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Bibliography: Gospel of Mark


Overview
Borg, Marcus J. Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark. AABSSS. Har-
risburg: Morehouse, 2009. Applies a “historical-metaphorical” methodology
to the study of Mark, providing both overviews of sections and detailed
treatments of specific passages.
Broadhead, Edwin K. Mark. Readings. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001.
Dowd, Sharyn E. Reading Mark. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2001.
------. Reading Mark: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Second
Gospel. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2000.
Griggs, Donald L., and Charles D. Myers. Mark’s Gospel from Scratch: The New
Testament for Beginners. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010.
Hare, Douglas R. A. Mark. WBC. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.
Harrington, Daniel J. Mark. ACNT. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1990.
------. What Are They Saying about Mark? Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2005.
Harrington, Wilfrid. What Was Mark At? The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary.
Blackrock: Columba, 2008.
Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. CCSS. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
Moloney, Francis J. Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist. Peabody, MA: Hen-
drickson, 2004.
Painter, John. Mark’s Gospel. NTR. London: Routledge, 1997.
Placher, William C. Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Louisville:
Westminster John Knox, 2010.
Telford, W. R. The Theology of the Gospel of Mark. NTT. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1999.
Williamson, Lamar. Mark. IBC. Atlanta: John Knox, 1983.
Wright, N. T. Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004.
Critical Commentaries
Boring, Eugene M. Mark: A Commentary. NTL. Louisville: Westminster John
Knox, 2006.
Collins, Adela Yarbro. Mark. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007.
Culpepper, R. Alan. Mark. SHBC. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2007.
Donahue, John R., and Daniel J. Harrington. The Gospel of Mark. SP. Collegeville,
MN: Liturgical Press, 2002.
Edwards, James R. The Gospel According to Mark. PNTC. Grand Rapids: Eerd-
mans, 2002.
Evans, Craig A. Mark 8:27–16:20. WBC 34B. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001.
France, R. T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. NIGTC. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
Guelich, Robert A. Mark 1–8:26. WBC 34A. Dallas: Word, 1989.
Gundry, Robert H. Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.
Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. CCSS. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
Juel, Donald H. The Gospel of Mark. IBT. Nashville: Abingdon, 1999.

Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament. Published by Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.
Updated 9/2012

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Lane, William L. The Gospel of Mark. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.
Marcus, Joel. Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. 2 vols.
Anchor Yale Bible 27A. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000 and 2009.
Moloney, Francis J. The Gospel of Mark. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002.
Stein, Robert. Mark. BECNT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
Witherington, Ben, III. The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Academic Studies
Achtemeier, Paul J. Mark. 2nd ed. PC. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986. This book
served as the standard introduction to Mark for more than a decade.
Redaction-critical in approach, it also surveys literary-critical studies in a
chapter on Mark as literature.
Ahearne-Kroll, Stephen P. The Psalms of Lament in Mark’s Passion: Jesus’ Davidic
Suffering. SNTSMS 142. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Reads
Mark’s passion narrative through the lens of four lament psalms evoked in
the story, showing that the tradition of crying out to God in the midst of
suffering is integral to Jesus’ and Markan theological concerns.
Ambrozic, Aloysius M. The Hidden Kingdom: A Redaction-Critical Study of the
References to the Kingdom in Mark’s Gospel. CBQMS 2. Washington, DC:
Catholic Biblical Association, 1972. The kingdom of God in Mark is future,
yet already present; hidden, yet inevitably to be revealed at the end of
time. A careful redaction-critical study of this important Markan theme.
Anderson, Janice Capel, and Stephen D. Moore. Mark and Method: New Ap-
proaches in Biblical Studies. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Illustrates
different critical approaches to Mark’s Gospel: narrative, reader-response,
deconstructive, feminist, social, postcolonial, cultural, and orality.
Aus, Roger David. My Name Is Legion: Palestinian Judaic Traditions in Mark 5:1–20
and Other Gospel Texts. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2003.
Barta, Karen A. The Gospel of Mark. MBS 9. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier,
1988. Examines selected themes in Mark including prayer, kingdom, power,
healing, blindness, and discipleship.
Barton, Stephen. Discipleship and Family Ties in Mark and Matthew. SNTSMS
80. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Beck, Robert R. Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of
Mark. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000.
Best, Ernest. Disciples and Discipleship. Studies in the Gospel According to Mark.
Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986. A collection of articles and essays focusing on
Mark 8:27–10:45, this book supports the thesis that Mark’s portrayal of the
disciples is intended to build up his community in their faith rather than
defend it from heresy.
------. Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 4. Sheffield:
JSOT Press, 1981. A study in redaction-criticism, this book explores the theme
of discipleship under three main headings: the disciple and the cross, the
disciple and the world, the disciple in the community.
------. Mark: The Gospel as Story. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1983. Despite the refer-
ence to “story” in the subtitle, this book is redaction-critical in character. It
views Mark’s Gospel as a sum of layers of traditions and ably discusses on
this basis its unity, nature, purpose, audience, and theology.

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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------. Temptation and the Passion: The Markan Soteriology. SNTSMS 2. Cam-
bridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965. Through a redactional study of
these two sections of Mark’s Gospel, the author attempts to show that Mark
construes Jesus’ accomplishment primarily as the redemption of humanity
from sin rather than, as is sometimes thought, as a cosmic defeat of Satan.
Betsworth, Sharon. The Reign of God Is Such as These: A Socio-Literary Analysis of
Daughters in the Gospel of Mark. LNTS 422. London: T&T Clark, 2010. Examines
the subset of female characters in Mark’s Gospel called daughters, conclud-
ing that once they have come under Christ’s protection, they exemplify
the inclusiveness of God’s rule.
Bilezikian, Gilbert. The Liberated Gospel: A Comparison of the Gospel of Mark and
Greek Tragedy. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1977. This book tries to show
that Mark’s Gospel contains the essential elements for tragedy as outlined
by Aristotle in his Poetics.
Black, C. Clifton. The Disciples According to Mark: Markan Redaction in Current
Debate. JSNTSup 27. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989. Argues
that the conflicting interpretations that redaction critics have offered for
Mark’s treatment of the disciples derive from basic flaws inherent in the
methodology of redaction criticism itself.
------. Mark: Images of an Apostolic Interpreter. Columbia: University of South
Carolina Press, 1994. A comprehensive study of the figure of John Mark in
the New Testament and of tradition associating him with the authorship
of Mark’s Gospel.
Blevins, James. The Messianic Secret in Markan Research, 1901–1976. Washington,
DC: University Press of America, 1981. A historical survey of scholarship on
this very important subject for Markan studies.
Blount, Brian K. Go Preach! Mark’s Kingdom Message and the Black Church Today.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000.
Bolt, Peter G. The Cross from a Distance: Atonement in Mark’s Gospel. NSBT 18.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.
------. Jesus’ Defeat of Death: Persuading Mark’s Early Readers. SNTSMS 125.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Booth, Roger. Jesus and the Laws of Purity: Tradition History and Legal History
in Mark 7. JSNTSup 13. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986. A historical study of the
legal traditions involved in this passage, which concludes that Jesus did
not deny the concept of cultic purity absolutely but only relativized that
concept in comparison with ethical purity.
Boring, M. Eugene. Truly Human/ Truly Divine: Christological Language and the
Gospel Form. St. Louis: CBP Press, 1984. Written for the nonspecialist, this
book shows how the Gospel, as a literary form, incorporates within it a
double image of Jesus: on the one hand, Jesus is (like us) weak, the cruci-
fied man from Nazareth; on the other hand, he is (not like us) strong, the
powerful Son of God.
Boucher, Madeleine. The Mysterious Parable: A Literary Study. CBQMS 6. Wash-
ington DC: Catholic Biblical Association, 1977. After an appeal to under-
stand parables as a class of literature, the author deals with Mark’s theory
of parables in particular and relates this to his theme of mystery.
Broadhead, Edwin K. Teaching with Authority: Miracles and Christology in the
Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 74. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1974.

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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Brock, Rita Nakashima. Journeys by Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power. New York:
Crossroad, 1988. Interprets stories of Christian origin in Mark’s Gospel from
the perspective of feminist, relational theology. Discovers in the miracle
and passion stories a source of “erotic” (i.e., heart-based) power that is the
basis of life and community.
Bryan, Christopher. A Preface to Mark: Notes on the Gospel in Its Literary and
Cultural Settings. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Burkett, Delbert. Rethinking the Gospel Sources: From Proto-Mark to Mark. New
York: T&T Clark International, 2004.
Byrne, Brendan. A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel. Col-
legeville, MN: Order of St. Benedict, 2008.
Camery-Hogatt, Jerry. Irony in Mark’s Gospel: Text and Subtext. SNTSMS 72.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Carey, Holly J. Jesus’ Cry from the Cross: Towards a First-Century Understanding
of the Intertextual Relationship between Psalm 22 and the Narrative of Mark’s
Gospel. LNTS 398. London: T&T Clark, 2009. Examines the use of Psalm 22 in
Mark, the way its reference would have been understood by first-century
readers, and the theme of Jesus as a righteous sufferer.
Collins, Adela Yarbro. The Beginning of the Gospel: Probings of Mark in Context.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.
Cook, Michael. Mark’s Treatment of the Jewish Leaders. NovTSup 51. Leiden:
Brill, 1978. A redactional study of Jesus’ opponents in Mark that is primarily
concerned with uncovering historical insights regarding the evangelist
and his community.
Crossley, James G. The Date of Mark’s Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest
Christianity. New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.
Croy, Clayton. The Mutilation of Mark’s Gospel. Nashville: Abingdon, 2003. A
sustained argument in support of the thesis that the original ending of
Mark’s Gospel has been lost, with an additional proposal that the begin-
ning of the Gospel may have been lost as well.
Danove, Paul L. The Rhetoric of Characterization of God, Jesus, and Jesus’ Disciples
in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 290. London: T&T Clark, 2005.
Dart, John. Decoding Mark. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003.
Dewey, Joanna. Markan Public Debate: Literary Technique, Concentric Structure,
and Theology in Mark 2:1–3:6. SBLDS 48. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1980. A
rhetorical-critical study, this book examines the overall structure of Mark
2:1–3:6 and the literary techniques according to which it was composed
so as to understand both the interrelationships among the various parts
of the section and its meaning as a whole.
Donahue, John R. Are You the Christ? The Trial Narrative in the Gospel of Mark.
SBLDS 10. Missoula, MT: Society of Biblical Literature, 1973. A redactional
analysis of this important section of Mark’s Gospel and its relationship to
the work as a whole. Special emphasis is given to the temple theme and
to Christology.
------. The Theology and Setting of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. Milwaukee:
Marquette University Press, 1981. A brief redactional study relating Mark’s
portrayal of the disciples to concerns in the evangelist’s own community.

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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Dowd, Sharyn Echols. Prayer, Power, and the Problem of Suffering: Mark 11:23–25
in the Context of Markan Theology. SBLDS 105. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988.
An extensive analysis of Mark’s theology of prayer.
Driggers, Ira Brent. Following God through Mark: Theological Tension in the Second
Gospel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007. A study of the activity of God
in Mark’s Gospel, including God’s work through Jesus and apart from Jesus.
Duran, Nicole W. The Power of Disorder: Ritual Elements in Mark’s Passion Narra-
tive. LNTS 378. London: T&T Clark, 2008. Examines Mark’s passion narrative
in light of traditional sacrificial rituals, framing it in terms of sacrificial ritual.
Duran, Nicole Wilkinson, Teresa Okure, and Daniel M. Patte, eds. Mark. Texts @
Contexts. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010. Essays on Markan texts and themes
written by authors from a diverse array of ethnic and social backgrounds.
Farmer, William. The Last Twelve Verses of Mark. SNTSMS 25. London: Cambridge
University Press, 1974. A study of the evidence for and against the genu-
ineness of Mark 16:9–20. The author concludes that the verses should be
considered part of Mark’s Gospel.
Fowler, Robert M. Let the Reader Understand: Reader-Response Criticism and the
Gospel of Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991. Examines the rhetoric of Mark’s
Gospel with an emphasis on those features that allow interpretations that
are intentionally ambiguous.
------. Loaves and Fishes: The Function of the Feeding Stories in the Gospel of
Mark. SBLDS 54. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1981. The major thesis of this in-
vestigation is that the story of the feeding of the five thousand is a Markan
composition. A literary-critical study, it also contains a chapter on reader-
response and on the implied reader of Mark.
Fullmer, Paul. Resurrection in Mark’s Literary-Historical Perspective. LNTS 360.
London: T&T Clark, 2007.
Garrett, Susan R. The Temptation of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel. Grand Rapids: Eerd-
mans, 1998.
Gaventa, Beverly Roberts, and Patrick D. Miller, eds. The Ending of Mark and the
Ends of God: Essays in Memory of Donald Harrisville Juel. Louisville: Westmin-
ster John Knox, 2005.
Geddert, Timothy J. Watchwords: Mark 13 in Markan Eschatology. JSNTSup 26.
Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1989. Interprets Mark’s eschatology from the stand-
point of epistemology, arguing that Mark is more concerned to teach his
readers how to know than what to know.
Geyer, Douglas W. Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark. Lanham,
MD: Scarecrow Press, 2001.
Gray, Timothy C. The Temple in the Gospel of Mark: A Study in Its Narrative Role.
Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. A literary critical analysis of the role the
temple plays in the Markan passion narrative.
Hamerton-Kelly, Robert. The Gospel and the Sacred: Poetics of Violence in Mark.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994.
Hanson, James S. The Endangered Promises: Conflict in Mark. SBLDS 171. Atlanta:
Society of Biblical Literature, 2000.
Hatina, Thomas. In Search of a Context: The Function of Scripture in Mark’s Nar-
rative. JSNTSup 232. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002.
Henderson, Suzanne Watts. Christology and Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark.
SNTSMS 135. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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Hengel, Martin. Studies in the Gospel of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. A col-
lection of three essays, this book concentrates in the main on the historical
origins of Mark’s Gospel. It argues for a reappropriation of the traditional
views that the Gospel was written in Rome in 69 and contains materials
handed down by Peter through John Mark, referred to in Acts 12.
Hooker, Morna D. The Message of Mark. London: Epworth, 1983. This brief
study attempts to delineate the unique perspective of Mark’s community
concerning Christology and discipleship.
------. The Son of Man in Mark. Montreal: McGill University Press, 1967. This
book studies the use of the term Son of Man in the Old Testament and
intertestamental literature and then examines all of the occurrences in
Mark. The author argues for a coherent pattern in Mark’s use of the term.
Horsley, Richard A. Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark’s Gospel.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
Horsley, Richard A., Jonathan Draper, and John Miles Foley, eds. Performing
the Gospel: Orality, Memory, and Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006.
Incigneri, Brian J. The Gospel to the Romans: The Setting and Rhetoric of Mark’s
Gospel. BIS 65. Leiden: Brill, 2003.
Iverson, Kelly R. Gentiles in the Gospel of Mark: “Even the Dogs under the Table
Eat the Children’s Crumbs.” LNTS 339. London: T&T Clark, 2007.
Iverson, Kelly R., and Christopher W. Skinner, eds. Mark as Story: Retrospect
and Prospect. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011. A collection of
essays reflecting on the influence of David Rhoads’ narrative-critical work
on Mark (see the book ).
Joy, David. Mark and Its Subalterns: A Hermeneutical Paradigm for a Postcolonial
Context. BibleWorld. London: Equinox, 2008. Looks at Mark from Indian and
postcolonial perspective, then discusses colonial powers and their traces
in Mark, arguing that the poor and marginalized are agents of change in
the Gospel.
Juel, Donald H. A Master of Surprise: Mark Interpreted. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994.
------. Messiah and Temple: The Trial of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. SBLDS 31.
Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1977. An analysis of the problem represented
by the significant role played by Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruc-
tion in his trial, and the virtual insignificance of the temple in the rest of
Mark’s narrative.
Kaminouchi, Alberto de Mingo. “But It Is Not So among You”: Echoes of Power
in Mark 10:23-45. JSNTSS 249. London: T&T Clark, 2003.
Kealy, Seán P. Mark’s Gospel: A History of Its Interpretation. New York: Paulist
Press, 1982. A sweeping historical survey of Markan scholarship from the
first centuries to the present. The book covers the modern era of form and
redaction criticism, but its unique contribution is its review of little-known
works from earlier periods.
Kee, Howard Clark. Community of the New Age: Studies in Mark’s Gospel. Phila-
delphia: Westminster, 1977. After locating the origins of Mark’s Gospel in
rural and small-town Syria, this study regards the Gospel as written in the
late 60s on the model of Jewish apocalyptic writings.
Kelber, Werner H. The Kingdom in Mark: A New Place and a New Time. Philadel-
phia: Fortress, 1974. This book studies Mark’s concept of the “kingdom of
God” in reference to a proposed reconstruction of Christian community

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. The author dates the Gospel
after this event, which, he believes, precipitated its production.
------. Mark’s Story of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979. This book is an inter-
pretive retelling of Mark’s story of the life and death of Jesus, understood
as a journey beginning in Galilee and ending in Jerusalem. It espouses the
view, long debated by scholars, that Mark depicts the disciples at the close
of his story as permanently alienated from Jesus.
------. The Oral and the Written Gospel: The Hermeneutics of Speaking and
Writing in the Synoptic Tradition, Mark, Paul, and Q. Philadelphia: Fortress,
1983. This book develops the thesis that Mark, by putting the Gospel into
a written form, put an end to the creative development that had character-
ized it in the oral stage.
------, ed. The Passion in Mark: Studies on Mark 14–16. Philadelphia: Fortress,
1976. In this collection of redaction-critical essays written by several scholars,
each pericope in Mark’s passion account is investigated in terms both of
the role that it plays within the passion account itself and of the thematic
links that it exhibits to other parts of the narrative.
Kermode, Frank. The Genesis of Secrecy: On the Interpretation of Narrative. Cam-
bridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979. An examination of Mark by a
literary critic rather than a biblical scholar, this study questions whether it is
possible to find any unity of coherence intended by the author of the Markan
narrative. Written from the perspective that one can find no coherence to
life itself, it nevertheless contains scattered insights into Mark along the way.
Kim, Seong H. Mark, Women and Empire: A Korean Postcolonial Perspective. BMW
20. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2010. Explores these subversive elements
in the Gospel of Mark in relation to the Roman Empire.
Kingsbury, Jack Dean. The Christology of Mark’s Gospel. Philadelphia: Fortress,
1983. This book uses literary method to reappraise Mark’s portrait of Jesus.
Following brief chapters on the “messianic secret” and recent approaches
to Mark’s understanding of Jesus, it shows how Mark, in the course of his
story, gradually unveils the identity of Jesus. In a separate chapter, it deals
with the special way in which “the Son of Man” is used.
------. Conflict in Mark: Jesus, Disciples, Authorities. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989.
This literary study of Mark as narrative focuses on the story lines of the three
most important characters in the narrative.
Kinukawa, Hisako. Women and Jesus in Mark: A Japanese Feminist Perspective.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1994.
Levine, Amy-Jill, ed. A Feminist Companion to Mark. FCNTECW 2. Sheffield:
Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
Mack, Burton. A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins. Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1988. A study of the social setting of Mark’s Gospel proposing that
Mark exercised a considerable amount of creativity in his presentation of
Jesus traditions in order to vindicate those followers of Jesus who had been
expelled from the synagogues.
Magness, J. Lee. Sense and Absence: Structure and Suspension in the Ending of
Mark’s Gospel. SBLSS. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986. A study of the literary
significance and effect of the final verse of Mark’s Gospel in light of “sus-
pended endings” elsewhere in the Bible and in other ancient literature.

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Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers, ed. Between Author and Audience in Mark: Narration,
Characterization, Interpretation. New Testament Monographs 23. Sheffield:
Sheffield Phoenix, 2009. Literary-critical studies in Mark by one of the first
and foremost practitioners of narrative criticism.
------. Hearing Mark: A Listener’s Guide. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Interna-
tional, 2002.
------. In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel. Louisville: West-
minster John Knox, 2000.
------. Mark’s Jesus: Characterization as Narrative Christologhy. Waco: Baylor
University Press, 2009.
------. Narrative Space and Mythic Meaning in Mark. San Francisco: Harper &
Row, 1986. The purpose of this book is to illuminate Mark’s Gospel story by
investigating the spatial references found in it: heaven versus earth, land
versus sea, Jewish homeland versus foreign land, Galilee versus Judea,
isolated areas versus inhabited areas, house versus synagogue, Mount of
Olives versus temple, and tomb versus mountain.
Maloney, Elliott. Jesus’ Urgent Message for Today: The Kingdom of God in Mark’s
Gospel. New York: Continuum, 2004.
Marcus, Joel. The Mystery of the Kingdom of God. SBLDS 90. Atlanta: Scholars
Press, 1986. The thesis of this redaction-critical analysis of Mark’s parable
chapter is that whereas the stress in 4:3–20 is on the hiddenness of the
kingdom, in 4:21–32 it is on the kingdom’s moving from hiddenness to
manifestation.
Martin, Ralph P. Mark: Evangelist and Theologian. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1973. This book deals with the origins of Mark’s Gospel so as to understand
it in light of them. By telling of Jesus’ suffering messiahship, Mark gives
encouragement to his own persecuted church in Rome and summons it
to faithful discipleship.
Marxsen, Willi. Mark the Evangelist: Studies on the Redaction History of the Gospel.
Translated by James Boyce et al. Nashville: Abingdon, 1969 [1956]. This
monograph is generally credited with inaugurating the redaction-critical
approach to Mark’s Gospel. The discussion of this approach in the intro-
duction is classic.
Matera, Frank J. The Kingship of Jesus: Composition and Theology in Mark 15.
SBLDS 66. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1982. As the subtitle suggests, this
study shows how Mark has composed chapter 15 of his passion account
in such fashion as to highlight a royal theology that comes to climactic
expression in the centurion’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God.
------. What Are They Saying about Mark? New York: Paulist Press, 1987. Sur-
veys twenty-five years of Markan research, discussed in easily understood
language. The book has been replaced in the series by another, more
up-to-date volume by Daniel Harrington, but it remains valuable for its
treatment of works in the mid-twentieth century dealing with four major
topics: the setting in which Mark’s Gospel arose; Mark’s understanding of
Jesus and of discipleship; principles Mark used in composing his Gospel;
present-day literary approaches to Mark’s Gospel.
Meagher, John C. Clumsy Construction in Mark’s Gospel: A Critique of Form and
Redaktionsgeschichte. TST 3. New York: Mellen, 1979. Proposes that Mark’s

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Copyright © 2009. Used by permission.

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Gospel is so awkwardly written and ineptly edited that it is futile to look
for overarching purpose in his redaction.
Miller, Susan. Women in Mark’s Gospel. JSNTSup 259. London: T&T Clark, 2004.
Minor, Mitzi. The Power of Mark’s Story. St. Louis: Chalice, 2001.
------. The Spirituality of Mark. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.
Moeser, Marion C. The Anecdote in Mark, the Classical World, and the Rabbis.
JSNTSS 227. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002.
Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus.
Twentieth anniversary ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2008. A political reading of
Mark focusing on building biblical literacy, church renewal, and faith-based
witness for justice.
------. Who Will Roll Away the Stone? Discipleship Queries for First-World Chris-
tians. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000.
Neirynck, Frans. Duality in Mark: Contributions to the Study of the Markan Re-
daction. BETL 31. Louvain: Leuven University Press, 1972. A catalogue and
description of “two-step expressions” in Mark, which the author takes to be
one of the most characteristic features of Markan style.
Newheart, Michael Willett. “My Name Is Legion”: The Story of the Sould of the
Gerasene Demoniac. Interfaces. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004. A
study of Mark 5:1–20.
O’Brien, Kelli S. The Use of Scripture in the Markan Passion Narrative. LNTS 384.
New York: T&T Clark, 384.
Oyen, Geert van, and Tom Shepherd, eds. The Trial and Death of Jesus: Essays
on the Passion Narrative in Mark. CBET 45. Leuven: Peeters, 2006.
Pallares, José Cárdenas. A Poor Man Called Jesus: Reflections on the Gospel of Mark.
Translated by Robert R. Barr. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1986. This book explores
the liberating dimension of Jesus’ words and deeds, demonstrating how his
identification of the poor and outcasts was seen as subversive by political
and religious authorities.
Park, Yoon-Man. Mark’s Memory Resources and the Controversy Stories (Mark
2.1–3.6): An Application of the Frame Theory of Cognitive Science to the Mar-
kan Oral-Aural Narrative. LBS 2. Leiden: Brill, 2010. Discusses frame theory,
which says that a word, phrase, or theme can only be understood within
a particular body of assumptions and knowledge, then applies it to this
section in Mark.
Parker, Neil R. The Marcan Portrayal of the “Jewish” Unbeliever: A Function of the
Marcan References to Jewish Scripture; The Theological Basis of a Literary Con-
struct. SBL 79. New York: Lang, 2008. Argues that Mark draws a caricature
of Jesus’ compatriots in order to explain the presence of “faulty” belief or
even unbelief among a Gentile readership.
Patella, Michael. Lord of the Cosmos: Mithras, Paul, and the Gospel of Mark. New
York: T&T Clark International, 2006.
Patte, Daniel, and Aline Patte. Structural Exegesis: From Theory to Practice; Ex-
egesis of Mark 15 and 16, Hermeneutical Implications. Philadelphia: Fortress,
1978. An attempt to apply the secular literary theory of “structuralism” to a
theological interpretation of Mark’s passion account.
Peabody, David Barrett. Mark as Composer. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press,
1987. A detailed analysis of the Greek text of Mark’s Gospel with the intention
of isolating redactional features that come from the hand of the evangelist.

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Perrin, Norman. A Modern Pilgrimage in New Testament Christology. Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1974. A collection of essays, this book focuses on the Christology
of Mark and especially on Mark’s use of “the Son of Man.”
Petersen, Norman R. Literary Criticism for New Testament Critics. GBS. Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1978. In chapter 3, the whole of Mark’s narrative is investigated to
show that Mark locates the resolution of the plot of his story in the meeting
that the young man in white, following Jesus’ own words, predicts Jesus
will have with the disciples in Galilee. The reader is invited to project that at
this meeting, the disciples come out from under their cloud of ignorance.
Räisänen, Heikki. The “Messianic Secret” in Mark’s Gospel. SNTW. London: T&T
Clark, 1990.
Reiser, William. Jesus in Solidarity with His People. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical
Press, 2000.
Rhoads, David. Reading Mark: Engaging the Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004.
A collection of essays.
Rhoads, David, with Joanna Dewey and Donald Michie. Mark as Story: An In-
troduction to the Narrative of a Gospel. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1999.
More than any other single work, this book pointed the way to a literary
(narrative-critical) study of Mark’s Gospel. Following an English translation, it
treats, in turn, the rhetoric, settings, plot, and characters of Mark’s narrative.
Riley, Harold. The Making of Mark: An Exploration. Macon, GA: Mercer University
Press, 1989. Attempts to interpret Mark’s Gospel as a redaction of Matthew
and Luke, with particular attention to his style, personal vocabulary, and
reasons for inclusion or exclusion of material.
Robbins, Vernon K. Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of Mark.
Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984. A study of socio-rhetorical criticism, this book
understands Mark to have combined in his Gospel biblical-Jewish and
Greco-Roman traditions and conventions. Mark’s Jesus is at once biblical
prophet and Greco-Roman philosopher and teacher; he fulfills Jewish mes-
sianic expectations in a way that would capture the attention of non-Jews
of Mediterranean society.
Robinson, James M. The Problem of History in Mark and Other Markan Stud-
ies. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982. A collection of three studies by a leading
New Testament scholar: a comparison of the Gattung (genre) of Mark and
John; a study of potential gnostic influences on Mark; and an analysis of
the eschatological struggle in Mark 1:1–13 and its presence elsewhere in
the Gospel and early Christianity.
Roscam, Hendrika N. The Purpose of the Gospel of Mark in Its Historical and Social
Context. NovTSup 114. Leiden: Brill, 2004.
Roth, Wolfgang. Hebrew Gospel: Cracking the Code of Mark. Yorktown Heights,
NY: Meyer-Stone Books, 1988. This book examines the genre and function of
Mark’s Gospel in light of ancient and modern Jewish literature. The author
believes that this Gospel is an example of Jewish storytelling that reflects
an intra-Jewish conversation concerning Jesus.
Sabin, Marie Noonan. Reopening the Word: Reading Mark as Theology in the
Context of Early Judaism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Samuel, Simon. A Postcolonial Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. LNTS 340. Lon-
don: T&T Clark, 2007.

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Santos, Narry. Slave of All: The Paradox of Authority and Servanthood in the Gospel
of Mark. JSNTSup 237. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
Schenke, Ludger. Glory and the Way of the Cross: The Gospel of Mark. Chicago:
Franciscan Herald Press, 1982. A short booklet expounding the classic
theory that Mark’s Gospel was written to combat a false “theology of glory”
within his community.
Schildegen, Brenda Deen. Crisis and Continuity: Time in the Gospel of Mark.
JSNTSS 159. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.
Senior, Donald. The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. Wilmington, DE: Michael
Glazier, 1984. This book offers a detailed but eminently readable analysis of
the passion account of Mark. This analysis is preceded by a chapter on the
material leading up to the passion account and is followed by a chapter
emphasizing the theology of the account.
Shiner, Whitney. Proclaiming the Gospel: First-Century Performance of Mark.
Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003.
St. Clair, Raquel A. Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark. Min-
neapolis: Fortress, 2008. Reads Mark’s Gospel through the lens of an African
American woman, reflecting on various aspects of discipleship and suffering
and developing a model for a womanist reading of the text.
Stewart, Eric C. . Matrix: The Bible in Mediterranean Context. Cambridge: Clarke,
2009. Explores the theological motivation behind Mark’s otherwise prob-
lematic presentation of geography related to ministry.
Stock, Augustine. Call to Discipleship: A Literary Study of Mark’s Gospel. GNS 1.
Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1982. The author studies Mark’s Gospel as
a dramatic work bearing traces of contemporary Greek drama. He shows
how Mark uses standard literary techniques to reach his reader with certain
points related to discipleship.
Subramanian, J. S. The Synoptic Gospels and the Psalms as Prophecy. LNTS 351.
New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Examines the manner in which each of the three
Synoptic Gospels treat the Psalms as prophecy.
Such, W. A. The Abomination of Desolation in the Gospel of Mark: Its Historical
Reference in Mark 13:14 and Its Impact in the Gospel. Lanham, MD: University
Press of America, 1998.
Sweetland, Dennis. Our Journey with Jesus: Discipleship According to Mark. GNS
22. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987. This book begins with a study
of discipleship in Mark’s Gospel and leads into a discussion of Christian
discipleship today. Highlighted themes include the life of Christian com-
munity and the relationship of discipleship to Christology.
Telford, William. The Barren Temple and the Withered Tree: A Redaction-Critical
Analysis of the Cursing of the Fig-Tree Pericope in Mark’s Gospel and Its Relation
to the Cleansing of the Temple Tradition. JSNTSup 1. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980.
A detailed exegetical study of Mark 11, including comparison of themes
found here that are also in the Old Testament, in rabbinic literature, and in
other New Testament books.
------, ed. The Interpretation of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. A collection
of eight essays by some of the scholars who have contributed to what the
editor terms a “literary explosion” in the area of Markan studies. Any such
collection necessarily gives an incomplete picture, but the essays included

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here, each in its own way, add insights into Mark’s Gospel. The introduc-
tory essay contains a good review of issues currently debated by scholars.
Thompson, Mary R. The Role of Disbelief in Mark: A New Approach to the Second
Gospel. New York: Paulist Press, 1989. Examines the negative realities, fail-
ures, and misunderstandings portrayed in Mark’s Gospel to explicate the
evangelist’s theology as a realistic one in which faith and disbelief coexist.
Thurston, Bonnie B. The Spiritual Landscape of Mark. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical
Press, 2008. Studies the importance of geography and place as symbols
and key signifiers in the life of Jesus.
Titley, Robert. A Poetic Discontent: Austin Farrer and the Gospel of Mark. LNTS 419.
New York: T&T Clark, 2010. Examines the writings of Austin Farrer, which look
at the book of Mark as literature, history, and scripture and, in the process,
scrutinize the validity of these categories for understanding the NT.
Tolbert, Mary Ann. Sowing the Gospel: Mark’s World in Literary-Historical Perspec-
tive. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. Takes the parable of the sower as the key
to understanding Mark’s Gospel as persuasive literature proclaiming the
gospel within a particular social-historical setting.
Trainor, Michael F. The Quest for Home: The Household in Mark’s Community.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2001.
Tuckett, Christopher, ed. The Messianic Secret. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983.
A collection of several now classic studies on this important theme in
Markan research.
Upton, Bridget Gilfillan. Hearing Mark’s Endings: Listening to Ancient Popular
Texts through Speech Act Theory. BIS 79. Leiden: Brill, 2006. A study in oral-
ity, focusing on the audience impact of Mark 16:18, Mark 16:9–20, and the
“shorter ending” of Mark 16:9.
Via, Dan O., Jr. The Ethics of Mark’s Gospel in the Middle of Time. Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1985. The immediate purpose of this book is to explore the ethical
teachings of Mark’s Gospel and especially of chapter 10 within the context
of the Markan narrative itself. The larger purpose is to set forth the implica-
tions the Markan narrative holds for faith and conduct in today’s world.
Vincent, J., ed. Mark, Gospel of Action: Personal and Community Response. Lon-
don: SPCK, 2006.
Vines, Michael. The Problem of Markan Genre: The Gospel of Mark and the Jewish
Novel. AcBib 3. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002.
Waetjen, Herman. A Reordering of Power: A Sociopolitical Reading of Mark’s
Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. An interpretation of Mark from the
perspective of liberation theology that identifies Jesus as announcing
new power structures in defiance of political domination by a ruling elite.
Waterman, Mark W. The Empty Tomb Tradition of Mark: Text, History, and Theo-
logical Struggles. Los Angeles: Agathos, 2006.
Webb, Geoff R. Mark at the Threshold: Applying Bakhtinian Categories to Markan
Characterization. BI 95. Leiden: Brill, 2008. Uses M. M. Bakhtin’s method of
studying different levels and modes of dialogue in order to examine the
characters of Mark.
Weeden, Theodore. Mark: Traditions in Conflict. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971. A
classic study of the disciples in Mark that proposes the evangelist portrays
them negatively because they represent a segment of Christianity distinct
from that of his community.

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Williams, James G. Gospel against Parable: Mark’s Language of Mystery. BLS 12.
Sheffield: Almond, 1985. The contention of this book is that Mark is a nar-
rative gospel, the product of bringing together “biography” and “parable.”
It sets forth the mystery of the kingdom as revealed in “the way” of Jesus,
the suffering Son of Man.
Wilson, A. P. Transfigured: A Derridean Rereading of the Markan Transfiguration.
LNTS 319. New York: T&T Clark, 2007.
Winn, Adam. The Purpose of Mark’s Gospel: An Early Christian Response to Roman
Imperial Propaganda. WUNT 2/245. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. Attempts
to place the Gospel in its historical context and reads it against the back-
drop of christological crisis, fear of persecution, and eschatological anxiety
within Mark’s community.
Wong, Solomon H.-F. The Temple Incident in Mark 11.15–19. The Disclosure of
Jesus and the Marcan Faction. NTSCE 5. Frankfurt: Lang, 2009. Analyzes the
temple incident in Mark to show that the Markan account reveals a dis-
tancing of the Markan faction from the ideologies of other Jews including
those who revolted in AD 66–70/74.
Wrede, William. The Messianic Secret. Translated by J. C. G. Greig. London: James
Clarke, 1971 [1901]. A classic study presenting the thesis that Mark utilizes
a secrecy motif in his Gospel in order to reconcile his messianic portrayal
of Jesus with the nonmessianic nature of Jesus’ actual life and ministry.
Yoshimura, Hiroaki. Did Jesus Cite Isa. 6.9–10? Jesus’ Saying in Mark 4.11–12 and
the Isaianic Idea of Hardening and Remnant. Abo, Finland: Abo Akademi
University Press, 2010. Asks whether by citing Isa. 6:9–10 in Mark 4:11–12
Jesus was intentionally hindering a certain group from understanding his
message.

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