The Gospel According to Mark: Volume 2 Volume 2

My professional study of Mark's Gospel began with a course at Catholic Theological Union given by Don Senior, C.P. After receiving my M.A. from CTU I have taught Mark's Gospel and preached it over several liturgical cycles. To my enthusiastic awe, this commentary gave me many new insights. To highlight a few: 1) Marie Noonan Sabin's explanation of one of Mark's key words, "ectasy" opened up meaning in the conclusion of Mark's Gospel at chapter 16:8. Her translation: "And going out, they fled the tomb, for trembling and ecstasy possessed them, and they said nothing to anyone because they were filled with awe." 2) This translation then helped to discount with careful explanation the later addition of endings to Mark's Gospel. 3) She comments on the Transfiguration in this way: "Mark has not placed the scene of Jesus' resurrection at the end of his Gospel but here in the middle, where it illuminates both halves of his Gospel." 4) Her portrayal of Jesus as a Wisdom figure is illustrated in numberous ways through the Gospel. 5) She emphasizes the difference in the treatment by Mark of women, contrasting it with Mark's treatment of men disciples. 6) Her comments on the scene in the Garden: "...all the elements of the transfiguration scene are reversed. ...instead of being radiant and dazzling, Jesus is troubled and distressed. Instead of ascending up a mountain, Jesus falls to the ground. Instead of being blessed by the Father, Jesus cries out to the Father to take away his coming suffering and death. Peter, who is so roused by the moment of transfiguration that he wants to celebrate it, falls asleep. ...Mark shows Jesus not addressing him here as Peter but reverting to Simon, the name he had before he became a disciple." 7) She elucidates Mark's direct reference of the Hebrew Scriptures as well as veiled references. The commentary is in understandable language which nourishes one's relationship with Jesus.

This work is the second volume of The New Collegeville Bible Study New Testament series, known for its high quality scholarship in a format and style that appeal to those new and experienced in scripture study. It contains a number of built-in study aids including layout, which divides each page into two sections, one for the reading and the other for the reflection. Bold face headings are used throughout the text, and a summary appears at the end of each chapter. An index of citations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and maps of Jerusalem and Palestine at the time of Jesus are included. In her introduction, Sabin addresses such issues as authorship of the Gospel of Mark, its intended audience, date and historical setting, genre, key words, and patterns and design within the text. For example, in her reflection and analysis on Mark 8, Sabin highlights the author's reliance on a pattern of doublets. In Chapter 8, as in Chapter 6, Jesus takes pity on a large crowd of followers who have nothing to eat. In Chapter 6, 5000 are fed from five loaves and two fish; in Chapter 8, 4000 Pharisees, who demanded a sign from heaven, are fed from seven loaves and a few fish. Sabin explains that many scholars believe the first feeding suggests God's raining down manna on the chosen people, and the second, the Eucharist. She goes into detail about the reasoning behind these scholarly conclusions then continues by pointing out the "double failure to understand." Not only the Pharisees, but also the disciples miss the point of the miracle. This short sample is typical of Sabin's ability to bring readers along, leading us to a fuller understanding and appreciation of familiar bible stories and connecting them to one another and to the Old Testament.