Reading Mark in Context: Jesus and Second Temple Judaism

Over the last several decades, the Jewishness of Jesus has been at the forefront of scholarship and students of the New Testament are more than ever aware of the importance of understanding Jesus and the Gospels in their Jewish context. Reading Mark in Context helps students see the contour and texture of Jesus' engagement with his Jewish environment. It brings together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast viewpoints, theologies, and hermeneutical practices of Mark and his various Jewish contemporaries. Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, this textbook examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the context of Mark's theology and the nuances of his thinking. Following the narrative progression of Mark's Gospel, each chapter in this textbook (1) pairs a major unit of the Gospel with one or more sections of a thematically-related Jewish text, (2) introduces and explores the historical and theological nuances of the comparative text, and (3) shows how the ideas in the comparative text illuminate those expressed in Mark.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Introduction; History of the Second Temple Period 1 Preparing the Way in the Wilderness in Mark 1:1-15 2 The Messiah’s Authority in Mark 1:16-45 3 Controversies with the Scribes and Pharisees in Mark 2:1-3:6 4* Apocalyptic and the Kingdom in Mark 3:7-35 5 Teaching in Parables in Mark 4:1-34 6 Exorcism in Mark 4:35-5:20 7 Healing/Miracles in Mark 5:21-6:6a 8 Herod Antipas in Mark 6:6b-29 9 New Exodus in Mark 6:30-56 10* Redrawing Cultural/Religious and Ethnic Boundaries in Mark 7:1-37 11 (Apocalyptic) Epistemology in Mark 8:1-26 12 The New Elijah in Mark 8:27-9:13 13 Faith in Mark 9:14-29 14 Cruciform Discipleship in Mark 9:30-50 15 The Law and Divorce in Mark 10:1-31 16 Spiritual Leadership in Mark 10:32-52 17 The Triumphal Entry in Mark 11:1-11 18 The Temple in Mark 11:12-26 19 The Chief Priests and Elders in the Temple/Parable of the Tenants in Mark 11:27-12:12 20* The Sadducees (and Other Jewish Authorities) in Mark 12:13-44 21 The Tribulation in Mark 13:1-23 22 The Return of the Son of Man in Mark 13:24-37 23 The Passover in Mark 14:1-25 24 Lament in Mark 14:26-52 25 Blasphemy in Mark 14:53-72 26 Pontius Pilate in Mark 15:1-20 27 Crucifixion and Burial in Mark 15:21-47 28 Resurrection in Mark 16:1-8 xx Glossary

About the Author :
Ben C. Blackwell (PhD, University of Durham) is associate professor of early Christianity at Houston Baptist University. He has authored a number of essays and articles related to Historical Theology and the New Testament, including Christosis: Engaging Pauline Soteriology with His Patristic Interpreters. He is currently working on new monograph: Participating in the Righteousness of God: Justification in Pauline Theology. He also served as a co-editor for several volumes: Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination; Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism; and Reading Mark in Context: Jesus and Second Temple Judaism. Jason Maston (PhD, University of Durham) is Lecturer in New Testament at Highland Theological College UHI (UK). He is the author of Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Comparative Approach and contributor to and co-editor (with Michael F. Bird) of Earliest Christian History: History, Literature and Theology. Essays from the Tyndale Fellowship in Honor of Martin Hengel.

Review :
'How does one best learn relevant historical background material to the Gospels? Traditionally, one reads a brief introduction to overall trends and then looks for where they might illuminate individual passages. More interesting, if done well, is to begin with the biblical text and then read portions of the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, or even the oldest of the rabbinic literature that allows close comparisons and contrasts with the biblical subject matter. This anthology takes the latter approach, makes excellent and relevant selections from the noncanonical material, and uses a broad range of good scholars who briefly make the relevant comparisons with selections from most all the major passages in the Gospel of Mark. The task is done well so that this volume has excellent textbook potential as well as satisfying the curiosity of many other readers.' 'Reading Mark in Context is consistently informative, respectful towards the primary texts, and eminently readable, written by scholars who have published on the Gospel of Mark, and thus a helpful guide for students and pastors who seek a better understanding of the most concise of the canonical Gospels.' 'The idea behind this volume---slice Mark into sections and introduce each via extracanonical Jewish materials---is splendid. Happily, so too is the execution. Reading Mark in Context will expand students’ horizons and motivate them to go looking for more of the same.' 'This work is brilliantly designed to provide a maximum benefit in a relatively concise space, with contributors highlighting various sample passages relevant to Mark’s Gospel. Readers familiar with the New Testament are far more likely to remember elements of the New Testament’s ancient milieu when they are pegged to New Testament material. This offers a brilliant introduction of the relevance of early Jewish context for readers of the New Testament, as well as windows into Mark.' 'While the Judaic context of the Gospel of Mark has given rise to interminable speculations regarding sources, the fruitful task of comparative analysis is a rarity in scholarly discourse. Now, in Reading Mark in Context the novice reader is presented with the fruit of a comparative inquiry at its finest. The Jewish writings function like a light upon the narrative, making visible to the attentive reader the profundity of the Markan account of Jesus of Nazareth and illustrating the riches therein with contextual clarity. This is a unique and valuable collection that balances competent usage of the Jewish texts with judicious insights into the Gospel of Mark.'