Preface

Summary

This commentary on Mark is designed for anyone interested in the meaning, background, and discussion of this Gospel. It is designed to lead the reader into the text as well as guide one into further study if that is desired. References throughout are designed to tell the reader where useful additional discussion can be found. The introduction is purposefully selective, dealing with core issues of how Mark became important to Gospel study as well as issues of author, date, and setting. The list of suggested readings is organized by passage unit, so that study in a given passage is facilitated by the presence of its support materials. Not all the passages listed in the suggested readings are cited in the discussion in the text, so these lists truly supplement the passage discussion by pointing to a wider array of resources.

I worked through Mark with a collection of major commentaries at hand. They were my discussion partners for the book. You will see them referred to regularly, as one of my goals was to reflect the discussion they raise about the book. Issues of meaning and historical background are my focus in the commentary. The goal was to allow the reader quick access to the major issues that a passage raises.

I want to thank Cambridge University Press for the invitation to contribute to the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series. Ben Witherington was kind enough to ask me to write on Mark and was an encouragement along the way. I also need to thank my intern, Heather Zimmermann, who worked diligently in running down references as well as carefully and thoughtfully reading the draft. Her ability to ask good questions and think through what I was saying has enhanced what I have said. Her contribution mirrors what I have experienced during more than three decades of teaching – that excellent students make teaching a joy and stimulate learning. So I dedicate the commentary to my students who have taught me so much. I hope many of them will find this commentary useful and see it as an expression of appreciation for their own dedicated commitment to learn more about Mark.