The Seminal Gospel: Forty Days with Mark

All that we know of Jesus and his original message is derived from a few ancient texts, among which the Gospel According to Mark is particularly fascinating and often perplexing. Mark, the shortest of the four Gospels of the New Testament, came first and planted the seeds of thought from which the Christian tradition has grown. We gain insight into the Gospel as we begin to let go of assumptions rooted in long familiarity. The Seminal Gospel is an exploration of Mark and an extended personal reflection on what his telling of the story of Jesus can mean to us today. It reproduces the King James Version of Mark’s text in forty chapters, providing commentary that is explanatory and insightful. It draws broadly on the author’s literary, historical, and theological interests.