Mark
Subtitle: an introduction and study guide : shaping the life and legacy of Jesus
By: by Abraham Smith
Series: T & T Clark study guides to the New Testament -- volume 2; T & T Clark study guides to the New Testament -- v. 2.
Publisher: Bloomsbury T & T Clark
Published: 2017
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 101
ISBN-13: 9781350008878; 9781350008892; 9781350008885
Subjects: Criticism, interpretation; Bible; Biography
Other titles: Shaping the life and legacy of Jesus
Description: This Guide reads the Gospel of Mark as a 1st-century CE story about Jesus, for his followers, and against tyranny or the abusive use of power. First, the book shows students how the Gospel uses the form of a traditional laudatory biography (a 'Life') to reshape the memory of the shame-ridden trials and suffering of Jesus. Such a biography portrayed Jesus' descent (as a son of God), his deeds, and his heroic death, dispelling any notion that the teacher Jesus was a charlatan or huckster. Second, Smith demonstrates how the Gospel devotes a great deal of space to Jesus' training of his disciples -- as he calls, commissions, and corrects them in preparation for the difficult moments of their journey. Third, Smith highlights the Gospel's special characterizations of Jesus - as a prophetic envoy, a man of authority, and a philosophical hero -- contrasting Jesus' use of power with the abusive use of power by Rome's representatives (Herod Antipas and Pilate).
Notes: Originally published in 2015 by Sheffield Phoenix Press.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Reshaping the memory of a teacher and his movement; title: Mark as a life about Jesus; title: Mark as a life for Jesus' followers; title: Jesus as a prophetic envoy; title: Jesus as a powerful broker; title: Jesus as a philosophical hero.