A New Perspective on the Use of Paul in the Gospel of Mark

167 Pages·2021·22.988 MB·English

by  Cameron Evan Ferguson

A New Perspective on the Use of
Paul in the Gospel of Mark
This volume presents a detailed case for the plausible literary dependence of the
Gospel of Mark on select letters of the apostle Paul.
The book argues that Mark and Paul share a gospel narrative that tells the story of
the life, death, resurrection, and second coming of Jesus Christ “in accordance
with the scriptures,” and it suggests that Mark presumed Paul and his mission to be
constitutive episodes of that story. It contends that Mark self-consciously sought
to anticipate the person, teachings, and mission of Paul by constructing narrative
precursors concordant with the eventual teachings of the itinerant apostle—a pro-
cess Ferguson labels Mark’s ‘etiological hermeneutic.’ The book focuses in particu-
lar on the various (re)presentations of Christ’s death that Paul believed occurred
within his communities—Christ’s death performed in ritual, prefigured in scrip-
ture, and embodied within Paul’s person—and it argues that these are all seeded
within and anticipated by Mark’s narrative.
Through careful argument and detailed analysis, A New Perspective on the Use of
Paul in the Gospel of Mark makes a substantial contribution to the ongoing debate
about the dependence of Mark on Paul. It is key reading for any scholar engaged in
that debate, and the insights it provides will be of interest to anyone studying the
Synoptic Gospels or the epistles of Paul more generally.
Cameron Evan Ferguson is a Writing Specialist at the University of Chicago and
serves as adjunct faculty at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illi-
nois, USA. He completed his graduate work at the University of Chicago Divinity
School, from which he graduated in August 2019.
Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World
Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World offers monographs and edited
collections which explore the most cutting-edge research in Early Christianity.
Covering all aspects of the world of early Christianity, from theology, archaeology,
and history to urbanism, class, economics, and sexuality and gender, the series
aims to situate these early Christians within the wider context of Late Antiquity.
Comprising both regional studies and broader thematic surveys, this series
explores what changed with the advent of Christianity, what remained the same,
and how early Christians interacted with, made sense of, and shaped the world
around them. Aimed at early Christian scholars, classicists, and historians alike,
Studies in the Early Christian World is an invaluable resource for anyone research-
ing this fascinating period.
Jewish Glass and Christian Stone
A Materialist Mapping of the ‘Parting of the Ways’
Eric C. Smith
The Slave Metaphor and Gendered Enslavement in Early Christian Discourse
Double Trouble Embodied
Marianne Bjelland Kartzow
Between Jews and Heretics
Refiguring Justin Martyr’s ‘Dialogue with Trypho’
Matthijs den Dulk
The Silencing of Slaves in Early Jewish and Christian Texts
Ronald Charles
A New Perspective on the Use of Paul in the Gospel of Mark
Cameron Evan Ferguson
For more information on this series, visit: https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-
Studies-in-the-Early-Christian-World/book-series/SECW
A New Perspective on the Use of
Paul in the Gospel of Mark
Cameron Evan Ferguson
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Cameron Evan Ferguson
The right of Cameron Evan Ferguson to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
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registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-54910-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-09268-1 (ebk)
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Table of contents
List of tables viii
Modern Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1: The relationship of Mark to Paul 1
Chapter 2: Baptism into death 33
Chapter 3: The body and the blood 59
Chapter 4: Death “in accordance with the Scriptures” 90
Chapter 5: Conclusion 122
Bibliography 132
Index 150
List of tables
2.1 Comparison of Mark 1:10–11 and Mark 15:38–39 41
2.2 Comparison of Genesis 22:2, Mark 1:11, and Psalm 2:7 43
3.1 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 and Mark 14:22–25 72
3.2 1 Corinthians 11:23–24 and Mark 14:22–23 73
4.1 Galatians 3:8 and Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18 97
Modern Abbreviations
AB Anchor Bible
AGAJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des
Urchristentums
ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research
BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
BHTh Beiträge zur historischen Theologie
BIS Biblical Interpretation Series
BNT Die Botschaft des Neuen Testaments
BNTC Black’s New Testament Commentaries
BPC Biblical Performance Criticism
BR Biblical Research
Bsac Bibliotheca Sacra
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
CBNT Commentaire Biblique: Nouveau Testament
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CGTC Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary
CRINT Compendia rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum
CSC Concepts for the Study of Culture
CUF Collection des Universités de France
ÉBib Études Bibliques
EF Erträge der Forschung
EKK Evangelisch-katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament
ExpTim Expository Times
GCS Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller
GNS Good News Studies
HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament
HNTC Harper’s New Testament Commentaries
HTA Historisch Theologische Auslegung
HThKNT Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament
HTR Harvard Theological Review