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Recent book on Mark's gospel
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:25 am
by gmx
I have read a few pages of:
UNLOCKING THE PUZZLE
The Keys to the Christology and Structure of the Original Gospel of Mark
by David Oliver Smith, 2016
The general premise is that the original version of Mark can be uncovered:
- Mark used a strict chiastic structure for the entirety of the Gospel
- By understanding this structure, it is possible to see where interpolation and redaction has occurred
- By removing these interpolations and redaction from the canonical Mark, the original can be revealed
The author also states that his work is a refinement of a previous theory.
My question is... has anyone read this (or the prior theory)? Do you have an opinion about its merits?
Re: Recent book on Mark's gospel
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:58 am
by neilgodfrey
I haven't read it (sigh, another one to read!) and I may be very pleasantly surprised. My initial response, though, is to recall Michael Turton's extensive online commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Michael has many very valuable nuggets in his commentary but the one feature I had difficulties with was his chiastic structures throughout the entire gospel.
To maintain the chiasms throughout in the way he did I felt that he had to rely upon a number of quite subjective interpretations of passages in order to make them balance other passages. Besides, I wonder if any other ancient text was ever written like that. Chiasms here and there, yes, and in a very broad sense maybe an entire book, but not the multiple intricacies sustained throughout in order to achieve micro and macro chiasms.
I'll probably read it, though. And maybe I'll have to withdraw the above suspicions.
Re: Recent book on Mark's gospel
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:35 pm
by gmx
neilgodfrey wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:58 am
I haven't read it (sigh, another one to read!) and I may be very pleasantly surprised. My initial response, though, is to recall Michael Turton's extensive online commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Michael has many very valuable nuggets in his commentary but the one feature I had difficulties with was his chiastic structures throughout the entire gospel.
To maintain the chiasms throughout in the way he did I felt that he had to rely upon a number of quite subjective interpretations of passages in order to make them balance other passages. Besides, I wonder if any other ancient text was ever written like that. Chiasms here and there, yes, and in a very broad sense maybe an entire book, but not the multiple intricacies sustained throughout in order to achieve micro and macro chiasms.
I'll probably read it, though. And maybe I'll have to withdraw the above suspicions.
Ah yes... I think it is a refinement of Michael Turton's theory.