Mark: An Introduction and Study Guide Shaping the Life and Legacy of Jesus

This Guide reads the Gospel of Mark as a 1st-century CE story about Jesus, for his followers, and against tyranny or the abusive use of power.

First, the book shows students how the Gospel uses the form of a traditional laudatory biography (a 'Life') to reshape the memory of the shame-ridden trials and suffering of Jesus. Such a biography portrayed Jesus' descent (as a son of God), his deeds, and his heroic death, dispelling any notion that the teacher Jesus was a charlatan or huckster.

Second, Smith demonstrates how the Gospel devotes a great deal of space to Jesus' training of his disciples - as he calls, commissions, and corrects them in preparation for the difficult moments of their journey.

Third, Smith highlights the Gospel's special characterizations of Jesus - as a prophetic envoy, a man of authority, and a philosophical hero - contrasting Jesus' use of power with the abusive use of power by Rome's representatives (Herod Antipas and Pilate).

Introduction: Reshaping the Memory of a Teacher and his Movement
1. Mark as a Life about Jesus
2. Mark as a Life for Jesus' Followers
3. Jesus as Prophetic Envoy
4. Jesus as a Powerful Broker
5. Jesus as a Philosophical Hero

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