Gospel of Mark: A Commentary

“One of the most informative and best-researched Marcan commentaries available.”

“[This] commentary serves as an intuitive, user-friendly exposition of Mark, thoroughly conversant with contemporary scholarship and excellent in every respect. . . . [It] would prove exceptionally helpful as a conversation partner among other voices.”

“There are many useful literary insights and interesting pieces of historical information, the Greek being given where applicable, as well as a good number of passages where the text is elucidated in a new or well-focused manner. Very comprehensive and helpful material on Mark's use of the Old Testament as well as general comments on the Old Testament background are also provided. . . . [This commentary] is well researched, takes account of differing types of textual criticism, and keeps to its aim of tracing what this gospel narrative might be saying to a failing and suffering early Christian community.”

“A useful resource for understanding Mark's Gospel. . . . The remarks on the text of the Gospel are written in a fairly easy-to-read narrative, rather than a phrase-by-phrase or word-by-word analysis. This approach seems most appropriate given the literary/narrative concerns of Moloney. . . . Overall, I find Moloney's thoughts and comments about Mark's Gospel insightful, helpful, and valuable. . . . I trust that Moloney's contribution to Markan studies will be well received by those seeking to understand and appreciate Mark's story of Jesus.”

“Moloney has submitted a very comprehensible and persuasive interpretation of the earliest Gospel. By concentrating on Mark's achievements as storyteller and his interest in encountering human failure, Moloney necessarily must neglect certain aspects of tradition or theology, but this does not diminish the stimulating character of his commentary."--Review of Biblical Literature"This commentary is well written and documented. . . . Every reader of the New Testament should wrestle with Moloney's method.”

“The Gospel of Mark is a nicely written exposition of the biblical text which shows appreciation of the plot of Mark's narrative and his theological purpose. It is based on the Greek text and untranslated Greek script appears here and there, but it should be quite possible for readers without Greek to use it. The footnotes contain a great deal of helpful discussion of recent scholarship while the main text is allowed to flow freely.”

“The Gospel of Mark is a taut text. Behind the text is a gifted storyteller who is also a thoughtful theologian. Aptly, Francis J. Moloney characterizes this gospel as a theology of Jesus and his followers. His commentary, which combines literary, historical and theological insights, provides at the highest scholarly level, and at the same time in a manner comprehensible to general readers, an excellent sense of the overall story of Mark. . . . In short, this fascinating and very readable commentary does justice to the storytelling genius and theological acumen of Mark. It is quite splendid.”

“A major work of exegetical scholarship.”

“This book is very readable and would be appropriate for adult church groups as well as academic study.”

“Moloney's work offers a fine description of the present status of exegetical, literary and theological research on the gospel of Mark.”

“Moloney demonstrates the ability to simultaneously work at the highest scholarly level and yet write an exposition that is clear, concise, and comprehensible to any educated layperson. He provides numerous footnotes, including detailed scholarly discussions on a variety of interpretative issues--which would be of interest to the more advanced reader. This commentary, then, is useful to a wide readership and would be a valuable asset to any library.”

“The commentary is both a rich and insightful window into the Markan text. Many important textual issues are judiciously treated in the footnotes. However, such technical discussions do not deflect Moloney from his central purpose, illuminating the Markan story of God being operative in Jesus of Nazareth. As such, this work is a significant reading of Mark's Gospel and deserves careful study.”

“This is an eminently readable commentary. It is not lengthy, nor does it become bogged down in critical issues. Moloney takes readers to the heart of the matter quickly, but does provide fair, succinct summaries of the competing interpretations.”

“The commentary is detailed, penetrating, and theologically rich and would be accessible to the biblically literate if not expert reader, so it should be useful for preachers and students as well as scholars. For the latter, Moloney also provides a wealth of footnotes where he interacts with other interpreters of the Gospel. An extensive introduction reviews the currents of scholarship on this Gospel.”

“It should be evident that Moloney has given us a commentary that is theologically rich and pastorally sensitive. Predictably, in a Gospel so puzzling as this, one may pick nits with him in isolated matters. In the aggregate, however, such quibbles would not touch the fundamental soundness of the author's procedure and judgment. If this volume's freestanding dissociation from any series of commentaries were to obscure its achievement, such would be a terrible pity.”

“Here is an accessible commentary by a great teacher. It combines historical and literary insights in a masterful way.”

“Francis Moloney has written an insightful commentary on the Gospel of Mark that will serve readers well--scholars and laity alike. Readers are treated to judicious treatment of important issues and troublesome passages. Moloney has a knack for clarifying Mark's goals and theological interests. This commentary is highly recommended.”

“In his major commentary, F. J. Moloney succeeds in interpreting Mark's Gospel at the highest scholarly level and also in a way that will be comprehensible to general readers. Moloney is one of those rare exegetes who is thoroughly familiar with the specialized literature on both sides of the Atlantic, so that this ranks as a truly 'international' commentary.”

“Moloney has provided the same detailed and thoughtful reading of Mark's narrative that scholars familiar with his earlier work on John would expect. He incorporates the latest results of modern scholarship to show how carefully the evangelist has crafted a narrative out of earlier Jesus traditions. Based on the Greek text, this book provides a study of the Gospel for pastors, seminary students, and intermediate-level students.”

“Fr. Francis J. Moloney has given us a fine commentary on Mark that works on a number of different levels and therefore will be of use to a number of different audiences. The main part of the commentary, intelligible to any educated lay reader, sticks close to the text and story of Mark as it stands, providing a good sense of the overall story of Mark, with its own peculiar language, tone, structure, and theology. The numerous footnotes provide the more advanced reader with discussions of more detailed questions of history, traditions, sources, and modern-day debates among scholars. In sum, Fr. Moloney shows himself to be a first-class scholar and teacher.”