France's commentary on Mark is the latest addition to the New International Greek Testament Commentary series and continues its tradition of excellence. Readers familiar with British Evangelical biblical scholarship will already be acquainted with France's work on other aspects of Gospels research. He offers a refreshing commentary on the text and avoids get unnecessarily bogged down in issues of formation or redaction, although he skillfully deals with these issues as well. Mark, France tells us, is a drama in three acts, with movement from Galilee to Jerusalem and back. Act One covers Jesus" ministry in Galilee, Act Two, his journey to Jerusalem, and Act Three, his ministry in Jerusalem involving his confrontation with the religious leaders and eventual arrest, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. France treats the tradition that Mark reflects the recollections of Peter with a seriousness seldom seen in critical commentaries of this sort, recognizing that Mark designed the book to be publicly proclaimed. No one can do serious research on the Gospel of Mark without turning to this rich source. - Jeff Waddington - Westminster Bookstore Staff
Publisher Review: Drawing on many years of Marcan studies, world-class scholar R. T. France has produced an exegetical commentary on the Greek text of Mark that does what the best of recent Greek commentaries have done but in France's own inimitable, reader-friendly way. This work is a commentary on Mark itself, not a commentary on commentaries of Mark. It deals immediately and directly with matters that France himself regards as important. Working from his own translation of the Greek text and culling from helpful research into the world of first-century Palestine, France provides an extensive introduction to Mark's Gospel, followed by insightful section and verse commentary. France sees the structure of Mark's Gospel as an effective "drama in three acts." Act 1 takes up Jesus' public ministry in Galilee. Act 2 covers Jesus' journey to Jerusalem with his disciples. Act 3 focuses on Jesus' public ministry in Jerusalem, including his confrontation with the Jewish leaders, his explanatory discourse on the future, and his passion, death, and resurrection. France carefully unpacks for modern readers the two central themes of this powerful narrative of Jesus' life — the nature of Christ and the role of discipleship. Supported by careful argumentation and impressive in its sensitivity to Mark's structure, context, and use of the Old Testament, France's study of the second Gospel is without peer.
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