Gospel of Mark FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the Gospel of Mark
Updated March 28, 1997
1. What is a Gospel? The word "gospel" is an old english derivative of "good news." Christians typically use this word to talk about what they believe about Jesus. The word "Gospel," however, has a particular reference to the ancient writings that try to communicate the life, words and miracles of Jesus in a persuasive manner. Only the Gospel of Mark actually uses the word "Gospel" in reference to itself (1:1). The other New Testament Gospels are obviously about the same kind of arrangement of material. Any arrangement of Jesus' life, words and deeds may rightly be called a Gospel.
2. Is Mark the only Gospel? Four New Testament books are called Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These four have been accepted as the only legitimate records of Jesus life ever since the first century. Because of their similarities, Matthew Mark and Luke have been called the Synoptic Gospels, from a word meaning "to see together."
3. Why were only four Gospels accepted? Each of the Gospels is associated with an Apostle or the original circle of disciples. Matthew is traditionally associated with the tax collector who followed Jesus. Mark is considered an eyewitness or the recorder of Peter's preaching. Luke was an associate of Paul and claims to have depended on eyewitnesses. John claims to be the testimony of the beloved disciple, a member of the inner circle. This apostolic association is not as strong as it has been in the past, particularly for Matthew, but the inclusion of these four (and the exclusion of others) was primarily on this basis.
These Gospels are also self-authenticating in their presentation of Jesus. The early church recognized and endorsed the picture of Christ painted in these Gospels. The evangelists (gospel writers) used much material that was familiar to the early Christians. The Gospel of John is the only one that probably ever caused a second thought, because of its unusual style, but its association with the Apostle John has always been strong.
Of course, other Gospels exist which were not accepted. Most recently the Gospel of Thomas has received a great deal of attention. But the wisdom of the early church in rejecting these is clear to any serious reader. These Gospels contain sensational stories, esoteric saying and other material that imitates or attempts to play off of the Four Gospels in our New Testament. They are interesting for comparison, but do not seriously seek to convey the same portrait of Jesus we find in the Synoptics.
4. Who wrote the Gospel of Mark? The question of authorship can never be ultimately answered in an ancient text that does not claim an author. Ancient writers did not draw attention to themselves as we do today. Tradition is very strong that Mark, an associate of Peter, wrote the Gospel that bears his name. Mark is mentioned in the New Testament as an associate of Barnabas, Paul and Peter. There is evidence that his family may have been associated with the apostles from the time of Christ's death. An unusual mention of a young man fleeing naked in Mark 14:51-52 has caused many to believe Mark may have been an eyewitness to some of these events.
One early church father, Papias, says that Mark wrote down the preaching of Peter. Whether this is our Gospel of Mark is unclear, but Peter's perspective is prominent in the book. There has been no real cogent objection raised to the traditional authorship of the book and it is reasonable to accept it.
5. When was the Gospel of Mark written? Dating an ancient document is a mystery, a puzzle and a riddle. Internal evidence is scant and external evidence is contradictory. Basic to the dating of Mark is the scholarly conviction that he is writing before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Evidence also indicates that the Neronic persecution may be the backdrop. A date of 64 A.D. is commonly accepted.
6. Is all the material original to Mark? Mark did not have to bear the responsibility of complete originality. It was not required or expected. A reliance on earlier material would be normal. It seems that Mark may have access to an outline of Christ's last week, since this makes up half the Gospel. He also uses small units of material containing sayings, stories, parables, controversies and miracles. These are arranged and sometimes edited into Mark's larger narrative. The final creation is the work of a writer, but we should think of a writer-editor and not a start-from-scratch novelist. Mark is creating a book from unsorted fragments that have been passed on to him through oral tradition and earlier writings.
7. Why and where was the Gospel written? The original setting of the book is also a mystery, but there are some clues. A strong Roman background is assumed (and Jewish details must be explained.) There seems to be a repeated theme of suffering as disciples, leading many to conclude active persecution is happening. While the setting of composition may be obscure, a likely audience of persecuted Christians in Rome is reasonable. A purpose of introducing Jesus to non-believers can't be totally set aside, but it appears Mark wants to encourage believers first of all by placing Jesus' identity firmly in mind and showing his path of suffering and death.
8. Do we have the original copy? No original copies of any Gospel exist today. They have perished in ancient times. Reliable copies, however, were made by the early Christians. Textual scholars are confident that the current texts of Mark and the other Gospels are sound and very close to the originals. Fragments from the second century exist of some New Testament books. (One archaeologist claimed to have found fragments of Mark among the Dead Sea scrolls, which would be in the 50's.) The earliest complete copy of Mark is found in Codex Vaticanus. For a fuller discussion of textual issues, consult a general introduction to the New Testament.
9. Are there any textual controversies in Mark? The ending of Mark contains the largest single textual controversy in the New Testament. The oldest copies of the Gospel end at 16:8, while the manuscripts used by the KJV translators had a much longer ending. Despite the widespread usage of these verses over the years by many Christian groups, it is certain that the material beyond 16:8 is added after the Gospel was written. Many Christians do not accept this material as inspired scripture.
Did Mark mean to end his Gospel in such an unusual way? That can only be decided by the reader, but most scholars say "Yes." Others feel the original ending was lost or damaged.
10. What are the characteristics of Mark? Mark has a distinctive style that is easily observable. The text is terse and the plot is fast-moving. Much is written in a variation of present tense to bring past actions into the moment of reading. Mark is brief and to the point. He does take time, however, to show the emotions of Jesus and to notice detail. He also likes both verbal and situational irony and often makes a point through the ironic rather than the direct method. He loves the word "immediately" and he likes to report conflict and controversy.
Mark's major characters are drawn large with little subtlety or ambiguity. He had definite opinions about Jesus and those around him. Mark's presentation of Jesus is most distinctive of all. The humanity of Christ is seen in his reactions. Jesus determination to fulfill his destiny is obvious on every page.
11. How does Mark differ from the other Gospels? Mark differs from the other three Biblical Gospels in several ways. In comparison to Matthew and Luke, Mark is much shorter. He does not have any extended speeches by Jesus (except for Mark 13.) He does not have the material that is distinctive to those Gospels such as some version of the Sermon on the Mount or the Prodigal Son. ("M" and "Q" material according to scholars.) Mark often presents Jesus saying things that are blunter or more puzzling than the other evangelists. Matthew and Luke will often alter Mark's version of a saying to make it better understood. Mark also shows the emotions of Jesus unedited, attributing frustration and anger to him where the other evangelists avoid or soften the response. Of course, Mark has no birth narrative and, apparently, no resurrection appearances.
John is so different from the other three Gospels that the contrast really should be investigated by reading an introduction to John's Gospel. The contrast with non-canonical Gospels should also be looked at by investigating those texts.
12. How do we know Mark is the first of the four? Marcan priority is the name for the belief that Mark is the first of the Gospels to be composed and that Matthew and Luke depend, in some measure, on Mark for the basic outline of Christ's life and the basic methodology of Gospel composition. From the earliest times, readers of the New Testament have noticed a word for word similarity between these gospels. Comparison shows that more than 80% of Mark is used in the other two and they never agree against Mark. This is strong evidence that some version of Mark was involved in the composition of Matthew and Luke.
A thorough discussion of the matter of Marcan priority is included on the links page. There are many complex variations on the basic proposal. For a full discussion of the view that Mark is an abridgement of Matthew (which was a common view for many years) see C.S. Mann in The Gospel According to Matthew in the Anchor Bible series.
13. Are any parts of Mark considered to have been added later? Additions to Mark are obvious in the section after 16:8. The only other serious discussion of additional material is about Mark 13, which is topically different from the rest of the book and has unique literary characteristics. However, most scholars accept the integrity of the book through 16:8.
14. Was Mark written before all the other books of the New Testament? The arrangement of the New Testament is deceptive when the overall dating of the books is considered. A number of Paul's writings pre-date Mark, such as Galatians, the Thessalonian letters and the Corinthian letters. This is important when we see that key concepts in Christianity were already familiar to the early Christians and not introduced in the writing of Gospels. Gospels often had other primary purposes than expressing Christian doctrine or teaching.
15. What is the Secret Gospel of Mark? The Secret Gospel of Mark is mentioned in a letter of Clement of Alexandria found in 1958. According to the letter, Mark wrote a secret Gospel after his first Gospel. The letter cites two sections of the Secret Gospel, one of which is similar to the raising of Lazurus. The actual existence of such a Gospel is likely, but its relationship to Mark is highly doubtful. More likely, this "Gospel" is one of many Gnostic gospels written in the second century.
16. What is the Cross Gospel? The Cross Gospel is a hypothetical document that one scholar believes is a source of the Gospel of Mark. This is completely a hypothesis, however, and has no actual evidence. J.D. Crossan of the Jesus Seminar believes this Gospel can be discerned out of a second century document known as the Gospel of Peter. Few take this seriously.
17. What is the symbol for Mark's Gospel? The symbol for Mark's Gospel is the Lion.
18. Is Mark's Gospel really Peter's Gospel? The association of Mark's Gospel with Peter is strong because of the testimony of at least one early church father that Mark is recording the preaching of Peter. The same source, however, makes it clear that Mark is the author and the Gospel is his independent composition. Peter is a prominent character and many of the stories in the book can be construed as being part of Peter's personal recollections or preaching. The Gospel of Mark probably rests on strong tradition that included Peter as a central figure in the story of Jesus. No real internal evidence can place Peter in the composition of the Gospel.
19. How long does it take to read Mark's Gospel? Alec McGowan performs the entire Gospel of Mark in a little over 100 minutes. An average reader could easily complete the Gospel in an hour.
20. Why would anyone read the Gospel of Mark if they were not a Christian? Christians certainly value the Gospel of Mark as scripture, but Mark is also an important document of first century literature. It is an example of a new literary genre and an example of the development of biography. Some of the best notes on the links are from classes in ancient culture that use Mark as a required reading. Perhaps the simplest reason to read the Gospel is that it is the earliest biography of the most influential person who ever lived.
21. What translation should I read? A Translation should fit the purpose of the reader. Word for word accuracy would best be met with the New American Standard Version or the Amplified Version. Freshness and idiomatic fluency would be met by the Phillips New Testament or Eugene Peterson's The Message. I prefer standard modern translations such as the New International Version or the Revised Standard Version. Some commentators make their own translation. A greek reference of some kind is helpful when studying specific words.
22. What are the best books about Mark? Good books about Mark are not plentiful. WIlliam Lane's Commentary in the NICNT is still a standard. I recommend Rhodes & Michie's book Mark as Story. The NAC by Brooks is good and, of course, WIlliam Barclay's Daily Bible Study Volume is still excellent. The Harper One-Volume Commentary and the IVP Bible Background Commentary are both very good. I especially like The Gospel of Mark by Eduard Schweizer.
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