Mark - Introduction

Introduction

Mark is the shortest of the gospels. At one time it was thought that Mark was written after Matthew and Luke. Part of the reason for that was that there are fewer early manuscripts of Mark’s gospel than Matthew and Luke. However, the common view now is that Mark was the first gospel written, and that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source. Almost all the events recorded in Mark are also recorded in Matthew and/or Luke. Mark often gives more details than Matthew or Luke, which is consistent with Matthew or Luke using Mark as a source, rather than the other way around. Moreover, if Mark was using Matthew or Luke as a source it is odd that there is no birth narrative. There is no certainty over the date of Mark. Somewhere between AD60 and AD64 are pretty good estimates, but that does not mean that was the first of the events being recorded, only that that is when Mark puts it all together. It is believed that Mark was Peter’s “interpreter”, i.e. the gospel was based largely on Peter’s recollections. “Mark” is “John Mark” of Acts, and tradition has it that the gospel was written in Rome.

The main textual issue with Mark is the ending. You will almost certainly find in your Bible various notes on Chapter 16. The oldest manuscripts end at 16:8, but after that there is the “longer ending”. There are no key theological issues, i.e. the longer ending does not raise any new points of doctrine.

Mark focuses on action rather than the teaching of Jesus (relatively few parables are recorded), though of course there is some of Jesus’ teaching included. Mark is keen to emphasise that Jesus is the “Son of God”. Chapters 1-9 focus on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, while the rest of the gospel focuses on Jerusalem and the crucifixion and resurrection.

The gospel was probably written with Gentiles in mind, the grounds for believing this are that on a number of occasions Mark explains Jewish customs and translates Aramaic words.

While writing these notes I am working through the following commentary:

Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (TNTC), 2017, Eckhard J Schnabel