Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist

by Francis J. Moloney

Publisher:

Hendrickson

, 2004

Overview

The earliest and briefest of the four Gospels has traditionally been ascribed to a disciple named Mark. In some ages, it been overshadowed by its lengthier New Testament neighbors, but its pages hold rich rewards for those who ask the right questions. Who was “Mark,” and what were his purposes—historical, theological, or otherwise? How does he shape his story of Jesus, and what interpretation of the origins of Christianity does that shaping reveal? What is his understanding of his central character, Jesus of Nazareth? And what abiding value does Mark’s story hold for those who read this “good news” as a key part of the charter of the Christian church in its life today?

Seminarians, students, pastors, and readers seeking an introduction to the Gospel of Mark through the lens of sensitive literary, historical, and theological scholarship need look no further. In Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist, Francis J. Moloney offers the fruits of top-level biblical scholarship in a broadly accessible format. Students and professors alike will appreciate and profit from his fresh and lucid presentation of the message of one of the Christian faith’s earliest and most enigmatic proponents and the inventor of its most revered literary genre.

Key Features

• Introduces the Gospel of Mark through multiple perspectives in an accessible writing style
• Focuses on Mark as a storyteller, interpreter, and evanglist
• Includes detailed indexes and an extensive bibliography for further study

Contents

• Part 1: Mark
  • The Author of Mark in History
  • History and Theology
• Part 2: Mark the Storyteller
  • Mark’s Story
  • Mark 1:1–8:30: Who Is Jesus?
  • Mark 8:31–16:8: Son of Man, Christ, and Son of God
• Part 3: Mark the Interpreter
  • Mark the Interpreter of Jesus of Nazareth
  • Mark the Interpreter of the Christian Community
• Part 4: Mark the Evangelist
  • The Good News of the Gospel of Mark

Top Highlights

“To the best of our knowledge, Mark gave the Christian tradition the first coherent written account of the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus.” (Pages x–xi)

“Third, the discourse in Mark 13 presupposes that Jerusalem has fallen” (Page 11)

“In the end, however, it is Mark’s understanding of what God did for humankind in and through Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of Man, and the Son of God, that is transmitted through this story of Jesus. This is what led to this gospel’s immediate inclusion within the Christian canon, and the ongoing reading and listening to this story that has taken place within the Christian community for almost two thousand years.” (Page 14)

“It is not obvious that the John Mark of Acts is the same Mark mentioned in the Pauline letters.” (Page 5)

“a greater appreciation of Mark as a theologically motivated storyteller” (Page 28)

Endorsements

If you are seeking a reliable and engaging introduction to the Gospel of Mark, look no further. Moloney’s work presents students and pastors, as well as scholars, with a reliable account of how the Gospel of Mark became such a central text in contemporary New Testament studies, and it offers as an engaging reading of the Markan story that opens new vistas. Moloney provides a thorough study of Markan Christology and ecclesiology, and his final chapter, ‘The Good News of Human Failure,’ is the most insightful statement of Mark’s accomplishment I have read. Clearly written and always compelling in its presentation, Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist is the perfect introduction to a serious reading of the Markan Gospel. Carefully researched and based on an insightful reading of the Gospel text, it will remain a staple of Markan studies for years to come.

—Frank J. Matera, professor of New Testament, The Catholic University of America

Moloney plunges deeply into the background, structure, literary character, and profound theology of this Gospel and the community from which it derived. College or seminary courses on Mark might find this a helpful resource, with its clear analysis and rich bibliographical material.

—The Bible Today

I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Mark for college and seminary classes. Lay individuals and parish study groups will find this book accessible and beneficial, and scholars will benefit from many fine insights in the text and in the informative endnotes.

—Catholic Biblical Quarterly

A thorough introduction to Markan theology. . . . The book includes detailed scholarly notes and two bibliographies.

—International Review of Biblical Studies

[This] book is definitely one of the most readable introductions to Mark.

—Toronto Journal of Theology

Designed for the nonspecialist, this study manages to include a good deal of information about the gospel of Mark in a limited amount of space. . . . As befits this non-technical treatment, Moloney regulates scholarly notes to the end of chapters, thereby rendering the text readable and the pages airy and attractive. . . . This is one of the better introductions to Markan thought. It is recommended for its intended purpose.

—Religious Studies Review

Shorter than a commentary, but based on it, and written in a lucid, popular, and accessible style (albeit with well-documented endnotes for the specialist), this book by Moloney will be found of interest to students, scholars, and pastors alike. . . . [T]his is an excellent contribution to recent Markan studies; it will be of value to those interested in this endlessly fascinating Gospel for some time to come.

—Expository Times

Product Details

• Title: Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist
• Author: Francis J. Moloney
• Publisher: Hendrickson
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. Mark › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9781441253040, 1565635132, 9780801047183, 1441253041, 9781565635135, 0801047188
• Resource ID: LLS:MARKSIEMOLONEY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:19:50Z

About Francis J. Moloney

Francis J. Moloney earned his STL from the Salesian Pontifical University in 1970 and his LSS from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1972. He earned a DPhil from the University of Oxford in 1976. He was professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological College in Melbourne’s College of Divinity in Australia from 1976 to 1994. Moloney was the first theologian to be recognized as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities—an honor conferred in 1992—and was awarded the Order of Australia in 1994.

Moloney became professor of New Testament at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC, in 1999, and was elected president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America in 2001. By 2003, he was dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at CUA. He was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the International Theological Commission to the Holy See and served on it for 18 years. Moloney has written 36 books and numerous articles, including a popular commentary on the Catholic Epistles, From James to Jude and A Body Broken for a Broken People. Eucharist in the New Testament.