Reading Mark: A Reader Response Commentary

The distinguished Dutch New Testament scholar Bas van Iersel offers us an incisive and comprehensive episode-by-episode commentary on the Gospel of Mark. His special focus is on the contribution of each episode to the overall meaning of the gospel, at both the level of the story and the level of the discourse. As a reader-response commentator, his concern is everywhere with the effect of Mark's story on its readers, engaging both with the situation of the original audience of Mark-Christians of Gentile origin in Rome shortly after the Neronian persecutions-and with that of the present-day reader. Even the introductions are reader-related: on the role of the reader, the original audience and the reader of today, the overall concentric structure of Mark, and the relation of Mark to the Old Testament. Introduction. Chap. 1. Readering And Readers -- .chap. 2. Author And Readers, Placeand Time -- Chap. 3. Mark And The Old Testament -- Chap. 4. A Composition Of Lines And Circles. Commentary. Prologue: In The Wilderness. Chap. 5. Voices In The Wilderness (1.1-15). Part I: Action In Galilee. Chap. 6. The Structure Of Part I -- Chap. 7. A Wandering Jew (1.16-4.1) -- Chap. 8. Stories And Images (4.2-34) -- Chap. 9. Crossing Boundaries (4.35-8.21). Part Ii: The Way. Chap. 10. The Structure Of Part Ii -- Chap. 11. Going His Own Way (8.22-10.52). Part Iii. Passion In Jerusalem. Chap. 12. The Structure Of Part Iii -- Chap. 13. Winning In The Temple Court (11.1-12.44) -- Chap. 14. The End Of The Temple And The World (13.1-37) -- Chap. 15. Losing His Life (14.1-15.39). Epilogue : At The Tomb. Chap. 16. Way Without End (15.40-16.8). An Added Epilogue. Bas M.f. Van Iersel ; Translated By W.h. Bisscheroux. The Text Of The Authorized English Translation Differs From The Dutch Edition Only In A Few Places.--p. 8. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [509]-526) And Indexes.