Page 17 - Advanced New Testament Survey Student Textbook

Audience
Rome is the likely destination of Mark’s Gospel. Here scholars say that, “The author employs Greek
loanwords derived from Latin and expressions reflecting Latin grammar, suggesting a locale where Latin
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was spoken.” Scholars further suggest that “There are parallels between Mark and Paul’s letter to the
Romans. For example, “[H]e declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19 NRSV) mirrors Rom 14:14: “I know and
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am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself” (NRSV).”

Other possible original audiences for Mark’s Gospel could be Syria, the northern Transjordan, the
Decapolis, and Galilee, all based on various presuppositions. For example, the Syrian proposal is based
on the hypothesis that if both Matthew and Luke were written around Antioch, their independent
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knowledge of Mark would imply the Gospel being written in the area.
Genre
Scholarship since the 1990s has largely considered the Gospel of Mark closest in genre to ancient
biography—that is, a “life” or bios. A bios displayed a historical interest in portraying truthfully the life of
its subject. However, a bios differs in crucial respects from modern biography. Unlike modern biography,
a bios was unconcerned with placing events in chronological order and had no intention of giving a
sequential account of the subject’s life from birth to death. Rather, a bios arranged its material in topical
order, stressing anecdotes that painted the clearest picture of the subject’s personality. Similarly, a bios
had no interest in recording the subject’s words verbatim; it was perfectly acceptable to employ a
paraphrase or summary that preserved the sense of the subject’s speech.
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How does Mark Impact our lives?

Jesus admonishes his followers to “take up your cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34–38). In what way has
discipleship carried a cost in your life? How does Mark’s Gospel help you process suffering and give you a
way forward in how to understand it and respond to it?

We are rarely asked to pay the ultimate cost for our faith in the Western world, but true discipleship still
carries a cost in a world warped by sin. How does faith cost you? Are there areas in your life where you
have avoided a deeper relationship with Jesus because you fear its cost? How does Mark’s Gospel help
you find a way forward, past this fear?

In the Gospel of Mark, conflict plays a significant—and positive—role in revealing Jesus’ identity, moving
God’s plan forward, and helping to create a sense of identity among those who followed Jesus. In what
areas of your life do you face conflict? Are there ways in which God has used conflict to produce positive
results? In what ways does Mark’s Gospel help you view (and handle) conflict differently?
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46 Ibid
47 Ibid
48 Ibid
49 MacGregor, K. R. (2016). Mark, Gospel of. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C.
Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
50 Barry, J. D. et al

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