Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)"Hearing Mark" is barely over 100 pages, but it is a great commentary full of insights and information and "hooks" for preachers.
It would also be perfect for Bible study groups. Hard core Bible warriors and tentative explorers, folks of all education levels and political convictions will be able to use and enjoy this book. It would probably even work with younger people if you were inclined to try it.
There are a lot of commentaries out there. What sets this one apart?
1. It emphasizes Mark's gospel as written for the ear -- as a story that unfolds, almost as if around an ancient campfire. So instead of looking in depth at Greek words or the shades of meaning that come out of separating each strand in a sentence (the way you might carefully study a written text), the author explores the importance of setting, plot, characterization...and themes that appear, step back, and return later....the things that a listener might hear and pick up on as a tale is told. This is a different way of reading, and yields fresh insights.
2. The author also clearly writes for the ear. (For example: writing about the feeding of the 4000, she says: "Do you hear an echo here? He did this before. He took, he blessed, he broke, and he gave. These four verbs occur one more time in Mark--at the Last Supper.") I find her style to be really learned and really approachable all at the same time.
3. It follows the work of David Rhoads (Mark as Story) and others, trying to offer resources to help people reconnect with the Gospel as a heard experience. The "resources" section at the end of the book gives many ideas and dvd/vhs possibilities for church groups who want to pursue this as a special program. That alone would be worth the price of the book, and I am giving it serious thought for my own church. (It's that convincing.)
4. For preachers: this commentary takes about 90 minutes to read cover to cover. It's a great way to give yourself a genuine overview of Mark and plan a year's worth of preaching (if you're using the lectionary). You'll see when important moments are going to appear, when they build over several Sundays, when Mark shifts gears, when important theological concepts emerge or reemerge. For narrative preachers, specifically, this is much like Rhoads in emphasis, but written in a commentary format.
It is a great book. I hope that Dr. Malbon writes companion volumes on the other Gospels.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Hearing Mark: A Listener's Guide
Originally, the Gospel of Mark was read aloud tofirst-century audiences eager to hear more about the life of Jesus andhow his teachings could touch their own lives. Now Elizabeth StruthersMalbon, an expert who has written about and taught Mark for twentyyears, brings us back to that original setting, providing an excitingnew way of reading and hearing the Gospel of Mark.In clear, non-scholarly language, Malbon begins by outlining thepresuppositions that scholars use when they read this gospel. We learnthat Mark's gospel, in its original context, was not meant to be readsilently; it was meant to be performed, read aloud, and heard by anaudience of Christians.The chapters of Hearing Mark then follow the gospel in narrativeorder, from first verse to last, with each chapter of the bookfocusing on a theme emphasized in each gospel section: kingdom,community, discipleship, suffering. The conclusion offers "echoes"of these interrelated themes as they play out for Mark's listeners inthe first century—and in the twenty-first.Hearing Mark closes with selected suggestions for further reading andannotations. Malbon also lists resources for hearing the Gospel ofMark in various ways, including persons to contact for dramaticpresentations, videotapes, and instructions for conducting a readingin a local church.
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