Mark, introduction

After some debate with myself, I decided the next thing we would study is the book of Mark. I have not gone completely through any of the so-called gospels yet on this blog. According to Wikipedia, most scholars now consider Mark to be the first of the four gospel books. It may have been written just before the fall of Jerusalem. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to John Mark who is said to have been influenced by Peter. In reality no one actually knows who wrote the book of Mark. It was originally considered inferior to the other gospels as a summary or abridgment because it is more concise.

A few years ago, a claim was made that a 1st century manuscript of Mark had been found. That claim has since been revised to late 2nd, early 3rd. Here is what Bart Ehrman has to say about it. This is one of the earliest existing pieces of the book. Just as with all the rest of the bible books, there is no original.

I will now make my regular disclaimer that I am not a professional Bible scholar. I will be reading through the text and making personal comments and observations based on easily available resources and my personal experiences as a former fundamentalist Christian. I usually use the NIV translation of the bible,  web sites such as Bible Hub and Bible Gateway, plus Strong's concordance, and a Greek interlinear New Testament.

Till next time.