Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark, also known as The Gospel of Mark, is one of the four canonical Gospels. It was most likely the earliest of the four to be written. Scholars typically estimate it was written between 70CE and 90CE, by an unknown author.
In Mark 9:1 , Jesus says to his followers:
- "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Significance of Mark
Mark is quite significant in understanding the other gospels in the biblical corpus because it is said that Mark "strung the pearls" i.e. was the first to bring together sayings, teachings and stories of Jesus to create a Gospel. The significance of this is that Mark is thus extremely significant with regards to understanding Matthew, Luke and John. For example, Mark was written in 70 AD whereas Matthew was written in 80-85 AD. There are thus 2 prevalent theories for as to where the gospel story comes from in Matthew. First is the 2 source theory which states that the gospel of Matthew is derived from Mark and another source, Q. Second is the 4 source theory which states that the gospel of Matthew is derived from things unique to Matthew, things from the gospel of Luke, Mark, and this other source Q. In both of these suggestions the gospel of Mark is a predominant figure with regards to understanding Matthew. This holds true with the other two gospels, although John is a little more intricate (cf. the Perrin Suggestion).
- R.H. Gundry, Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1993)
- V. Taylor, The Formation of the Gospel Tradition (London: Macmillan & Co., 1953)
- D.M. Smith, John among the Gospels (Minneapolis: Augsburg/Fortress, 1992)