Meditations on Mark
Mark’s gospel is almost certainly the earliest of the canonical gospels. It was once regarded as the simplest and most straightforward account of the ministry of Jesus. With its breathless pace, ‘And then Jesus said… and then he went….and immediately….’ Mark presents a series of events in quick succession. The order appears to be almost random, and yet on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that this is a work of considerable literary sophistication.
The interpretation of Mark has become the source of fascination to commentators: for some, Mark’s focus is Christological, exploring the identity of Jesus Christ; for others, it is eschatological, emphasising the imminence of Jesus’ proclamation that 'the Kingdom of God is at hand'; some scholars emphasise the pastoral or missionary accent of the text, while others focus on the way in which the text has been shaped by the politics and social issues of its day. In these podcasts, Will Lamb provides an overview of contemporary scholarship while paying close attention to the exegesis of Mark’s text. These meditations are designed to enrich our reading of Mark as we explore the gospel in the course of the liturgical year.
1. The Beginning of the Gospel (Mark 1.1-8)
In the first episode, we explore the language and imagery of Mark’s Prologue and the way in which Mark introduces his challenging and unsettling story.
