The following videos introduce the social context and literary shape of the first canonical gospel to be written, the Gospel of Mark. The political origins of the term "gospel" are explored, and the turmoil in mid-first century CE Rome is described as a possible pastoral context for Mark's focus on Jesus' suffering. The remaining videos explore that focus, by describing how to identify it in the shaping of the narrative, and then tracing it particularly in the lengthy passion narrative that dominates this shortest gospel.
The six numbered videos are the most important material, corresponding to the slides. While you don't have to watch them, they may help you prepare for class or fill in gaps after. Below the numbered videos, you will find some additional videos and links.
Use the links to the right to access pdf files of the slides shown in the videos. Two formats are available: 1 slide per page and three slides per page. Both versions have slides for all five required videos.
The videos below are thumbnails; to enlarge the view, click the play button and select at the bottom of the frame either "YouTube" (to watch the video on YouTube, which in some cases will be clearer) or the full-screen icon ().
1
What is a Gospel?
This video introduces the political context of the term ευαγγελιον or "gospel," summarizes the types of Christian books called by that name, and then describes in particular the one ancient genre that the gospels are most like—bioi or biographies. The symbol for the four gospels in Christian iconography, the tetramorph, is also introduced.
14.46
2
Narrative Criticism
This video introduces how literary criticism in general, and narrative criticism in particular, have developed in biblical studies. It explains the differences between real authors and audiences and implied authors and audiences, and presents a fundamental distinction between the story ("what" is told), and the discourse ("how" it is told).
10.41
3
Social Upheaval in Rome
This video describes the social and political turmoil in the city of Rome in the mid-first century CE, offering this as a possible pastoral context for the reading and perhaps even the writing of the Gospel of Mark.
20.22
4
Mark as Story
This video identifies some of the rhetorical techniques regarding character, setting, plot and other discourse elements that Mark uses to tell his story of Jesus. It introduces the plotting exercise you will do to explore Mark's use of these techniques in Mark 1:1–8:38.
14.50
5
Pastoral Issues & Gospel Themes
This video identifies some of the key themes in the Gospel of Mark and connects these to the likely social, political and relgious circumstances of Mark's community.
10.43
6
Mark's Passion Narrative
This video describes the significance of the passion narrative in the gospels in general, and the Gospel of Mark in particular. It analyzes why Mark might have put so much emphasis on the crucifixion of Jesus and on the motif of the suffering messiah.
9.43
Optional Videos & Links
Manuscript Evidence for Mark - This video introduces the manuscript evidence for the Gospel of Mark, with an emphasis on our earliest manuscripts.
3.35
The Lives of Mark - This video summarizes the reception history of the Gospel of Mark over the 2000+ years of Christian history. It explores why Mark shifted from relative obscurity to recent prominence, and introduces several of the critical approaches to the gospel in the last 200 years.
14.34
Academic Approaches to (Sacred) Texts - This video introduces the three parties to every communication act, and presents several critical methods of biblical study, indicating which of the three parts the method focuses on and what questions that method asks.
The following videos introduce the social context and literary shape of the first canonical gospel to be written, the Gospel of Mark. The political origins of the term "gospel" are explored, and the turmoil in mid-first century CE Rome is described as a possible pastoral context for Mark's focus on Jesus' suffering. The remaining videos explore that focus, by describing how to identify it in the shaping of the narrative, and then tracing it particularly in the lengthy passion narrative that dominates this shortest gospel.
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