1. Person of Christ:
The main one, naturally, is the Person of Christ. The thesis is that He is Messiah, Son of God, Author (Source) of the gospel. The first half of the book closes with the disciples' confession of His Messiahship; the second, with the supreme demonstration that He is Son of God. Introductory to each is the Father's declaration of Him as His Beloved Son (Mr 1:11; 9:7). That the sonship is unique is indicated in Mr 12:6 and Mr 13:32. At the same time He is the Son of Man--true man (Mr 4:38; 8:5; 14:34); ideal man as absolutely obedient to God (Mr 10:40; 14:36), and Head of humanity (Mr 2:10,28), their rightful Messiah or King (Mr 1:1; 14:62)--yet Servant of all (Mr 10:44 f); David's Son and David's Lord (Mr 12:37). The unique Sonship is the final explanation of all else, His power, His knowledge of both present (Mr 2:5,8; 8:17) and future (Mr 8:31; 10:39; 14:27; 13:1-37), superiority to all men, whether friends (Mr 1:7; 9:3 ff) or foes (Mr 12:34), and to superhuman beings, whether good (Mr 13:32) or evil (Mr 1:13,12; 3:27).
2. The Trinity:
The Father speaks in Mr 1:11; 9:7; is spoken of in Mr 13:32; and spoken to in Mr 14:36. The usual distinction between His fatherhood in relation to Christ and in relation to us is seen in Mr 11:25; 12:6 and Mr 13:32. The Spirit is mentioned in Mr 1:8,10,12; 3:29 and Mr 13:11. The last passage especially implies His personality.
3. Salvation:
As to salvation, the Son is God's final messenger (Mr 12:6); He gives His life a ransom instead of many (Mr 10:45); His blood shed is thus the blood of the covenant (Mr 14:24); that involves for Him death in the fullest sense, including rupture of fellowship with God (Mr 15:34). From the outset He knew what was before Him--only so can His baptism be explained (Mr 1:5,11; compare Mr 2:20); but the horror of it was upon Him, especially from the transfiguration onward (Mr 10:32; 14:33-36); that was the Divine provision for salvation: He gave His life (Mr 10:45). The human condition is repentance and faith (Mr 1:15; 2:5; 5:34,36; 6:5; 9:23; 16:16), though He bestows lesser blessings apart from personal faith (Mr 1:23-26; 5:1-20; 6:35-43). The power of faith, within the will of God, is limitless (Mr 11:25); faith leads to doing the will of God, and only such as do His will are Christ's true kindred (Mr 3:35). Salvation is possible for Gentile as well as Jew (Mr 7:24-30).
4. Eschatology:
The eschatology of this Gospel is found chiefly in Mr 8:34 through Mr 9:1 and Mr 13:1-37. In Mr 9:1 we have a prediction of the overthrow of Jerusalem which is here given as a type and proof of His final coming for judgment and reward which He has had in mind in the preceding verses. Mr 13:1-37 is a development of this--the destruction of Jerusalem being meant in Mr 13:5-23 and 28-31, the final coming in Mr 13:24-27 and 32. The distinction is clearly marked by the pronouns (tauta, and ekeines, in Mr 13:30 and 32 (compare Mt 24:34,36). In each passage (Mr 9:1; 13:30) the fall of Jerusalem is definitely fixed as toward the close of that generation; the time of the latter is known only to the Father (Mr 13:32). Between Christ's earthly life and the Second Coming He is seated at the right hand of God (Mr 12:36; 16:19). The resurrection which He predicted for Himself (Mr 8:31; 9:31; 10:34) and which actually took place (Mr 16:1-20), He affirms for others also (Mr 12:24-27).
LITERATURE.
The works marked with the asterisk are specially commended; for very full list see Moffat's Introduction.
Commentaries:
Fritzsche, 1830; Olshausen, translated 1863; J.A. Alexander, 1863; Lange, translated 1866; Meyer, 1866, American edition, 1884; Cook, Speaker's Commentary, 1878; Plumptre, Ellicott's, 1879; Riddle, Schaff's, 1879; W.N. Clarke, Amer. Comm., 1881; Lindsay, 1883; Broadus, 1881 and 1905; Morison, 1889; H.G. Holtzmann(3), 1901; Maclean, Cambridge Bible, 1893; Gould, International Critical Commentary, 1896; Bruce, The Expositor Greek Testament, 1897; B. Weiss, Meyer, 1901; Menzies, The Earliest Gospel, 1901; Salmond, Century Bible; Wellhausen2, 1909; Swete, 1908; Bacon, The Beginnings of Gospel Story, 1909; Wohlenberg, Zahn's Series, Das Evangelium des Markus, 1910. For the earlier see Swete.
Introduction:
Eichhorn, 1827; Credner, 1836; Schleiermacher, 1845; De Wette, 1860; Bleek, 1866, translated 1883; Reuss, 1874, translated 1884; B. Weiss. 2nd edition, translated 1886; 3rd edition, 1897; H.J. Holtzmann, 1892; Th. Zahn, 1897, translated 1909; Godet, 1899; Julicher(6), 1906; von Soden, 1905, translated 1906; Wendling, Ur-Marcus, 1905; A. Muller, Geschichtskerne in den Evang., 1905; Wrede, Origin of New Testament Scriptures, 1907, translated 1909; Horne, 1875; Westcott, Introduction to Study of Gospels, 7th edition, 1888, and The Canon, 6th edition, 1889; Salmon, 1897; Adeney, 1899; Bacon, 1900; Burton, 1904; Moffat, Historical New Testament, 1901; Introduction to the Literature of New Testament, 1911; Peake, 1909; Gregory, Einleitung., 1909; Charteris, Canonicity, 1881; The New Testament Scriptures, 1882, and popular Intros by Plumptre, 1883; Lumby, 1883; Kerr, 1892; McClymont, 1893; Dods, 1894; Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion, 1889; Sanday, Gospels in the 2nd Century, 1874; Stanton, Gospels as Historical Documents, I, 1903; II, 1909.
Mark and the Synoptic Problem:
Rushbrooke, Synopticon, 1880; Wright, Synopsis of the Gospels in Greek, 3rd edition, 1906; Composition of the Four Gospels, 1890; Some New Testament Problems, 1898; H.J. Holtzmann, Die synopt. Evang., 1863; Weizsacker, Untersuch. uber die evang. Gesch., 2nd edition, 1901; Wernle, Die synopt. Frage, 1899; Loisy, Les ev. syn., 1908; Wellhausen, Einleitung in die drei ersten Evang., 1905; Blass, Origin and Char. of Our Gospels, English translation, xviii; Norton, Internal Evid. of the Genuineness of the Gospels, 1847; F.H. Woods, Stud. Bibl., II, 594; Palmer, Gospel Problems and Their Solution, 1899; J.A. Robinson, The Study of the Gospels, 1902; Gloag, Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels; Burton, Some Principles of Literary Criticism and Their Application to the Synoptic Problem, 1904; Stanton, as above, and in Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible (five volumes), II, 234 ff; Turner, "Chronology of New Testament," Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible (five volumes), I, 403 ff; J.J. Scott, The Making of the Gospels, 1905; Burkitt, Gospel History and Its Transmission, 1906; Salmon, Human Element in the Gospels, 1907; Harnack, Gesch. der altchristl. Lit., I, 1893; II, 2nd edition, 1904; Beitrage zur Einleitung in das New Testament, 4 volumes, translated in "Crown Theol. Lib.," Luke the Physician, 1907; The Sayings of Jesus, 1908; The Acts of the Apostles, 1909; The Date of the Acts and of the Synoptic Gospels, 1911; Montefiore, The Synoptic Gospels, 1909; Hawkins, Horae Synopticae, 2nd edition, 1909; Denney, Jesus and the Gospel; Cambridge Biblical Essays, edition by Swete, 1909; Oxford Studies in the Syn. Problem, edition by Sanday, 1911; Salmond, Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible (five volumes), III, 248 ff; Maclean, Hastings, Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, II, 120 f; Petrie, Growth of Gospels Shown by Structural Criticism, 1910; Buckley, Introduction to Synoptic Problem, 1912.
The Language:
Dalman, Words of Jesus, translated 1909; Deissmann, Bible Studies, translated 1901; Light from the Ancient East, translated 1910; Allen, The Expositor, I, English translation, 1902; Marshall, The Expositor, 1891-94; Wellhausen, Einleitung.; Hatch, Essays in Biblical Greek, 1889; Swete and Hawkins.
Text:
Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, Introduction to the New Testament in Greek; Salmon, Introduction, chapter ix; Gregory, Text and Canon; Morison and Swete, in Commentary; Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark.
Special:
Schweizer, Quest of the Historical Jesus, 1910; Sanday, Life of Christ in Recent Research; Emmet, Eschatological Question in the Gospels, 1911; Hogg, Christ's Message of the Kingdom, 1911; Forbes, The Servant of the Lord, 1890; Davidson, Old Testament Theology.
J. H. Farmer