Craig Evans' new WBC vol. on Mark is finally out...

Rodney J. Decker rdecker at bbc.edu
Fri Jun 1 15:55:10 EDT 2001


Unless I missed it, it has not previously ben announced here that Craig 
Evans' WBC commentary on Mark is finally off the press (actually part 2, = 
WBC v. 34B; Guelich wrote v. 34A on Mark 1:1-8:26 before he died in 1991). 
My copy was awaiting me when I returned from lunch today. Obviously I 
haven't read the 700 pages yet, but I thought that a note here would be 
appropriate. I have read the introduction (93 pgs.--more than double the 
intro in Guelich's pt. 1!) and found it generally well done and helpful. 
The intro is intended to supplement Guelich's, but indeed goes well beyond 
it. The material is generally compatible, though Evans refocuses the 
commentary's view of the purpose of Mark (& that in a helpful way; he picks 
up Gundry's thesis and develops/refines it) and places greater importance 
on the specific identity and provenance of the author. Though some of the 
sections in the intro are too brief to be of much value (e.g., his 3 brief 
paragraphs on 7Q5 [perhaps all this proposal deserves!] and the discussion 
of the date of Mark)--other than, perhaps, for the good bibliography 
sections there--others are very well done. I would list his discussions of 
the f. topics in this category: synoptic problem/priority of Mark; Son of 
Man in Mark; and purpose. One of Evans' areas of specialization is evident 
(& helpful): the Roman socio-cultural-political background of Mark's 
Gospel. First look is positive. Now I'll have to spend enough time reading 
the commentary proper to see if it measures up to that initial impression.



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Rodney J. Decker, Th.D.       Baptist Bible Seminary
Assoc. Prof./NT  PO Box 800, Clarks Summit, PA 18411
rdecker at bbc.edu      http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/
XNS Universal Address: =RodDecker
The *Resources for NT Study* site is accessible at:
http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/rd_rsrc.htm
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