A Theology of Mark’s Gospel: Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Biblical Theology of the New Testament | BTNT)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
This book is part of the new Zondervan New Testament Biblical Theology Series and covers major Markan themes and sets forth the distinctive contribution of Mark to the New Testament and the canon of Scripture.
A Theology of Mark’s Gospel is the fourth volume in the BTNT series. This landmark textbook, written by leading New Testament scholar David E. Garland, thoroughly explores the theology of Mark’s Gospel. It both covers major Markan themes and also sets forth the distinctive contribution of Mark to the New Testament and the canon of Scripture, providing readers with an in-depth and holistic grasp of Markan theology in the larger context of the Bible. This substantive, evangelical treatment of Markan theology makes an ideal college- or seminary-level text.
- Engages in the study of the biblical texts while giving careful consideration to the historical setting
- Provides a survey of recent scholarship and of the state of research
- Discusses the relationship between Mark and the rest of the Bible
Part 1: Introductory Matters
- The Orientation of This Study and the Historical Framework for Mark’s Theology
- A Literary and Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel
Part 2: Major Themes in Mark’s Theology
- The Introduction to the Gospel and to Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God (Mark 1:1–13)
- Christological Titles in Mark
- Enacted Christology in Mark
- The Presentation of God in the Gospel of Mark
- The Kingdom of God in Mark
- The Secrecy Motifs in Mark
- Mark’s Theology of Discipleship
- The Requirements, Costs, and Rewards of Discipleship
- Mission in Mark
- Mark’s Theology of Atonement and Salvation
- Mark’s Eschatology
- The Ending of Mark’s Gospel: A New Beginning
Top Highlights
“Bad hearing leads to misunderstanding and failure (4:15, 16, 18; 6:2, 11, 20; 14:58, 64; 15:35). The division between outsiders and insiders, then, is based both on God’s choice and the individual’s choice, a paradox that Mark does not attempt to resolve.” (Page 348)
“The only explanation that readers can give for the sudden obedience of these disciples is that Jesus’ call possesses a divine power that compels them to obey. In Mark’s narrative, that power alone, not human calculations or circumstances, impels them to follow him.” (Page 265)
“For Mark, the Scriptures provide the crucial key to unravel the mysterious elements in the life of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, and to unlock God’s purposes behind his death and resurrection.” (Pages 43–44)
“The Pharisees’ traditions of the elders had no explicit scriptural basis. The tradition developed to fill in the gaps and silences in the regulations found in Scripture.” (Page 132)
“To understand this humiliation and how victory looks like a defeat,17 Mark requires the audience to interpret it in light of God’s purposes secreted in Scripture.” (Page 44)
As usual, David Garland provides an insightful and well-researched reading into the biblical text. In this book, however, he offers an additional benefit: a model for how to write a helpful theology of a narrative work. By exploring Mark thematically and theologically, Garland provides a distinctively new contribution.
——Craig Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
David Garland offers a ‘one-stop shop’ on the Gospel of Mark, with treatments of introductory questions, analysis of the literary structure, and cogent discussion of major theological emphases. Conducted in ample dialogue with current and past scholarship on all matters dealt with, this is a rich resource for anyone seeking an up-to-date and wide-ranging analysis of Mark.
—L. W. Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
Simply put, this is a magnificent, major resource for the study of Mark. It is both comprehensive and detailed. It is impressive for the depth and range of its scholarship, as well as its careful argumentation. David Garland’s approach to Mark reflects the perfect blend of believing and responsibly critical scholarship. It is hard to imagine a better or more helpful volume on the theology of Mark than this.
—Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
- Title: A Theology of Mark’s Gospel: Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
- Author: David E. Garland
- Editor: Andreas J. Kostenberger
- Series: Biblical Theology of the New Testament (BTNT)
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publication Date: 2015
- Pages: 656
- Resource Type: Biblical Theology
- Topic: Gospel of Mark
Dr. David E. Garland became Truett Seminary’s fourth dean on June 1, 2007. He also served as interim president of Baylor University from August 2008 until May 2010. He served on the Southern faculty for 21 years, was chairman of the Biblical Division from 1992–1997, and was the Ernest and Mildred Hogan Professor of New Testament Interpretation from 1993–1997.
He has authored, coauthored, and edited 20 books, including The Intention of Matthew 23 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1979); Reading Matthew: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the First Gospel (Macon: Smyth and Helwys: 2000), Mark, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) and translated into Spanish, Colossians / Philemon, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998) and translated into Spanish, 2 Corinthians (New American Commentary; Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1999); “Gospel of Mark” in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2002), and 1 Corinthians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), and he has published more than fifty articles.