Abstract
This new commentary distils the learning and enjoyment that are the fruit of three decades of scholarly engagement with the second evangelist. It is written in a lively style, marked by a combination of pace and depth that seems intended to evoke St Mark’s own combination of the ‘immediate’ and the mysterious not-to-be-told. The tone is lightened by a vivid turn of phrase, noting for example the ‘baffling Nazarene’, ‘flabbergasted spectators’ and their ‘dumfounded disagreement’. Black’s Mark is a brilliant narrator of an ‘amazing story’; Black discerns in him a genius for enabling the reader to feel present at the events, and yet to remain ever perplexed at the experience, gripped and fascinated by the boundless mystery into which he has been drawn.
The watchwords defining the aims of the commentary series are ‘compact’ and ‘critical’; Black’s contribution fulfils both of these intentions. He begins with only a brief introduction. He comments on the gospel not verse by verse, but section by section. Principal sections and their main sub-divisions are each given titles; typically the sub-sections are divided into detailed comment and general comment, separated by diamond symbols. At times, this pattern is varied and the reticence of the diamond symbols becomes perplexing. There is no complete translation of the text, and Greek is all transliterated. Comments address a rich range of aspects of the gospel, from patristic reception to modern relevance; from significant scholarly debates to detailed classical comparanda; from historical elucidation to literary explication. Tables and diagrams appear where relevant, but for the most part the commentary engages the reader through precision and pertinence in its wealth of learning, and through the author’s palpable enthusiasm for his subject. There is an extensive select bibliography and subject index. This book will be a useful resource for students, pastors and scholars.