A Theology of Mark's Gospel

This is truly an amazing resource! This is without a doubt the most thorough study of the gospel of Mark I have ever seen. This book is very well organized and researched, detailed and clear. This book will satisfy the intellect of advanced scholars but is simple and clear enough for anyone to read and understand. A worthwhile read or for use as reference material. The clear and specific divisions make it easy to jump (ebook) to just the section you want/need. Things that I had looked for in other commentaries and found lacking I found in this book, though it is more than a commentary. A great resource for any library!

Good theology of Mark's Gospel

By John English November 5, 2015

Format: Kindle

My copy is pre-release, which I understand it has no strings attached by Zondervan.
A Theology of Mark's Gospel by David E. Garland is a book about the Gospel of Saint Mark; it is about biblical theology of Mark’s Gospel. Apparently theology in Mark has been questioned in the past; the author seems to believe there is much to be learned from Saint Mark. The book has some technical aspects; there is a good bibliography. And there is good commentary following the book of Mark; so there is plenty of good reading about the Gospel itself. This is an evangelical commentary; it appears to be good solid Christian teaching.

I like the book; it is the latest of Garland’s books about Mark. It is easy to read and understand; the author does a good job getting the point across. I have only read parts; but I can see from what I have read that this will be a valuable resource in the study and understanding Mark’s Gospel. I recommend this book for study and reference while reading or studying Mark.

This is a great reference for deepening one's understanding of the Gospel of Mark. While it is primarily an academic work, meaning it is more scholarly than application oriented, it is quite readable. I am a pastor, and would like to clarify my previous statement a bit. I pastor in a small midwestern town of around 13,000 blue-collar workers and farmers. The work is far more involved than many within the community, or even my congregation for that matter, would care to dig into the background and history surrounding Mark's gospel. My congregation yearns for works which are application oriented, something they can approach and find insights to alter their daily lives. This book is not designed for that purpose, and for the majority of people who are non-academics, it is not something to be desired.

However, I am someone who loves to learn about history and background. I am able to read this work and find applications in the text where my congregants might become overwhelmed. Additionally, I teach theology to ministerial students, so I do find the information contained in the work essential.

For the intended audience, this book is first-rate. For someone looking for a commentary on Mark's gospel, this is much more involved and probably not the best option for that need. I received the electronic version of this from Netgalley for review purposes, and will probably one day end up purchasing a physical copy as I still find great satisfaction with the tactile nature of a physical reference work like this. All in all, I highly recommend this work.

The gospel of Mark may be the shortest gospel, but you will not believe how much one is able to discover and understand from the gospel of Mark.

David E. Garland has written a definitive book on the theology of the gospel of Mark. Garland starts with an elaborate introduction to the gospel of Mark. He covers the historical framework of the theology of Mark and also the literary nature of Mark’s gospel. This introduction takes close to 25% of the book and will be a value resource for anyone doing research on the book of Mark.

For the rest of the book, Garland then traces different themes through the gospel of Mark. This will be a section that pastors will find helpful as they preach through Mark. Pastor who are interested to showcase a certain topic within the gospel of Mark will find this section especially helpful. I especially like the chapter where Garland covers the secrecy motif in the gospel of Mark. I must say this is one of the questions I always have when reading through the gospels, why Jesus do not want some to proclaim his identity to the masses. I found Garland especially enlightening in this area and have been helped by his in-depth research on the gospel of Mark.

This book is certainly not a walk in the park, and most will probably not buy a copy of this book. But if you are currently researching on the gospel of Mark, or intends to do serious research work on the gospel of Mark you really should consider this book. You will be able to find many gems and treasures within this book. Garland has published a great reference material on the gospel of Mark that will benefit many in the years to come.

Rating: 4.75 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

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An in depth look at Mark's Gospel. Well written and easy to read- gave me lots to think about.