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Peter's Preaching: The message of Mark's Gospel
Who wrote Mark's Gospel?
At first glance, it may seem a ridiculous question. 'Mark, of course!' I hear you shout? But who was Mark?
Mark's name doesn't appear on the list of disciples, as Matthew's does. His Gospel doesn't start with a clear statement of investigation, as does Luke's, offering credibility. Yet, remarkably, large chunks of Mark's Gospel appear in both Matthew's and Luke's work. What's going on?
Jeremy Duff provides insightful answers in his new book Peter's Preaching, revealing how an ancient source describes Mark as Peter's translator to a Greek-speaking world. Intriguingly, though, this source also tells us that while Mark recorded Peter's preaching ‘accurately', he did not record it ‘in order'. Mark devised his own order of the stories, for his own purpose, using a structure and format that were as radical in the first century as ebooks are today.
But that is only the start of Jeremy's detective work in this stimulating book, which moves on to uncover Peter's thought on the key themes of the Christian message, found distributed throughout the Gospel. Jeremy pieces these themes together like a jigsaw to reveal how Peter understood them, and how that understanding helps us to appreciate the radical nature of first-century Christian faith.
Many people have found Mark's gospel to be the most gripping of the four gospels - a real page-turner - and here Jeremy Duff helps us to understand why. This analysis will deepen your appreciation of Mark's gospel, whether you have read it just once or you are a seasoned student. I commend it to all who long to respond to Jesus with the same conviction and passion as Peter.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Jeremy's fresh insights and creative commentary on Mark's trend-setting Gospel not only widen our understanding of Jesus, but also pin point the way the record of Jesus' encounters with people encourage us to follow Him, be changed by Him and share Him with others.
Mark Bailey, Leader, Trinity Cheltenham
Jeremy Duff is an excellent teacher, who combines first-rate scholarship with rich experience of people and church life. This makes him an ideal guide to Mark's Gospel. This book is full of fascinating insights, presented in a thoughtful, accessible and enticing way.
Graham Tomlin, Principal, St Mellitus College
This is just sort of book which BRF should be producing. It is clearly written by a scholar who has also pastoral concerns and experience, who is concerned about people and knows how ordinary people think and react. It is designed to help people get to know Mark and his message about Jesus and the significance of Jesus for us all. Every chapter is written with a gentle warmth and even gentler humour, often starting with a gripping story or scene from ordinary life. The book opens with a persuasive section, arguing that Mark is the basic gospel and that he could have won this position only because he was the 'interpreter' of Peter. It was this that gave Mark the authority which led Matthew and Luke to follow his pattern. The book also argues that Mark may be held responsible for those other two interesting Christian initiatives (quite distinct from other contemporary literature) of using book-style rather than scrolls to be rolled and unrolled, and the distinctive Christian form of abbreviating sacred names.
Henry Wansbrough, Ampleforth Abbey
At first glance, it may seem a ridiculous question. 'Mark, of course!' I hear you shout? But who was Mark?
Mark's name doesn't appear on the list of disciples, as Matthew's does. His Gospel doesn't start with a clear statement of investigation, as does Luke's, offering credibility. Yet, remarkably, large chunks of Mark's Gospel appear in both Matthew's and Luke's work. What's going on?
Jeremy Duff provides insightful answers in his new book Peter's Preaching, revealing how an ancient source describes Mark as Peter's translator to a Greek-speaking world. Intriguingly, though, this source also tells us that while Mark recorded Peter's preaching ‘accurately', he did not record it ‘in order'. Mark devised his own order of the stories, for his own purpose, using a structure and format that were as radical in the first century as ebooks are today.
But that is only the start of Jeremy's detective work in this stimulating book, which moves on to uncover Peter's thought on the key themes of the Christian message, found distributed throughout the Gospel. Jeremy pieces these themes together like a jigsaw to reveal how Peter understood them, and how that understanding helps us to appreciate the radical nature of first-century Christian faith.
Many people have found Mark's gospel to be the most gripping of the four gospels - a real page-turner - and here Jeremy Duff helps us to understand why. This analysis will deepen your appreciation of Mark's gospel, whether you have read it just once or you are a seasoned student. I commend it to all who long to respond to Jesus with the same conviction and passion as Peter.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Jeremy's fresh insights and creative commentary on Mark's trend-setting Gospel not only widen our understanding of Jesus, but also pin point the way the record of Jesus' encounters with people encourage us to follow Him, be changed by Him and share Him with others.
Mark Bailey, Leader, Trinity Cheltenham
Jeremy Duff is an excellent teacher, who combines first-rate scholarship with rich experience of people and church life. This makes him an ideal guide to Mark's Gospel. This book is full of fascinating insights, presented in a thoughtful, accessible and enticing way.
Graham Tomlin, Principal, St Mellitus College
This is just sort of book which BRF should be producing. It is clearly written by a scholar who has also pastoral concerns and experience, who is concerned about people and knows how ordinary people think and react. It is designed to help people get to know Mark and his message about Jesus and the significance of Jesus for us all. Every chapter is written with a gentle warmth and even gentler humour, often starting with a gripping story or scene from ordinary life. The book opens with a persuasive section, arguing that Mark is the basic gospel and that he could have won this position only because he was the 'interpreter' of Peter. It was this that gave Mark the authority which led Matthew and Luke to follow his pattern. The book also argues that Mark may be held responsible for those other two interesting Christian initiatives (quite distinct from other contemporary literature) of using book-style rather than scrolls to be rolled and unrolled, and the distinctive Christian form of abbreviating sacred names.
Henry Wansbrough, Ampleforth Abbey
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2015
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