This is my first post on this blog.  I am now working on the Gospel According to Mark, most likely the earliest gospel of the four which are in the New Testament.  I am working on a short book for people who are not theologians or pastors, and also I am making notes for a bigger commentary on Mark.  Many of my friends know that  I now own six full shelves of books on Mark.  My bibliography on Mark now runs to 15 pages.  I have virtually all the classic commentaries on Mark, going back to Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, the founder of the venerable Meyer-Kommentar.

There is a lot to say about the Gospel of Mark.  I continue to think the Synoptic Problem is important, and I fully support Markan priority, meaning that I believe the Gospels of Matthew and Luke used the Gospel of Mark as a written source.  Of course, it may well be true that the gap between the spoken Aramaic words of Jesus and the written Greek words of the Gospel of Mark has more that is unknown in it than what is known.  But that means that we should redouble our efforts to be clear about what evidence we actually have and how we interpret that evidence.  Despite the shadows in this set of problems, we should do the best we can with the light that exists.

Starting September 17th, I will teach through Mark at the Church of the Redeemer in Ruston, Louisiana, on Sunday mornings between 9:15 and 10:05 a.m.  I hope you will be able to join us.

Frank W. Hughes