The Date of Mark's Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity

James G. Crossley

Continuum International Publishing Group, Jun 15, 2004 - Religion - 245 pages

This book argues that Mark's gospel was not written as late as c. 65-75 CE, but dates from sometime between the late 30s and early 40s CE. It challenges the use of the external evidence (such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria) often used for dating Mark, relying instead on internal evidence from the gospel itself. James Crossley also questions the view that Mark 13 reflects the Jewish war, arguing that there are other plausible historical settings.

Crossley argues that Mark's gospel takes for granted that Jesus fully observed biblical law and that Mark could only make such an assumption at a time when Christianity was largely law observant: and this could not have been later than the mid-40s, from which point on certain Jewish and gentile Christians were no longer observing some biblical laws (e.g. food, Sabbath).

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Chapter 2: 18
• Chapter 3: 44
• Markan Redaction the Jewish War and Nationalist Movements: 76
• Markan Redaction and Persecution: 79
• A Newish Approach to the Date of Mark: 80
• Conclusions: 81
• Chapter 4: 82
• Jesus and the Torah according to Matthew: 98
• Jesus and the Torah according to Luke: 111
• Conclusions: 123
• Chapter 5: 125
• Stephen and the Hellenists: 126
• Zeal for the Law: 131
• Pauls Early Attitude towards the Law: 134
• Peters Vision Acts 1011 18: 138
• The Antioch Controversy Gal 2 1114: 141
• The Jerusalem Conference: 154
• Christianity and Law in the Forties: 155
• Conclusions: 157
• Chapter 6: 159
• Dating Mark through Mk 2 2328 and Parallels: 160
• Dating Mark through Mk 10 212 and Parallels: 175
• Conclusions: 182
• Chapter 7: 183
• Mark 7 4 and Other Traditions: 185
• Qorban: 188
• Mark 7 123 andTradition: 191
• The Transmission of Impurity: 193
• TebulYom: 198
• Gospel Editing: 200
• Conclusions: 204
• CONCLUSIONS: 206
• Bibliography: 210
• Index of References: 225
• Index of Authors: 242

About the author

James G. Crossley is Lecturer in New Testament studies in the Department of Biblical Studies at University of Sheffield, UK. He is the author of Jesus in an Age of Terror: Scholarly Projects for a New American Century (London: Equinox, forthcoming 2008/9); Why Christianity Happened: A Sociohistorical Account of Christian Origins 26-50CE (Louisville: WJK, 2006); The Date of Mark's Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity (London: T&T Clark/Continuum, 2004) and co-author, with M. F. Bird, of Two Views of Christian Origins: A Secular-Evangelical Debate London: SPCK, forthcoming 2008). He is co-edited (with Christian Karner) Writing History, Constructing Religion (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005).

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Date of Mark's Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity; Volume 266 of Journal for the study of the New Testament. 266: Supplement series, ISSN 0143-5108; Volume 266 of The Library of New Testament Studies
• Author: James G. Crossley
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004
• ISBN: 0567081958, 9780567081957
• Length: 245 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / General; Religion / Biblical Studies / New Testament; Religion / Spirituality