The Purpose of Mark’s Gospel
An Early Christian Response to Roman Imperial Propaganda
by Adam Winn
In this book, Adam Winn addresses the long debated question of the purpose of Mark’s gospel. After placing the composition of Mark in Rome at a time shortly after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, he seeks to reconstruct the historical situation facing both the Markan evangelist and his community. This reconstruction focuses on the rise of the new Roman Emperor Vespasian and the aftermath of the Jewish Revolt in Rome. A significant feature of this reconstruction is the propaganda used to gain and secure Vespasian’s power-propaganda that included oracles and portents, divine healings, and grand triumphs. Of particular interest is the propagandistic claim that Vespasian was the true fulfillment of Jewish messianic prophecies. Winn argues that such a claim would have created a christological crisis for the fledgling church in Rome-a crisis that called for a compelling Christian response. Winn seeks to demonstrate that Mark’s gospel could be read as just such a response. He demonstrates how the major features of Mark’s gospel-his incipit, Christology, teaching on discipleship, and eschatology-can be read as a counter resume to the impressive resume of Vespasian. In the end, this project concludes that Mark was composed for the purpose of countering Roman imperial propaganda that had created a crisis for its author and community.
Adam Winn, Born 1976; 2007 PhD in New Testament Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary; since 2005 teaching courses in Biblical Studies at Fuller Seminary and Azusa Pacific University.
- By (author) Adam Winn
Other Titles in this Series
Der Tag der Plagen
Studien zur Verbindung der Rezeption von Ex 7-11 in den Posaunen- und Schalenvisionen der Johannesoffenbarung und der Tag des Herrn-Tradition
Volume 387
Matthew and the Mishnah
Redefining Identity and Ethos in the Shadow of the Second Temple's Destruction
Volume 418
Herod Antipas in Galilee
The Literary and Archaeological Sources on the Reign of Herod Antipas and its Socio-Economic Impact on Galilee
Volume 215
Animals in the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles
The Wild Kingdom of Early Christian Literature
Volume 247
Christologie und Existenz im Kolosserbrief
Exegetische und semantische Untersuchungen zur Intention des Kolosserbriefes
Volume 191
Diakonia im Neuen Testament
Studien zur Semantik unter besonderer Berucksichtigung der Rolle von Frauen
Volume 226
The Characterisation of Jesus the Davidic Shepherd in Mark’s Gospel
A Narrative Analysis through the Lens of Metalepsis
Volume 626
“Make Disciples of All Nations”
The Appeal and Authority of Christian Faith in Hellenistic-Roman Times
Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind
Mapping the Moral Milieu of the Apostle Paul and his Diaspora Jewish Contemporaries
Volume 515
Paul’s Teaching on the Pneumatika in 1 Corinthians 12-14
Prophecy as the Paradigm of ta Charismata ta Meizona for the Future-Oriented Ekklesia
Volume 455
Vielfalt der Emotionen in neutestamentlicher und frühchristlicher Literatur
Exegetische Studien zu Darstellung, Funktion und Deutung
The Hermeneutics of Divine Testing
Cosmic Trials and Biblical Interpretation in the Epistle of James and Other Jewish Literature
Volume 396
Jesus’ Transfiguration and the Believers’ Transformation
A Study of the Transfiguration and Its Development in Early Christian Writings
Volume 265
Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile
Restoration Eschatology and the Origin of the Atonement
Volume 204
Communal Participation in the Spirit
The Corinthian Correspondence in Light of Early Jewish Mysticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Volume 575
Portraits of Paul’s Performance in the Book of Acts
Luke's Apologetic Strategy in the Depiction of Paul as Messenger of God
Volume 556
The Doubt of the Apostles and the Resurrection Faith of the Early Church
The Post-Resurrection Appearance Stories of the Gospels in Ancient Reception and Modern Debate
Volume 495
Semantik und Ethik des Wortfeldes ‘Ergon’ im Johannesevangelium
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