I’ve got to write a paper on Mark. The break down should be as follows:
Marks Theology – 5 pages
Exegesis of a certain passage – 5 pages (I’ve already got this one)
Application of the preceding sections to the modern Church – 5 pages. (I’ll wing it)
So, I need some help – books, journals, ect… – on looking for Theology in Mark. What’s your take on the shortest and obviously most intriguing/boring of the Gospels?
Is Mark a radical feminist? A Liberation Theologian in the making?
An Arian?
A Trinitarian – doubtful, but you know…
A Protestant?
A Catholic?
A disenfranchised Jew in Rome?
A scribe for Peter?
Any suggestions on sources for Mark’s unique theology?
I recommend reading the introduction of R.T. France’s NIGTC Commentary on Mark. It provides an excellent survey of theological themes.
Hey Joel, William Telford’s “The Theology of the Gospel of Mark” may be useful and its on google preview. James Crossley’s, ‘Mark’s Christology and a Scholarly Creation of a Non-Jewish Christ of Faith?’ (in Judaism, Jewish Identities and the Gospel Tradition) critiques a number of scholar constructions of christology in Mark so may be a useful overview. For some traditional defenses on the Papias tradition, Gundry (Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross), Hengel (Studies in Mark) or Bauckham (Jesus and the Eyewitnesses). For liberation theology, Ched Myers “Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Gospel” or Richard Horsley’s “Reading the Whole Story: the Politics of Plot in Mark’s Gospel”. And notice you have only a disenfranchised Jew in Rome – what about a disenfranchised Jew in Syria-Palestine (Howard Clark Kee, Gerd Theissen, Burton Mack, Joel Marcus [his article on the Sitz im Leben of Mark also online], etc.) or Galilee (Willi Marxsen, H.N. Roksam) or giving up the search altogether (Dwight Petersen, the Origins of Mark: The Markan Community in Current Debate). Have fun.
Joel,
Check out “Following God Through Mark” by Ira Brent Driggers (He was one of my NT Profs in Seminary).
Dave Black’s “Why 4 Gospels” has an interesting take on Mark..
Personally I believe that Mark is actually a recording of Marks testimony….Dave Black links to an interesting paper on Mark being a recording of an actual talk and is to be read as a testimony / talk.
I second Dave Black on Mark.