Jesus' Urgent Message for Today: The Kingdom of God in Mark's Gospel

by Elliott C. Maloney

Overview

The Kingdom of God is like an intergalactic starship in constant orbit around the earth. No on can see it, but its tremendous power is available at all times to anyone who is dedicated to its transcendent message. With this splendid metaphor, Maloney launches into an engaging study of the Gospel of Mark.He argues forcefully that the key theme of the book is eschatology (death and resurrection) and his argument goes against the grain of the majority of Markan scholars who contend that the themes of the Gospel are discipleship and the Messianic secret. Maloney asserts that Markan scholars have so often missed this point because of their location in the First World. They lack the cultural orientation to understand the force of Mark's message about the coming Kingdom of God. Thus, traditional interpretations of Mark have emphasized a privatization of morality among Christians and a lack of concern for the well-being of the worldwide human community. The remedy for such a reading of Mark is to read it through the eyes of the people whose experience is most like that of Mark's original audience. Maloney uses the insights of Latin American biblical interpreters and the results of social science research into the first-century Mediterranean world to provide a fresh and provocative reading of Mark's gospel. Elliott C. Maloney, O.S.B. is Professor of New Testament Studies and Biblical Languages at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a member of the Religious Studies Faculty at Saint Vincent College, and the author of Semitic Interference in Marcan Syntax.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826416049
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/26/2004
Series:	New Testament Guides
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

Elliott C. Maloney O.S.B. is Professor of New Testament Studies and Biblical Languages at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a member of the Religious Studies Faculty at Saint Vincent College, and the author of Semitic Interference in Marcan Syntax.

Table of Contents

	Preface and Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction	1
Part I	The Background and Basic Theology of the Gospel of Mark
1	The Society and Culture of First-century Palestine	13
2	The Christology of the Gospel of Mark	25
3	The Kingdom of God	45
Part II	The Eschatology of Mark's Gospel
4	Cultural Considerations in Ancient Thinking	77
5	Eschatology in the Gospel of Mark	93
6	The Marcan Eschatological Discourse (Chapter 13)	105
	Conclusions on the Kingdom to Come in Mark	133
	Select Bibliography	139
	Index of Biblical Texts	141
	Index of Modern Authors	149

Editorial Reviews

'some very useful information. The historical material is helpful and interesting, and brought alive by the connections the author makes with contemporary issues...This could be a useful supplement to other, more core, reading.' Ian Paul, Vol 28.5, 2006--Sanford Lakoff "Journal for the Study of the New Testament "

" Reading the Gospel of Mark through the lenses of some of the newer names in Latin American scholarship, Elliott Maloney offers solid exegesis and a fresh look at Markan eschatology. Thus the teaching of Jesus for Mark's community as well as modern communities achieves a richness which I found truly exciting. Henceforth, thanks to Maloney and his Brazilian confreres, my preaching will be different!" Richard J. Sklba, Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee.--Sanford Lakoff

"Fr. Elliott Maloney s study of Mark is provocative, full of insights and a delight to read. With clarity deriving from years of teaching, he offers new conclusions about the evangelist s social world. His study profits from the fresh conclusions of literary and social-science criticism. He opens up new horizons through dialogue with the Latin American church s methods of reading the Bible. Truly engaging, this interpretation is sure to bring thoughtful readers to a deeper understanding of the Markan Jesus and the life of a disciple today." Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Halifax--Sanford Lakoff

"Maloney's treatment of Markan eschatology is the first such study in English to integrate so thoroughly the insights and the worldview of Latin American exegetes, particularly those in Brazil. The result is a reading of Mark that insists on relating eschatology to the just Reign of God that stands over against the rule of every oppressor." Sharyn Dowd, Associate Professor of Religion, Baylor University--Sanford Lakoff

The publication of this book is especially welcome, since it tries to do what so many avoid-to make contemporary sense of Marcan eschatology. Maloney makes an important contribution to Marcan studies by introducing an exegetical tradition of which most of us are not aware. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 66, 2004

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