Mark : Volume 2

A Christianity Today 1999 Book of the Year The early church valued the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter. Yet the early church fathers very rarely produced sustained commentary on Mark. This brisk-paced and robust little Gospel, so much enjoyed by modern readers, was overshadowed in the minds of the fathers by the magisterial Gospels of Matthew and John. But now with the assistance of computer searches, an abundance of comment has been discovered to be embedded and interleaved amidst the textual archives of patristic homilies, apologies, letters, commentaries, theological treatises and hymnic verses. In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark, the insights of Augustine of Hippo and Clement of Alexandria, Ephrem the Syrian and Cyril of Jerusalem join in a polyphony of interpretive voices of the Eastern and Western church from the second century to the seventh. St. Mark's Gospel displays the evocative power of its story, parables and passion as it ignites a brilliant exhibit of theological insight and pastoral wisdom. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark (now in its second edition) opens up a long-forgotten passage through the arid and precipitous slopes of post-Enlightenment critical interpretation and bears us along to a fertile valley basking in the sunshine of theological and spiritual interpretation. In these pages we enter the interpretive world that long nurtured the great premodern pastors, theologians and saints of the church. Cover 1 Praise for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 3 Title Page 7 Copyright Page 8 Project Research Team 9 Publisher’s Note Regarding This Digital Edition 10 Contents 11 General Introduction 13 A Guide to Using This Commentary 37 Abbreviations 39 Introduction to Mark 43 The Gospel According to Mark 59 The Beginning of the Gospel Mark 1:1-5 59 The Proclamation of John the Baptist Mark 1:6-8 64 The Baptism of Jesus Mark 1:9-11 68 The Temptation of Jesus Mark 1:12-13 73 The Call of the First Disciples Mark 1:14-20 75 Jesus in the Synagogue at Capernaum Mark 1:21-28 78 Jesus Heals at Simon’s House and Departs from Capernaum, Healing a Leper Mark 1:29-45 81 Healing of the Paralytic Mark 2:1-12 83 The Call of Levi Mark 2:13-17 86 The Question about Fasting Mark 2:18-22 89 Plucking Ears of Grain on the Sabbath Mark 2:23-28 91 The Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand Mark 3:1-6 93 Jesus Heals the Multitudes Mark 3:7-12 96 The Call of the Twelve Mark 3:13-19 97 Accusations Against Jesus Mark 3:19-27 99 Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Mark 3:28-30 101 Who Are My Mother and My Brothers? Mark 3:31-35 103 The Parable of the Sower Mark 4:1-9 105 The Purpose of Parables Mark 4:10-20 109 A Lamp Under a Bushel Basket Mark 4:21-25 113 The Parable of the Seed Growing Secretly Mark 4:26-29 114 Jesus’ Use of Parables Mark 4:30-34 115 The Stilling of the Storm Mark 4:35-41 117 The Gerasene Demoniac Mark 5:1-20 121 Jairus’s Daughter and the Woman with a Hemorrhage Mark 5:21-43 127 Rejected at Nazareth Mark 6:1-6 132 Commissioning the Twelve Mark 6:7-13 134 The Death of John Mark 6:14-29 136 Feeding the Five Thousand Mark 6:30-44 142 Walking on Water Mark 6:45-56 146 The Tradition of the Elders Mark 7:1-23 149 The Faith of the Syrophoenician Woman Mark 7:24-30 153 Healing of the Deaf Mute Mark 7:31-37 155 The Feeding of the Four Thousand Mark 8:1-10 157 The Leaven of the Pharisees Mark 8:11-21 159 The Blind Man of Bethsaida Mark 8:22-26 160 The Confession at Caesarea Philippi Mark 8:27-30 162 The First Prediction of the Passion and Conditions of Discipleship Mark 8:31-38 163 The Transfiguration Mark 9:1-8 167 The Coming of Elijah Mark 9:9-13 172 An Epileptic Boy Healed Mark 9:14-29 174 The Second Prediction of the Passion Mark 9:30-32 176 The Dispute About Greatness Mark 9:33-37 177 The Man Who Cast Out Demons in Jesus’ Name Mark 9:38-41 179 On Temptation Mark 9:42-50 181 On Divorce Mark 10:1-12 185 Let the Children Come to Me Mark 10:13-16 188 The Rich Young Man Mark 10:17-22 189 On Riches Mark 10:23-31 195 The Request of James and John Mark 10:32-45 198 Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight Mark 10:46-52 202 The Entry into Jerusalem Mark 11:1-10 204 The Cursing of the Fig Tree Mark 11:11-14 207 The Cleansing of the Temple Mark 11:15-19 210 The Meaning of the Withered Fig Tree Mark 11:20-25 211 The Authority of Jesus Questioned Mark 11:27-33 213 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants Mark 12:1-12 215 The Question Concerning Tribute to Caesar Mark 12:13-17 216 The Question Concerning the Resurrection Mark 12:18-27 219 The Great Commandment Mark 12:28-40 221 The Widow’s Gift Mark 12:41-44 226 The Signs of the Parousia Mark 13:1-8 229 The Desolating Sacrilege Mark 13:9-23 232 The Parousia of the Son of Man Mark 13:24-27 235 The Lesson of the Fig Tree Mark 13:28-31 237 The Necessity of Watchfulness Mark 13:32-37 239 The Anointing at Bethany Mark 14:1-9 245 The Betrayal by Judas Mark 14:10-11 249 Preparation for the Passover Mark 14:12-16 250 The Traitor Mark 14:17-21 251 The Last Supper Mark 14:22-25 253 The Way to Gethsemane Mark 14:26-37 256 The Weakness of the Flesh Mark 14:38-42 259 Jesus Taken Captive Mark 14:43-52 262 Jesus Before the Sanhedrin Mark 14:53-65 264 Peter’s Denial Mark 14:66-72 266 The Trial Before Pilate Mark 15:1-5 269 The Sentence of Death Mark 15:6-15 271 The Mocking by the Soldiers Mark 15:16-20 273 The Crucifixion Mark 15:21-32 274 The Death on the Cross Mark 15:33-41 279 The Burial of Jesus Mark 15:42-47 283 The Empty Tomb Mark 16:1-8 286 Resurrection Mark 16:9-13 291 The Commission to the Apostolate Mark 16:14-18 294 The Ascension Mark 16:19-20 298 Appendix: Method of Investigation into the Early Exegesis of Mark 302 Biographical Sketches & Short Descriptions of Select Anonymous Works 307 Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period 321 Authors/Writings Index 328 Subject Index 329 Scripture Index 337 About the Editors 343 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 345 More Titles from InterVarsity Press 346

A Christianity Today 1999 Book of the Year!

The early church valued the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter. Yet the early church fathers very rarely produced sustained commentary on Mark. This brisk-paced and robust little Gospel, so much enjoyed by modern readers, was overshadowed in the minds of the fathers by the magisterial Gospels of Matthew and John.

But now with the assistance of computer searches, an abundance of comment has been discovered to be embedded and interleaved amidst the textual archives of patristic homilies, apologies, letters, commentaries, theological treatises and hymnic verses.

In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark, the insights of Augustine of Hippo and Clement of Alexandria, Ephrem the Syrian and Cyril of Jerusalem join in a polyphony of interpretive voices of the Eastern and Western church from the second century to the seventh. St. Mark's Gospel displays the evocative power of its story, parables and passion as it ignites a brilliant exhibit of theological insight and pastoral wisdom.

The Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark (now in its second edition) opens up a long-forgotten passage through the arid and precipitous slopes of post-Enlightenment critical interpretation and bears us along to a fertile valley basking in the sunshine of theological and spiritual interpretation. In these pages we enter the interpretive world that long nurtured the great premodern pastors, theologians and saints of the church.

Christianity Today Book Award Winner The early church valued the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter. Yet the early church fathers very rarely produced sustained commentary on Mark. This brisk-paced and robust little Gospel, so much enjoyed by modern readers, was overshadowed in the minds of the fathers by the magisterial Gospels of Matthew and John. But now with the assistance of computer searches, an abundance of comment has been discovered to be embedded and interleaved amidst the textual archives of patristic homilies, apologies, letters, commentaries, theological treatises and hymnic verses. In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark, the insights of Augustine of Hippo and Clement of Alexandria, Ephrem the Syrian and Cyril of Jerusalem join in a polyphony of interpretive voices of the Eastern and Western church from the second century to the seventh. St. Mark's Gospel displays the evocative power of its story, parables and passion as it ignites a brilliant exhibit of theological insight and pastoral wisdom. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark (now in its second edition) opens up a long-forgotten passage through the arid and precipitous slopes of post-Enlightenment critical interpretation and bears us along to a fertile valley basking in the sunshine of theological and spiritual interpretation. In these pages we enter the interpretive world that long nurtured the great premodern pastors, theologians and saints of the church. "e early church valued the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter. Yet the early church fathers very rarely produced sustained commentary on Mark. This brisk-paced and robust little Gospel, so much enjoyed by modern readers, was overshadowed in the minds of the fathers by the magisterial Gospels of Matthew and John. But now with the assistance of computer searches, an abundance of comment has been discovered to be embedded and interleaved maid.st the textual archives of patristic homilies, apologies, letters, commentaries, theological treatises and hymnic verses.In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark, the insights of Augustine of Hippo and Clement of Alexandria, Ephrem the Syrian and Cyril of Jerusalem join in a polyphony of interpretive voices of the Eastern and Western church from the second to the seventh century. St. Mark's Gospel displays the evocative power of its story, parables and passion es it ignites a brilliant exhibit of theological insight and pastoral wisdom. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark opens up a long-forgotten passage through the arid and precipitous slopes of post-Enlightenment critical interpretation and bears us along to a fertile valley basking in the sunshine of theological and spiritual interpretation. In these pages we enter the interpretive world that long nurtured the great premodern pastors, theologians end saints of the church."-- Bok jacket and publisher's website "Volumes in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) offer you the opportunity to study for yourself key writings of the early church fathers. Arranged canonically and employing the RSV, each volume allows the living voices of the church in its formative centuries to speak as they engage the sacred page of Scripture. The ACCS is a postcritical revival of the early commentary tradition known as the glossa ordinaria, a text artfully elaborated with ancient and authoritative reflections and insights. The vast array of writings from the church fathers--including much that is available only in the ancient languages--have been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating, and introducing it to today's readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power, and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church. An ecumenical project, the ACCS promotes a vital link of communication between the varied Christian traditions of today and their common ancient ancestors in the faith. On this shared ground we listen as leading pastoral theologians of six centuries gather around the text of Scripture and offer their best theological, spiritual, and pastoral insights." -- Provided by publisher The Gospel of John was beloved by the early church, much as it is today, for its spiritual insight and clear declaration of Jesus' divinity. Clement of Alexandria indeed declared it the "spiritual Gospel." Early disputers with heretics such as Cerinthus and the Ebionites drew upon the Gospel of John to refute their heretical notions and uphold the full deity of Christ, and this Gospel more than any other was central to the trinitarian and christological debates of the fourth and fifth centuries. At the same time, the Gospel of John was also thought to be the most chronological, and even to this day is the source of our sense of Jesus' having a three-year ministry. And John Chrysostom's Homilies on John, perhaps more than any other commentary, emphasize Christ's humanity and condescension toward the human race. In addition to the serial homilies of John Chrysostom, readers of this volume will find selections from those of Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Cyril of Alexandria and Augustine. These commentaries are supplemented with homiletic material from Gregory the Great, Peter Chrysologus, Caesarius, Amphilochius, Basil the Great and Basil of Seleucia among others. Liturgical selections derive from Ephrem the Syrian, Ambrose and Romanos the Melodist, which are further supplemented with doctrinal material from Athanasius, the Cappodocians, Hilary and Ambrose. v. 1a-1b. Matthew / edited by Manlio Simonetti v. 2. Mark / edited by Thomas C. Oden & Christopher A. Hall v. 3. Luke / edited by Arthur A. Just v. 4a-4b. John / edited by Joel C. Elowsky v. 5. Acts / edited by Francis Martin v. 6. Romans / edited by Gerald Bray v. 7. 1-2 Corinthians / edited by Gerald Bray v. 8. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians / edited by Mark J. Edwards v. 9. Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon / edited by Peter Gorday v. 10. Hebrews / edited by Erik M. Heen and Philip D.W. Krey v.11. James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude / edited by Gerald Bray v. 12. Revelation / edited by William C. Weinrich The early church valued the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter. Yet the early church fathers very rarely produced sustained commentary on Mark. This brisk-paced and robust little Gospel, so much enjoyed by modern readers, was overshadowed in the minds of the fathers by the magisterial Gospels of Matthew and John. But now with the assistance of computer searches, an abundance of comment has been discovered to be embedded and interleaved maid.st the textual archives of patristic homilies, apologies, letters, commentaries, theological treatises and hymnic verses This commentary, edited by Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, gathers the insights of the leaders of the Eastern and Western church from the second to the mid-eighth century, highlighting the value placed by the early church on the Gospel of Mark for its preservation of the apostolic voice and gospel narrative of Peter