Exploring Mark's Gospel: Adventures in Bibliography

Earlier this week, I met with a group of clergy who serve in various congregations around the Capital District of New York.   Ordinarily, they meet to study the four readings for the upcoming Sunday, as selected by the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).   Preaching from the Lectionary is not necessarily common among Baptists, yet for those who seek a rhythm of Scripture that likely parallels the texts selected for preaching and worship on a Sunday morning across ecumenical lines, the Lectionary provides a three year cycle of readings.

Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, the Lectionary for this liturgical year is known as "Year B" (with "A" just finished and "C" awaiting when the first Sunday of Advent arrives later in the calendar year).  Year B typically offers a reading from the Gospel of Mark, meaning that a preacher could offer a sermon routinely through the year and congregants could hear most of the narrative if they come regularly to church.  (Preachers pray regularly for such good church attendance habits.  Congregants usually pray for well focused and shorter sermons, but I digress....)

Here are a few titles I recommended to the group for those seeking new or perhaps lesser known titles related to understanding Mark as a narrative, as a companion for preaching and teaching and helping persons grow in the faith and learn what the Gospel of Mark seeks in a good disciple/follower of Jesus.

Here are some titles related to Mark:

Blount, Brian K. and Gary W. Charles. Preaching Mark in Two Voices. (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2002).

Boring, M. Eugene. Mark: A Commentary. (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 2006).

Byrne, Brendan. A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel. (Collegeville, MN:
Liturgical Press, 2011).

Cobb, Laurel K. Mark & Empire: Feminist Reflections. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2013).

Culpepper, Alan R. Mark. Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2007).

Fleer, David and Dave Bland, eds. Preaching Mark’s Unsettling Messiah. (St. Louis, MO: Chalice
Press, 2006).

Goatley, David Emmanuel. Were You There?: Godforsakenness in Slave Religion. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996). Particularly chapter 5 on Mark’s reference to Jesus’ cry of dereliction.

Hare, Douglas R.A. Mark, Westminster Bible Companion. (Louisville, KY:Westminster/John Knox, 1996).

Hooker, Morna D. The Gospel According to St. Mark. Black's New Testament Commentary. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991).

Levine, Amy-Jill, ed. Feminist Companion to the Gospel of Mark. (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim, 2004).

Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers. Hearing Mark: A Listener’s Guide. (London, UK: Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2002).

Maloney, Francis J. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2012).

McKenna, Megan. On Your Mark: Reading Mark in the Shadow of the Cross. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2006).

Minor, Mitzi. The Power of Mark’s Story. (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2002).

__________. The Spirituality of Mark: Responding to God. (Louisville, KY:Westminster/John Knox, 1996).

Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1988).

Myers, Ched, et al. Say to This Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996).

__________. Who Will Roll Away the Stone?: Discipleship Queries for First World Christians.
(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1994).

Placher, William C. Mark¸ Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. (Louisville, KY:  Westminster/John Knox Press, 2010).

Rhodes, David, Joanna Dewey, and Donald Michie. Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel, 3rd ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2012).

Ross, Steven. Marked. (New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2005). Graphic novel approach.

St. Clair, Raquel A. Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark. (Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress, 2008).

Shiner, Whitney. Proclaiming the Gospel: First-Century Performance of Mark. (Harrisburg, PA:
Bloomsbury/Trinity Press Int’l, 2003).

Stamper, Meda. Embodying Mark: Fresh Ways to Read, Pray and Live the Gospel. (Cincinnati, OH:  Forward Movement, 2015).

Thurston, Bonnie B. The Spiritual Landscape of Mark. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008).

Williams, Rowan. Meeting God in Mark. (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 2015).

Wright, Tom (NT). Mark for Everyone. (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 2004).