MARK:
Tyndale Commentaries
By Eckhard Schnabel
IVP. 441 pages. £14.99
ISBN 978 1 783 595 044
The latest volume to be published in the third series of the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries is on the Gospel of Mark. Written by Eckhard Schnabel, it replaces the earlier edition written by R. Alan Cole.
Schnabel, who is the new series editor, has already written a number of significant books on the New Testament including Early Christian Mission vols. 1 & 2, Paul the Missionary and a commentary on Acts. He currently serves as the Mary F. Rockefeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.
Five key areas
His commentary on Mark begins with a concise but thorough treatment of five key introductory areas, including: Mark’s place among the Gospels, and the characteristics, origin, theological emphases and structure of Mark’s Gospel. This 34-page section provides an essential historical and theological backdrop for the commentary on the actual text of the Gospel which then follows.
The analysis of the text forms the greater part of the book, and is made up of more than 400 pages. Each of the 16 chapters of Mark are examined section by section, with each one considered under three headings: Context, Comment (i.e. analysis of each verse) and Theology. This three-fold approach is extremely useful; it not only helps maintain the coherence of the study, but also keeps before the reader the Gospel’s main theological themes, as individual verses are explained and any problems of interpretation are dealt with. As the study progresses, Mark’s understanding of who Jesus is, how he fulfils his messianic mission and what it means to follow Jesus gradually unfolds and is made plain.
Highest scholarship
The entire commentary exhibits the highest level of evangelical, biblical scholarship. A select and impressive bibliography undergirds the work and areas of scholarly disagreement and debate are addressed openly and fairly. Yet don’t be put off by this. The clear style of writing, the plain language along with the revised format, ensures that the finest of scholarly thinking is made accessible to the average Christian reader. As a medium-length commentary, this is a superb piece of work and a worthy addition to any Christian’s library. My advice is simple: ‘Go out and buy it.’
