New Testament History and Literature with Dale B. Martin — Season 1, Episode 6: The Gospel of Mark

Episode synopsis

The Gospels of the New Testament are not biographies, and, in this class, they are read through a historical critical lens. This means that the events they narrate are not taken at face value as historical. The Gospel of Mark illustrates how the gospel writer skillfully crafts a narrative in order to deliver a message. It is a message that emphasizes a suffering messiah, and the necessity of suffering before glory. The gospel's apocalyptic passages predict troubles for the Jewish temple and incorporate this prediction with its understanding of the future coming of the Son of Man.

About New Testament History and Literature with Dale B. Martin

Yale Courses - This course approaches the New Testament not as scripture, or a piece of authoritative holy writing, but as a collection of historical documents. Therefore, students are urged to leave behind their pre-conceived notions of the New Testament and read it as if they had never heard of it before. This involves understanding the historical context of the New Testament and imagining how it might appear to an ancient person.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Introduction: Why Study the New Testament?
• E2From Stories to Canon
• E3The Greco-Roman World
• E4Judaism in the First Century
• E5The New Testament as History
• E7The Gospel of Matthew
• E8The Gospel of Thomas
• E9The Gospel of Luke
• E10The Acts of the Apostles
• E11Johannine Christianity: The Gospel 92,407 views
• E12Johannine Christianity: The Letters
• E13The Historical Jesus