Mark as Story Second Edition

I found this book as a great help for researching my sermons for Mark. It is very resourseful. It really explains the Gospel in terms that are very understandable. The book has given me a new understanding and new meanings. I found the patterns of movement on Jesus' journey, which begins at the Jordan River. It is a book that is easy to follow.The book also shows how the plot was arranged and where it was going.I really like how the author gives the analysis of the characters in Mark's story. In conclusion he asks the reader how it affects them. I think that one would have a good resourse in their library if they purchased this book. I am a Lay Supply Pastor. this is a book that was recommeded for our study during this Easter Season.

Some of the criticisms I have gotten from my peers about this book is that they didn't like the liberties the authors took in "translating" the gospel of Mark. The authors are not translating the Gospel of Mark. They are illustrating how Mark works as a story that one may hear around a campfire. I don't see the "liberalism" that the first reviewer has identified. Rhoads/Dewey/Michie employ literary criticism to unpack the significance of the various facets of Mark's gospel. If you are a student of scripture and you want to learn to read the oft overly-familiar bible with a fresh lens, Mark as Story will give you a fresh start at reading the scriptures.

I have a confession to make. Mark was probably my least favorite of the Gospels. It seemed so disjointed at times. The author seemed to race from one event to the other, with seemingly little connection between events or tales. His descriptions and details seemed scant, with the other Gospels filling in the blanks. And there lies part of my problem in trying to figure the book of Mark out - my reliance on the other Gospels to help me interpret it, instead of reading Mark as though I was hearing everything about the life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah for the first time. The authors of "Mark as Story" try to impress upon the reader the importance of understanding Mark on its own terms as a narrative. They offer four guidelines in this approach: (1) read Mark as a story rather than history, (2) read Mark independently from the other Gospels, (3) avoid reading modern cultural assumptions into the story, and (4) avoid reading modern theologies about Jesus back into Mark's story. With these guidelines in mind, the authors discuss the various elements of Mark, known in biblical studies as "narrative criticism" where tone, style, setting, plot, characters, etc. are analyzed. Sound like a college course in Literature? Perhaps. And thus this particular book may not be to everyone's liking. As for me, I can truly say that I have a much greater appreciation for the Gospel of Mark having read it as a work of literature in its own right. - Ronni

This fairly brief book provides a fresh and exciting approach to the Gospel of Mark. By respecting the integrity of Mark and encouraging the reader to attend to the details and style of this Gospel, the reader is allowed to experience anew the Gospel and find within its story the astounding character of Jesus.

Most churches teach "the gospels" as if they were one story told by someone named Matthew Mark Luke John. So it's very hard to read any one gospel as if for the first time. They all wind up sounding like random collections of sayings and miracles by Jesus leading up to Good Friday and Easter. What Rhoads and Michie do is to treat the Gospel of Mark as a work of literature in its own right, apart from anything else we know or think we know about Jesus. They examine Mark's rhetoric, settings, plot, and characters to see how he tells the story. In the process, they enable us to experience Mark's gospel in a completely fresh way. Now I'm waiting for them to do the same thing for Matthew, Luke, and John--especially John.