Perhaps the most striking development in biblical studies in recent years has been the proliferation of "new" methods used in approaching the texts. While in most circles the historical-critical method remains fundamental, biblical interpreters now routinely draw on "new" approaches developed in linguistics, literary studies, and the social sciences.

In recent years an important testing ground for the application of these new methods to the Bible has been the Gospel of Mark. As a fast moving and sophisticated narrative about Jesus' public ministry issuing in his passion and death, Mark's Gospel lends itself to various forms of literary, historical, and theological analysis.

This book describes and analyzes the many attempts at applying the new methods to Mark's Gospel. It considers how this Gospel has been approached from different angles according to the perspectives of modern literary criticism, examines how its major theological topics have been treated, explores efforts at clarifying its historical setting, and discusses the "engaged"—feminist, political, and pastoral—readings this Gospel has generated in recent years.
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