Review in: Interpretation
2009 63: 188
Review door: Emerson B. PoweryGevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/63/2/188.full.pdf+html
Mark
by R. Alan Culpepper Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Smyth & Helwys, Macon, Ga., 2007.
622 pp. $60.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-57312-077-7.
R. ALAN CULPEPPER, a premier Johannine
scholar, turns his exegetical skills to the Gospel of Mark and produces a
first-rate theological commentary on the first Gospel written in early
Christianity. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is dedicated to
providing sound, credible, and scholarly interpretation on the books of the
Bible for serious contemporary Christians. The series' format includes
multimedia art, photographs (including the author's own), maps, and a CD (which
allows enhanced searches), in addition to a variety of sidebars with observations
ancillary, but intriguingly relevant, to the main comments of the interpreter.
Culpepper's offering is an excellent example of the intent of the series. In
his words, "It is our hope that this commentary will foster biblical
preaching, devotional reading, and moral decision-making for those who draw
inspiration from Mark" (p. 3). Writers in this series complement the
commentary sections with theological reflections ("Connections").
The layout of the
volume aims to be user friendly and generally succeeds in this endeavor. Its
sidebars, printed helpfully in an alternative color font, address linguistic,
cultural, and interpretive issues, drawing on various sources, including
theater and sociology. The sidebars also include a wide range of reflections.
Chapter 1, for example, features reflections from Origen, Albert Schweitzer,
Gerd Theissen/Annette Merz, Stephen Hawking, and Matthew Arnold. Other items in
the sidebars include sermonic reflection on "Sabbath Resistance" by
Barbara Brown Taylor, Josephus' alternative account of the death of lohn the
Baptist, numerous references to patristic theologians, and a variety of
cultural issues (e.g., "age in antiquity," "patrons, brokers,
and clients," "rank and status" in the Dead Sea Scrolls,
"children in antiquity" and "divorce among first-century
Jews"). Culpepper's sidebars on "mystery religions" and
"pesher interpretation," found on the same page (p. 138), demonstrate
his sensitivity to both Greco-Roman and Jewish contexts for the narrative of
Mark.
Culpepper's introduction
to the commentary addresses many traditional concerns: the function of a
commentary, five eras in Markan scholarship, Mark's leading themes, setting,
date of composition, and authorship. There are few surprises here. The overview
of the "five eras" concludes with a discussion of the "creative
Mark" and the "natural" flow of redaction criticism into
narrative studies. This "era," however, only leads us through the
1980s and early 1990s. It is probably too soon to say whether recent
postcolonial scholarship on Mark and "empire" or the latest work in
performance theory and Mark's oral environment will constitute another era, although Culpepper includes
a few noteworthy contributions from these categories in his selective
bibliography.
On traditional issues in Markan
scholarship, Culpepper proposes little that is new and takes the following
positions: he advocates for Rome rather than Galilee/Syria as the provenance of
the Gospel; he dates the composition between 68-73 CE.; and claims, "there
is no reason to doubt" the traditional authorship of John Mark, though
"this traditional identification is only of limited value for reading the
Gospel" (p. 31). This conclusion is not surprising for an interpreter
whose scholarship has placed more attention on the narrative itself than on the
world behind it.
Culpepper's decades-long approach
to narrative studies informs much of this volume, although this methodology
does not control all of his exegetical decisions. He carefully interprets later
segments of the narrative in light of earlier passages, with a few forays into
reader-response territory (e.g., Robert Fowler). Those familiar with Markan
scholarship will find few surprises, but less informed readers will benefit
greatly from Culpepper's discussion. Interpretive decisions he makes about Mark
1 provide a few examples. Following N. Clayton Croy's recent argument,
Culpepper regards Mark 1:1 as a second-century scribal notation added as a
superscription to an awkward beginning, which—like the Gospel's ending—may have
been lost. However, he also argues that the title "Son of God" is
original to Mark 1:1 and not a later addition, apparently nullifying the claim
about the second century provenance of 1:1. Culpepper sees Mark 1:14-15
as an introduction to the first main section of the Gospel rather than as a
"conclusion" to the preface. He also favors the more difficult
text-critical reading of "moved with anger" (orgistheis) over
"moved with pity" (splagchnistheis) in 1:41, envisioning a
Jesus angry at the disease itself (p. 62). In 1:44, he prefers a
"negative" rather than positive use of the dative, with the result
that the cleansed leper is directed to show himself to the priest and offer for
his cleansing what Moses commanded as a "testimony against them."
Culpepper takes this to mean "either an indictment of the powerlessness of
the cultic system in contrast to the power of Jesus or a condemnation of their
unbelief" (p. 63). This is but a sampling of the exegetical insight in
this volume.
Elsewhere, other interesting
decisions will generate discussion and debate. Culpepper interprets the
well-known crux of 4:10-12 regarding Jesus' teaching in parables in light of
both the mysteries in Greco-Roman mystery religions and the revelation in
pesher interpretation at Qumran. He concludes that Jesus is the
"secret" and that his parables represent a "veiled kingdom"
for outsiders (p. 139). Culpepper maintains that Jesus' encounter with the
Syrophoenician woman "may have been a turning point" for his ministry
(p. 242), forcing his attention away from Jewish settings as a result of this
engagement with a Gentile (i.e., "Greek") woman who cleverly turned
Jesus' offense into an advantage. Culpepper draws no clear conclusion on the
meaning of Mark 9:1, but he helpfully recognizes the transfiguration passage as
a parallel to the baptism scene—one that introduces the second half of the
Gospel (just as the baptism, where a voice from heaven also speaks, commences
the first half). In Mark 10, the Pharisees challenge Jesus on the issue of
divorce in order to provoke him into speaking a word of criticism against
Herod, so that he might share the fate of his predecessor, John the Baptist (p.
328). Culpepper is noncommital on the ending of Mark, though the
"connections" he articulates presume the Gospel ends at 16:8.
Most of my criticisms are minor.
The regular use of "A.D." for dates is inconsistent with the list on
the abbreviation page. In my view, the "testing" of Jesus' disciples
is only implicit, rather than thematic. There is nothing in Mark comparable to
the Fourth Gospel's portrayal of Jesus' testing of Philip (John 6:6). Late
medieval art dominates the art selections (Michelangelo's "Head of John
the Baptist" and Gruenewald's "The Crucifixion of Christ" are outstanding
examples), and very little contemporary art appears in the volume. Each
reviewer has his or her own preferences and my own inclination would have been
toward more engagement with feminist and postcolonial scholarship. Several
places would lend themselves to such engagement, as Culpepper recognizes the
role and influence of Rome throughout his commentary. It was heartening to see
Jesse Jackson and Gustavo Gutierrez cited in the theological
"connection" sections, but exegetical scholarship by
minorities and women is increasingly available.
Overall, this is a useful and
highly readable volume and valuable guide for a reading of the Gospel of Mark.
It is also much more than a commentary on Mark. It is a teaching tool.
Culpepper provides the busy pastor, the serious theological student, and the
engaged contemporary Christian with insights from the cultural world
surrounding early Christianity's first story about Jesus. They will also
encounter the history of interpretation on Mark, contemporary theological
reflections upon it, and artwork generated by Mark's story. In addition,
Culpepper's "connections" provide engaging resources for contemporary
exploration of the theological implications of this ancient Christian Gospel
for contemporary followers of Jesus. For example, who would have thought that
Mark 3:20-35 (and the issue of blasphemy) would have relevance for contemporary
interreligious dialogue? Culpepper maintains that "for a Christian
religious leader to say, 'Mohammed was a demon-possessed pedophile,' poses a serious
hindrance to the reconciling, forgiving, and peace-making work of the Holy
Spirit" (pp. 128-29). And how might Jesus' difficult teaching on divorce
and remarriage (Mark 10:1-12) relate to contemporary struggles with women in
ministry (in some circles) and the issue of homosexuality (in other ones)? The
door has been opened for contemporary reflection. Scholars will find it a
useful resource for the classroom setting, especially in the context of
theological education.
Emerson
B. Powery
MESSIAH
COLLEGE
GRANTHAM,
PENNSYLVANIA
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