Gain Insights on Mark's Christology from Today's Leading Scholars
The Gospel of Mark, widely assumed to be the earliest narrative of
Jesus's life and the least explicit in terms of Christology, has long
served as a worktable for the discovery of Christian origins and
developing theologies. The past ten years of scholarship have seen an
unprecedented shift toward an early, high Christology, the notion that
very early in the history of the Jesus movement his followers worshipped
him as God. Other studies have challenged this view, arguing that Mark's
story is incomplete, intentionally ambiguous, or presents Jesus in
entirely human terms.
Christology in Mark's Gospel: Four Views brings together key voices in
conversation in order to offer a clear entry point into early
Christians' understanding of Jesus's identity: Sandra Huebenthal
(Suspended Christology), Larry W. Hurtado (Mark's Presentation of Jesus;
with rejoinder by Chris Keith), J. R. Daniel Kirk (Narrative Christology
of a Suffering King), and Adam Winn (Jesus as the YHWH of Israel in the
Gospel of Mark).
Each author offers a robust presentation of their position, followed by
lively interaction with the other contributors and one "last-word"
rejoinder. The significance of this discussion is contextualized by the
general editor Anthony Le Donne's introduction and summarized in the
conclusion.
The CriticalPoints Series offers rigorous and nuanced engagement between
today's best scholars for advancing the scholarship of tomorrow. Like
its older sibling, the CounterPoints Series, it provides a forum for
comparison and critique of different positions, focusing on critical
issues in today's Christian scholarship: in biblical studies, in
theology, and in philosophy.
