography portrayed Jesus’ descent (as a son of God), his deeds, and his heroic death, dispelling any notion that the teacher Jesus was a charlatan or huckster.

Second, Smith demonstrates how the Gospel devotes a great deal of space to Jesus’ training of his disciples - as he calls, commissions, and corrects them in preparation for the difficult moments of their journey.

Third, Smith highlights the Gospel’s special characterizations of Jesus - as a prophetic envoy, a man of authority, and a philosophical hero - contrasting Jesus’ use of power with the abusive use of power by Rome’s representatives (Herod Antipas and Pilate).

[A] very worthwhile contribution ... This volume would form an excellent basis for a set of Bible study group sessions. * The Catholic Herald *
Smith's book is rich in wel-informed Christological insight and speculation ... Those who are keen to bring their existing literary and theological grip of the bluntest and most vivid canonical gospel back to the boil in time for Year B are likely to see their engagement with Smith's ideas as a useful exercise. * The Reader *

ISBN: 9781350008878

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 181g

112 pages