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Pillar New Testament Commentary
The Gospel according to Mark by Edwards, James R. [Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.,2001]
This new Pillar volume offers exceptional commentary on Mark that clearly shows the second Gospel — though it was a product of the earliest Christian community — to be both relevant and sorely needed in today's church.
Written by a biblical scholar who has devoted thirty years to the study of the second Gospel, this commentary aims primarily to interpret the Gosepl of Mark according to its theological intentions and purposes, especially as they relate to the life and ministry of Jesus and the call to faith and discipleship. Unique features of James Edwards's approach include clear descriptions of key terms used by Mark and revealing discussion of the Gospel's literary features, including Mark's use of the "sandwich" technique and of imagistic motifs and irony. Edwards also proposes a new paradigm for interpreting the difficult "Little Apocalypse" of chapter 13, and he argues for a new understanding of Mark's controversial ending.
Written by a biblical scholar who has devoted thirty years to the study of the second Gospel, this commentary aims primarily to interpret the Gosepl of Mark according to its theological intentions and purposes, especially as they relate to the life and ministry of Jesus and the call to faith and discipleship. Unique features of James Edwards's approach include clear descriptions of key terms used by Mark and revealing discussion of the Gospel's literary features, including Mark's use of the "sandwich" technique and of imagistic motifs and irony. Edwards also proposes a new paradigm for interpreting the difficult "Little Apocalypse" of chapter 13, and he argues for a new understanding of Mark's controversial ending.
Unknown Binding
First published November 8, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 22, 2022
An excellent commentary!
June 9, 2021
Edwards is very helpful. However, when it comes to the ending of Mark and the textual questions, I find him wholely unhelpful. He posits that the real ending of Mark was lost.
Here is the ranking of the single volumes I found helpful to read each week in preparation for an expositional series through Mark:
1. Struass (ZECNT); Edwards (Pillar); Hiebert
2. Lane (NICNT); Cole (Tyndale)
3. MacArthur; Hendrickson
Non-standalone volumes included
Wessel (EBC); Garland in ZIBBC (helpful with background); Later in the series I picked up Bock in the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary and found his brief comments helpful.
France and Keller I did not find consistently helpful and stopped utilizing them.
Here is the ranking of the single volumes I found helpful to read each week in preparation for an expositional series through Mark:
1. Struass (ZECNT); Edwards (Pillar); Hiebert
2. Lane (NICNT); Cole (Tyndale)
3. MacArthur; Hendrickson
Non-standalone volumes included
Wessel (EBC); Garland in ZIBBC (helpful with background); Later in the series I picked up Bock in the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary and found his brief comments helpful.
France and Keller I did not find consistently helpful and stopped utilizing them.
March 26, 2024
Really great all around - Edwards is a top tier scholar and exegete. His commentary is full of insight and theological wisdom. I benefitted from him immensely when preparing to preach, but also devotionally as well. Highly recommended for anyone going through Mark in depth!
Read
October 1, 2025“The sin that necessitates the sending of God’s Son is not someone else’s sin—the sin of Caligula or Nero or the legion of tyrants ever since—but the sin of the tenants of his own vineyard, of his own disciples—of Peter and James, of you and me. The essential evil in the world and the essential atonement for the evil of the world are present at the table of the Lord’s Supper—whenever it is celebrated.”, p. 430-1
February 1, 2023
Yes, I really did read this cover to cover - whew! Several sources named it as one of the top commentaries on Mark and it was an invaluable resource as I studied to teach through Mark's Gospel. Deep and thorough yet accessible.
June 2, 2024
Scholarly, thorough and readable. Not found a better commentary on Mark.
June 2, 2018
Excellent
October 19, 2016
Preaching through the Gospel of Mark, no commentary has consistently proven more useful or helpful.
- It is readable. You will enjoy sipping coffee and reading through this volume. It is written in an engaging style, stripped of any unnecessary comments, with many pithy statements that grab your attention and make you look again at the biblical text.
- It is concise. Not only is it free of unnecessary commentary, but Edwards focuses in on what matters. He avoids textual controversies that are unnecessary to a proper interpretation of the text. Having a strong conviction of the inspiration of the Scriptures, he does not get you bogged down wrestling with the textual criticisms of liberal scholarship.
- Don't get the impression that this is a devotional or sermonized commentary. It is a straightforward examination of the text that explains what may not be apparent, spotlights key truths, and will help you identify applications without having to spell them out for you. You can re-preach Wiersbe, Hughes, or Boice. Not so Edwards. The strength of this commentary is that it equips you to preach the biblical text.
- It is scholarly without being pedantic. It is handles doctrinal matters as they arise in the text with honesty and clarity. It lends itself well to Christ-centered preaching. You are never left in any doubt that the hero of every text is Jesus Christ.
- For all these reasons, it is a useful tool in the hands of a senior pastor or a layman teaching Sunday school.
I have a dozen or so commentaries on Mark, both classic and modern. The one I have consulted for every text is this volume by Edwards. I highly recommend it.
- It is readable. You will enjoy sipping coffee and reading through this volume. It is written in an engaging style, stripped of any unnecessary comments, with many pithy statements that grab your attention and make you look again at the biblical text.
- It is concise. Not only is it free of unnecessary commentary, but Edwards focuses in on what matters. He avoids textual controversies that are unnecessary to a proper interpretation of the text. Having a strong conviction of the inspiration of the Scriptures, he does not get you bogged down wrestling with the textual criticisms of liberal scholarship.
- Don't get the impression that this is a devotional or sermonized commentary. It is a straightforward examination of the text that explains what may not be apparent, spotlights key truths, and will help you identify applications without having to spell them out for you. You can re-preach Wiersbe, Hughes, or Boice. Not so Edwards. The strength of this commentary is that it equips you to preach the biblical text.
- It is scholarly without being pedantic. It is handles doctrinal matters as they arise in the text with honesty and clarity. It lends itself well to Christ-centered preaching. You are never left in any doubt that the hero of every text is Jesus Christ.
- For all these reasons, it is a useful tool in the hands of a senior pastor or a layman teaching Sunday school.
I have a dozen or so commentaries on Mark, both classic and modern. The one I have consulted for every text is this volume by Edwards. I highly recommend it.
March 29, 2024
Edwards' Gospel of Mark (PNTC) commentary was excellent for what it seeks to do--serve a largely evangelical audience with clear writing and thoughtful scholarship. I used this text to help in the preparation of a church-context class on the gospel of Mark, the gospel I'm least familiar with (and whose scholarship I'm also least familiar with!).
Although the scholarship is about 20 years old, Edwards does a good job (given the time it was written) for being up to date on Marcan scholarship (although he's still more likely to reflect older views that have often fallen out of favor). He does a good job especially with narrative readings of Mark (he doesn't much address synoptic issues, is light on geographical issues, and I often have issues with his reading of various legal and historical backgrounds), but is very helpful for this. Most of the time I felt like the focus was solid and rarely did I find myself wondering why he was riding a particular hobby horse.
Being that Mark is an area I'm not well read in, I hesitate to offer much more criticism, here. However, if you're teaching a class on Mark and want a readable, relatively short commentary on Mark that focuses on literary criticism from an evangelical perspective, I'd recommend Edwards highly.
Although the scholarship is about 20 years old, Edwards does a good job (given the time it was written) for being up to date on Marcan scholarship (although he's still more likely to reflect older views that have often fallen out of favor). He does a good job especially with narrative readings of Mark (he doesn't much address synoptic issues, is light on geographical issues, and I often have issues with his reading of various legal and historical backgrounds), but is very helpful for this. Most of the time I felt like the focus was solid and rarely did I find myself wondering why he was riding a particular hobby horse.
Being that Mark is an area I'm not well read in, I hesitate to offer much more criticism, here. However, if you're teaching a class on Mark and want a readable, relatively short commentary on Mark that focuses on literary criticism from an evangelical perspective, I'd recommend Edwards highly.
June 19, 2018
The Pillar New Testament series knocked it out of the park again with James Edwards' commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Once again Pillar balances a wonderful collection of comments on the text itself, historical notes, quotes, and spiritual insights. I never felt like Edwards allowed himself to go too far down a pointless, trivial rabbit trail, but he kept to the heart of the text. He did an amazing job at defining key terms and bringing out material from other parts of the Bible that would impact or add to our understanding of Mark. At the same time, he allowed Mark to speak without being overcrowded by outside voices. I made 914 highlights in the commentary as I preached through the Gospel in my Bible church, so I found helpfully from beginning to end. If I had to pick one commentary on Mark - this would be it.
March 22, 2025
This is a splendid commentary — detailed but not fussy, nicely written but not too flash or wordy. Really solid stuff with deep, deep research behind it. Disposes nicely with some of the silly academic stuff that gets published in theological journals and monographs. Edward’s does hold to a slightly odd view that there was once a now lost ending to Mark — whereas it has always seemed to me to be a feature that Mark ends on that cliffhanger at the empty tomb. It propels the reader to think further and propels the contents of the text out into the real world.
Mark’s gospel is clearly a literary masterpiece or inestimable cultural and religious worth, and it’s great to have had this commentary on my desk as I have worked through the latter chapters in some depth.
Mark’s gospel is clearly a literary masterpiece or inestimable cultural and religious worth, and it’s great to have had this commentary on my desk as I have worked through the latter chapters in some depth.
August 22, 2018
This is an excellent commentary. Edwards is balanced in his approach, firm where the Scriptures are firm, and loose where the Scripture is loose. He gives all approaches, weighing them on Scripture, and doing so in a scholarly way. Some of his conclusions aren't my conclusions, but I appreciate this solid work. This was my go-to commentary when preaching through the Gospel of Mark. It is a must have.
April 13, 2020
What am I missing here? On page 416, Edwards says, "Jesus knew that his body would be thrown to dogs or cast into a common grave." He has just listed on the previous page three Markan passages where Jesus predicts his death and resurrection after three days. If Jesus knew of his resurrection on the third day, and he did, then he knew that his body would not be thrown to dogs. This sounds more like Crossan than something suitable for the Pillar commentaries.
April 21, 2022
Didn’t get to read the complete book, but the commentary on the following passages that I got to preach were the ones I read. Does reading 75% of the book count as the whole book? Hmmm. For commentaries, I’ll say so! 😬🤷🏽♂️😂
Mark 1:1-8
Mark 1:9-15
Mark 1:21-45
Mark 3:13-35
Mark 4:1-20
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 7:31-37
Mark 8:11-21
Mark 9:2-13
Mark 9:38-49
Mark 11:1-11
Mark 11:12-26
Mark 14:12-31
Mark 14:1–15:47
Mark 16:1-8
Mark 1:1-8
Mark 1:9-15
Mark 1:21-45
Mark 3:13-35
Mark 4:1-20
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 7:31-37
Mark 8:11-21
Mark 9:2-13
Mark 9:38-49
Mark 11:1-11
Mark 11:12-26
Mark 14:12-31
Mark 14:1–15:47
Mark 16:1-8
August 4, 2018
This is a solid commentary. I would say that of the numerous works I have already studied concerning Mark that this one was among the ones with the most useful information. It is an easy style of writing and the insights are really well done. I was reticent because I read Pillar Commentary by Carson. I had high standards which were met quite well.
June 25, 2020
This volume has been so helpful in so many ways. Edwards ability to shed light on elements such as historical & cultural contexts to show more clearly the character of Christ is wonderful. He also does a great job bringing the narrative to life in an easy to read way. Extremely grateful for this particular commentary.
March 27, 2023
I read this commentary as I prepared to lead our small group's study of The Gospel of Mark. There were a lot of interesting insights that went far behind the notes found in my study Bible, and it helped to prompt some great discussion points. This is highly recommended for those who wish to learn more about the context of this Gospel.
December 2, 2023
An excellent commentary. Scholarly but very readable and not too technical for lay people. I gained a lot of insight from using this commentary for a paper I had to write on the meaning of Jesus' death in Mark's gospel.
December 13, 2024
Excellent. I read this as part of my devotional reading. Edwards addresses textual issues but also gave more devotional insights than I was expecting.
I will definitely return here when studying Mark in the future.
I will definitely return here when studying Mark in the future.
February 9, 2019
Excellent commentary on the gospel of Mark. Clear and very readable. Positions are well-reasoned.
April 28, 2019
Excellent commentary. Edwards wrote a volume for the Pillar series that perfectly balances interpretation and application.
April 6, 2023
Fantastic commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Of the several commentaries I used while preaching through the Gospel of Mark, this volume was by far the most helpful.
March 29, 2024
Excellent commentary with material not found elsewhere. Fantastic for evangelical scholars and pastors.
December 29, 2024
Fantastic commentary on Mark's gospel, I really like Mr. Edwards' analysis and exposition. I have re-read several times.
March 1, 2014
I have quickly become a big fan of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series, of which The Gospel According to Mark by James R. Edwards is the 2nd of the set, which currently comprises 14 volumes (the entire set can be seen here).
Although I've given this volume 5 stars, there are some serious editorial and publishing issues in the Kindle version (I have both Kindle and print versions) which significantly detract from the electronic work. The number of conjoined words is too numerous to list (a handful: "Israel'sojourn", Location 1513; "leper'entrance", 1586; "mininstryin", 1781; "orunusual", 2258; "ofthe", 8584; "Hellenisticworld", 8692; etc.). Toward the beginning of the Kindle version, numerous words beginning with "i" have some form of the word "Introduction" erroneously appended to it ("Introductionernal", Location 432; "Introductionerest", 432; "Introductionention", 446; "Introductionerpreter", 460; "Introductiono", 460; etc.). Similarly, in one paragraph spanning Locations 540 - 554, "Quintillian" is represented as "QuIntroductionilian" no less than six times. Other minor typos are far too frequent. However, the abundance of editorial or publishing errors are more of an annoyance and ultimately do not detract from the five stars that I give Edwards' work.
These Kindle-specific editorial and publishing errors get worse. There are four lengthy indices at the end of the book ("Modern Authors"; "Subjects", "Scripture References", and "Extrabibilical Literature"). In the print version, these indices span 38 pages of what looks to be small 9 or 10-point type at the end of the book. In the Kindle version, however, there are no page numbers (or Location numbers) at all, rendering this section useless. Whether this was a conscious decision (due to the fact that this Kindle version has no page numbers per se, but only Location numbers), or an outright error I do not know; still, it deprives the Kindle reader of a very powerful reference and access to Edwards' considerable scholarship.
It is this scholarship that makes the commentary so worthwhile. Opinion is supported with numerous erudite references; alternative views are also presented. Refreshingly, Edwards proves that scholarship is not mutually exclusive from orthodoxy; his theological views can be characterized as conservative. In the Series Preface, editor D.A. Carson sums it up better than I can: "Good commentaries on the canonical Gospels are particularly difficult to write. The demands are considerable: fine historical sense and theological maturity; working with diverse literary genres; a thorough grasp of both Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds; a command of the vast secondary literature without letting that literature dictate the agenda or swamp the reader with endless peripheral details. James Edwards meets these challenges admirably. His commentary reflects a lifetime of study, a quality of judgment that is knowledgeable and sure-footed. To all this he adds a quiet reverence for the text that is both appropriate and edifying."
My admiration for this book prompted me to look for a commentary on Luke in the same series; it does not yet exist. But I learned that Professor Edwards was working on it, so I emailed him for some additional information, and he graciously responded. His commentary on Luke is complete, and is in the hands of the editors at Eerdman's; hopefully it will be available this year. So while I await that volume, I've gone ahead and purchased the series commentary on John; and I further purchased Edwards' The Hebrew Gospel & The Development of the Synoptic Tradition, which further bolsters my respect for his scholarship.
Although I've given this volume 5 stars, there are some serious editorial and publishing issues in the Kindle version (I have both Kindle and print versions) which significantly detract from the electronic work. The number of conjoined words is too numerous to list (a handful: "Israel'sojourn", Location 1513; "leper'entrance", 1586; "mininstryin", 1781; "orunusual", 2258; "ofthe", 8584; "Hellenisticworld", 8692; etc.). Toward the beginning of the Kindle version, numerous words beginning with "i" have some form of the word "Introduction" erroneously appended to it ("Introductionernal", Location 432; "Introductionerest", 432; "Introductionention", 446; "Introductionerpreter", 460; "Introductiono", 460; etc.). Similarly, in one paragraph spanning Locations 540 - 554, "Quintillian" is represented as "QuIntroductionilian" no less than six times. Other minor typos are far too frequent. However, the abundance of editorial or publishing errors are more of an annoyance and ultimately do not detract from the five stars that I give Edwards' work.
These Kindle-specific editorial and publishing errors get worse. There are four lengthy indices at the end of the book ("Modern Authors"; "Subjects", "Scripture References", and "Extrabibilical Literature"). In the print version, these indices span 38 pages of what looks to be small 9 or 10-point type at the end of the book. In the Kindle version, however, there are no page numbers (or Location numbers) at all, rendering this section useless. Whether this was a conscious decision (due to the fact that this Kindle version has no page numbers per se, but only Location numbers), or an outright error I do not know; still, it deprives the Kindle reader of a very powerful reference and access to Edwards' considerable scholarship.
It is this scholarship that makes the commentary so worthwhile. Opinion is supported with numerous erudite references; alternative views are also presented. Refreshingly, Edwards proves that scholarship is not mutually exclusive from orthodoxy; his theological views can be characterized as conservative. In the Series Preface, editor D.A. Carson sums it up better than I can: "Good commentaries on the canonical Gospels are particularly difficult to write. The demands are considerable: fine historical sense and theological maturity; working with diverse literary genres; a thorough grasp of both Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds; a command of the vast secondary literature without letting that literature dictate the agenda or swamp the reader with endless peripheral details. James Edwards meets these challenges admirably. His commentary reflects a lifetime of study, a quality of judgment that is knowledgeable and sure-footed. To all this he adds a quiet reverence for the text that is both appropriate and edifying."
My admiration for this book prompted me to look for a commentary on Luke in the same series; it does not yet exist. But I learned that Professor Edwards was working on it, so I emailed him for some additional information, and he graciously responded. His commentary on Luke is complete, and is in the hands of the editors at Eerdman's; hopefully it will be available this year. So while I await that volume, I've gone ahead and purchased the series commentary on John; and I further purchased Edwards' The Hebrew Gospel & The Development of the Synoptic Tradition, which further bolsters my respect for his scholarship.
March 20, 2018
Original reading - 2015
Excellent, engaging commentary! I'm looking forward to the release of Luke, a Pillar commentary by Edwards, in April. Edwards takes you there, on the scene, as he points out connections and key words, gives you the back story, and helps you apply it to today's situation.
18 Feb 2018 - second reading
The contents of some of the footnotes are as engaging as Edwards' main text. He adds additional commentary in his notes.
20 Feb 2018 - sample quote from Mark 2
"The question posed by the image of the wedding feast and the two atom-like parables is not whether disciples will, like sewing a new patch on an old garment or refilling an old container, make room for Jesus in their already full agendas and lives. The question is whether they will forsake business as usual and join the wedding celebration; whether they will become entirely new receptacles for the expanding fermentation of Jesus and the gospel in their lives."
7 Mar 2018 (Mark 10)
Disappointing that since last note, I have found three typos: two were of words that would have passed spell check but were one letter off from the correct word (e.g., "live" for "life"), and one of a cite that was incorrect. I don't check all cites and am not looking for errors, but stumbled on one in Ch 10, the commentary for vs 35-37, where John makes an "elitist" statement ("the disciple Jesus loved"?) at John 9:38. This appears to be an erroneous cite,. Pillar commentaries are not inexpensive!
Nevertheless, lots of thoughtful insight in this commentary.
Completed second reading. Enjoyed it even more the second time around.
Excellent, engaging commentary! I'm looking forward to the release of Luke, a Pillar commentary by Edwards, in April. Edwards takes you there, on the scene, as he points out connections and key words, gives you the back story, and helps you apply it to today's situation.
18 Feb 2018 - second reading
The contents of some of the footnotes are as engaging as Edwards' main text. He adds additional commentary in his notes.
20 Feb 2018 - sample quote from Mark 2
"The question posed by the image of the wedding feast and the two atom-like parables is not whether disciples will, like sewing a new patch on an old garment or refilling an old container, make room for Jesus in their already full agendas and lives. The question is whether they will forsake business as usual and join the wedding celebration; whether they will become entirely new receptacles for the expanding fermentation of Jesus and the gospel in their lives."
7 Mar 2018 (Mark 10)
Disappointing that since last note, I have found three typos: two were of words that would have passed spell check but were one letter off from the correct word (e.g., "live" for "life"), and one of a cite that was incorrect. I don't check all cites and am not looking for errors, but stumbled on one in Ch 10, the commentary for vs 35-37, where John makes an "elitist" statement ("the disciple Jesus loved"?) at John 9:38. This appears to be an erroneous cite,. Pillar commentaries are not inexpensive!
Nevertheless, lots of thoughtful insight in this commentary.
Completed second reading. Enjoyed it even more the second time around.
October 19, 2016
Preaching through the Gospel of Mark, no commentary has consistently proven more useful or helpful.
- It is readable. You will enjoy sipping coffee and reading through this volume. It is written in an engaging style, stripped of any unnecessary comments, with many pithy statements that grab your attention and make you look again at the biblical text.
- It is concise. Not only is it free of unnecessary commentary, but Edwards focuses in on what matters. He avoids textual controversies that are unnecessary to a proper interpretation of the text. Having a strong conviction of the inspiration of the Scriptures, he does not get you bogged down wrestling with the textual criticisms of liberal scholarship.
- Don't get the impression that this is a devotional or sermonized commentary. It is a straightforward examination of the text that explains what may not be apparent, spotlights key truths, and will help you identify applications without having to spell them out for you. You can re-preach Wiersbe, Hughes, or Boice. Not so Edwards. The strength of this commentary is that it equips you to preach the biblical text.
- It is scholarly without being pedantic. It is handles doctrinal matters as they arise in the text with honesty and clarity. It lends itself well to Christ-centered preaching. You are never left in any doubt that the hero of every text is Jesus Christ.
- For all these reasons, it is a useful tool in the hands of a senior pastor or a layman teaching Sunday school.
I have a dozen or so commentaries on Mark, both classic and modern. The one I have consulted for every text is this volume by Edwards. I highly recommend it.
- It is readable. You will enjoy sipping coffee and reading through this volume. It is written in an engaging style, stripped of any unnecessary comments, with many pithy statements that grab your attention and make you look again at the biblical text.
- It is concise. Not only is it free of unnecessary commentary, but Edwards focuses in on what matters. He avoids textual controversies that are unnecessary to a proper interpretation of the text. Having a strong conviction of the inspiration of the Scriptures, he does not get you bogged down wrestling with the textual criticisms of liberal scholarship.
- Don't get the impression that this is a devotional or sermonized commentary. It is a straightforward examination of the text that explains what may not be apparent, spotlights key truths, and will help you identify applications without having to spell them out for you. You can re-preach Wiersbe, Hughes, or Boice. Not so Edwards. The strength of this commentary is that it equips you to preach the biblical text.
- It is scholarly without being pedantic. It is handles doctrinal matters as they arise in the text with honesty and clarity. It lends itself well to Christ-centered preaching. You are never left in any doubt that the hero of every text is Jesus Christ.
- For all these reasons, it is a useful tool in the hands of a senior pastor or a layman teaching Sunday school.
I have a dozen or so commentaries on Mark, both classic and modern. The one I have consulted for every text is this volume by Edwards. I highly recommend it.
May 22, 2014
Great commentary. Very readable, not technical, but certainly robust in its treatment of the text, literary features, and development of Mark's theology. Only downside is there are comments that seem to allude to a less than inerrant view of scripture (don't have a page number in front of me, but I recall the arrest of Jesus and the ear pruning incident to be treated as more accurately portrayed by one evangelist vs. the other, rather than a complementary account). This, however, could be drawing too much out of what is a minor comment in the overall scheme of Edwards' discussion on that text, and anyone reading this commentary should be able to exercise the due diligence in these types of things anyhow. I also read William Lane's NICOT commentary, and would recommend Edwards for preaching, devotion, edification, and application. Lane was great as well and provides a more technical aspect if that is so desired, but this doesn't trip up the main discourse as most technical items are in the footnotes.
November 16, 2010
A very strong commentary on Mark. Readable for the scholar and laymen alike. Some good insights for the pastor preparing to preach on Mark. And Edwards writes a very good introductory essay to the Gospel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews