The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
by Ben Witherington III
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ben Witherington IIIEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-01-08
ISBN: 0802845037
Number of pages: 487
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Book Reviews of The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
Book Review: Just Like Sitting in on one of Ben's classes!
Summary: 5 Stars
I took Dr. Witherington's class on the Gospel of Mark about 14 years ago, and so this book was a great refresher for me. The great strength of this book is that it comments on the entire Gospel of Mark, but reads like an engrossing investigative report. Ben begins with a 60 page discussion of introductory issues related to Mark. He believes that this was the first of the four gospels to be written and that the intended original audience was the Gentile Christian community in Rome in the wake and in the dust of Emperor Nero's harsh persecution of the church in the mid to late 60s A.D.
Ben sees this gospel as an ancient biography of Jesus with Christ himself as the main character. He notes that Mark spends approximately 40% of the gospel on the last week of Jesus' life. For Dr. Witherington, the key verses of this Gospel are 8:27-30, where Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, and 10:45, where Jesus explains that He has come to give His life as a ransom for many. This is important because ancient biographies often focus on the lasting impact of both the life and the death of the subject.
Dr. Witherington holds to largely conservative evangelical stances on critical issues related to the Gospel of Mark. I appreciated the explanation of how Jesus ministered in Jewish lands in the first six chapters and then reprised many of his miracles in Gentile lands (the feeding of the 4000) to give a preview of the future scope of the gospel.
This book is very well written with a lot of exciting exposition and application. You will learn how Jesus being driven into the wilderness in Mark 1 and being with ther wild animals echoes the experience of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. The exception is that Jesus is being presented as the TRUE and rightful king of the world.
You will also learn how Jesus' rebuke of the wind and the waves in Mark 4 is very similar to how Jesus rebukes demon spirits, showing his authority over both the spirit world and the physical world.
You will learn how the inbreaking of God's kingdom in the person and ministry of Jesus spells the end of certain aspects of the Mosaic law (Mark 7). You will also see how the blind man in Mark 10 and the woman who gave her two mites in Mark 12, and the woman who anointed Jesus' feet in Mark 14 are shown to be model disciples who follow Jesus and do an even better job of it than the Twelve.
Ben teaches that Mark 13 was mostly fulfilled in the years 30-70 AD, except of course for His coming in power and glory.
Ben contends that Mark didn't intend to end his gospel at 16:8, and that the original ending didn't survive. Shards of it may be preserved in Matthew's gospel.
But I've always felt that 16:8, whether the intended ending or not, was the perfect cliffhanger ending. It has the women disciples running away in fear, not knowing what had happened. It leaves the would be disciple with these questions: Will I follow Jesus in faith like the model disciples mentioned earlier? Or will I turn away in fear and uncertainty?
I'm also tempted to qualify the ancient biography classification by calling this a "specialized" biography. It not only answers the question "Who is Jesus," it also answers the question "Why it is worth it to follow Jesus down the path of sacrificial service and suffering?" The answer of course is that a. he has authority over sin, sickness, spirits, and society and b. We will be massively rewarded in this life and in the life to come if we follow Jesus in faith.
I should also say that this commentary doesn't have the typical structure of a more traditional verse by verse commentary. I would say it's more paragraph by paragraph. Some verses receive close exegetical, individual treatment, some have added excurses, other passages are skimmed over more generally. You will have to read closely to find information on a particular verse.
But it is much more interesting to pick up and read than the average commentary, and it will enrich your understanding of Mark's Gospel. I also like the Bridging the Horizons sections that apply the text to the world today (I wish more commentaries did this, and did it as well as this one does). Like all of Dr. Witherington's work, this book is interesting, informative, solid and illuminating. Thumbs up!
Summary of The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
This superb commentary offers the first sustained attempt to read the Gospel of Mark both as an ancient biography and as a form of ancient rhetoric. Leading New Testament scholar Ben Witherington applies to Mark the socio-rhetorical approach for which he is well known, opening a fresh new perspective on the earliest Gospel. Witheringtons work provides us with a fascinating view of how the life and teachings of Jesus were presented to a largely non-Jewish auidence - and what this presentation of Jesus still holds for Christians today.Bibles Books
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