Description: An important new reading of the Gospel of Mark, articulating its themes and objectives and highlighting its importance to Christian life today.
Believing that the needs of beleaguered Christian communities in turbulent times would be best met by drawing on the life of Jesus, Mark wrote a Gospel that was at once plain and subtle, fast-paced and yet profound. He clarified the essence of being a follower of Jesus, so that these communities might differentiate the essential from the trivial and be fortified in their testimony to the one true Gospel. In his important new commentary, Kim Huat Tan expounds the artistry of Mark in achieving all this in its original setting by focusing on the larger picture of themes and thrusts, paragraphs and plot, but without dodging important issues of interpretation. Following in the footsteps of his Gospel, Mark bridges the horizons between then and now, and show how it is still a powerful resource for a disciple of Jesus today.Brief description: Kim Huat Tan is Chen Su Lan Professor of New Testament and Academic Dean at Trinity Theological College, Singapore. He is author of The Zion Traditions and the Aims of Jesus (1997).
Review Quotes: Clear and accessible, engaged with relevant scholarship, wise and balanced in judgments, offering both analysis of the text of Mark and cogent suggestions about continuing meaning for today, this new commentary is recommended, especially for busy ministers and students.--Larry W. Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology, University of Edinburgh