Mark’s Gospel as the First Biography of Jesus – and 10 reasons why it mattersCross-file under New Book.
Although our author may have drawn on a variety of sources of varying historical accuracy, he would doubtless have been selective in what he included and would not have been slow to embellish an augment or an anecdote in the interests of his broader narrative and theological interests. The so-called “nature miracles” in particular – walking on water, stilling the storm, and feeding the multitudes – may well have been embellished and enhanced, not in the interests of historical reporting, but to say something profoundly “true” about Jesus’ identity as Son of God.
See Also: The First Biography of Jesus: Genre and Meaning in Mark's Gospel (Eerdmans, 2020).
By Helen K Bond
Professor of Christian Origins
Head of the School of Divinity
University of Edinburgh
September 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
