Reading Mark in Context: Jesus and Second Temple Judaism

Abstract

Since the second half of the 20th century, studies endeavoring to situate the historical Jesus firmly in his historical context have multiplied exponentially. Encouraged by the exciting discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and thorough studies on Second Temple Jewish literature, scholarship on the historical Jesus has been defined, to a large extent, by the insights gained from the comparison of the Gospels to contemporary sources, clarifying the historical matrix that gave birth to the early Christian movement. Even though more-recent interpretive approaches such as narrative criticism and reader-response criticism, for the most part, have sought to keep the hermeneutical influence of these external sources at bay, few would deny the important interpretive capital gained from such comparative studies.Reading Mark in Context is a collection of essays that intentionally interpret the Gospel of Mark alongside Second Temple Jewish “literary companions.” For the editors, the purpose of the volume is “to investigate Jesus’s relationship with Second Temple Judaism by bringing together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast the perspectives and hermeneutical practices of Jesus and his various kinsmen” (p. 32). The stated goal is, therefore, to shed light on the historical Jesus using Mark as a source “to provide focus” to the task (p. 32).The editors offer an introduction with a general analysis of the development of scholarship on the historical Jesus, highlighting the impact of Schweitzer and Sanders in fostering the growing appreciation of Jewish background studies. But while such an awareness has been growing over the years, the editors point out the general neglect of these sources, “especially in the evangelical tradition” (p. 29), attributing the oversight to a lack of familiarity with the sources, an unjustifiable concern with canonicity, and the inability to understand their utility. The critique is of course directed to a more popular approach to the NT since many of the contributors in the volume would probably be accurately identified as “broadly evangelical” scholars. Even though not clearly stated, the audience envisioned seems to be the beginner student of biblical exegesis and interpretation, who can benefit from an introductory exposure to the study of Jewish Second Temple writings and its potential to illuminate one’s appreciation of the NT. The editors conclude their introduction with a helpful summary of the history of the Second Temple period and a survey of the literature of the time.The collection is comprised of 29 relatively short essays, which sequentially cover Mark’s Gospel. The studies follow the same basic structure: 1. introduction highlighting an interpretive problem or peculiarity of a given section of Mark; 2. discussion of a Second Temple Jewish text; 3. discussion of the Mark section in light of the insights gained from the ancient source; and 4. bibliography for further studies. The collection is, of course, selective, engaging some representative passages of the Gospel and some influential Second Temple Jewish texts.Concerning Mark, the essays deal with most of the main themes found in the Gospel: Christology, messianism, eschatology, purity, discipleship, exorcisms, ethnic dynamics, and faith, among others. In terms of the interpretive approaches, the collection offers a good range of examples of the different ways the sources can be used. Even though they are not specified or labeled, mainly four such approaches can be identified.First, we have studies comparing Mark’s use of certain traditions to Second Temple Jewish usage. Here, we find studies comparing Mark’s use of the Isaianic New Exodus paradigm with similar appropriations in the Qumran documents (Watts, Beers), Mark’s use of the title Son of Man with the Parables of Enoch (Bendoraitis, Pennington), and Mark’s employment of the Malachian Elijah tradition also present in Ben Sirach (Grindheim). Second, in a similar but more general approach, some studies offer insights on what could be understood as “worldview” issues operative in Mark, namely, the apocalyptic worldview present in the exorcisms accounts (Shively, Bird), Mark’s epistemology (Henderson), and eschatology and the resurrection hope (Blackwell). Third, some thematic studies create a comparative framework for appreciating the similarities and distinctions of Mark in relation to contemporary views. These are the use of parables (Snodgrass), the theme of faith (Pifer), poverty and wealth (Matthews), and the rejection of the prophets (Turner).The majority of the essays (17 out of the 29) form a fourth category—historical background studies. These are not only greater in number but in general seem to offer the most fruitful interpretive insights, illuminating aspects of the historical context that bring significant clarity to difficult issues in Mark. Worth mentioning are excellent discussions on purity regulations (Garland, Whittle), treatments on messianism (Gombis, Strauss), assessments on historical groups and figures (Marshall, Bond, Jensen), and studies on historical aspects of the Passion narratives (Evans, Bock, Gupta, Peeler).In general, the book accomplishes its purpose of affirming the crucial role of Second Temple Jewish sources in the interpretation of the historical Jesus. It will be a valuable resource for courses on Mark as well as courses on the interpretation and exegesis of the NT. To this end, the book would probably have benefited from a chapter discussing the various interpretive approaches reflected in the essays. The categorization offered above shows that the sources can be used in a variety of ways, and the beginner student of the NT would have been helped by a framework within which they could identify these approaches and evaluate their interpretive value.Reading Mark in Context is a welcome resource to the training of exegetes of the Gospels, which will help them to ground their interpretive procedure firmly in the essential study of the historical context of Jesus and the Gospel writers.