Kata Markon

[Bridget Gilfillan Upton <uptonb AT cicero.heythrop.ac.uk>]

At 00:00 03/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Kata Markon Digest for Tuesday, November 02, 1999.
>
>1. Walking on Water
>2. Mark Commentaries
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: Susan Jeffers <SusanJeffers AT compuserve.com>
>
>Greetings!
>
>Last meeting of a local Bible study group we discussed Mark 6:47-52.
>Someone asked whether "walking on water" was something Mark's readers or
>Jesus' followers or any of the others "back then" would have been familia=
>r
>with.  In other words, are there other biblical instances of this
>miraculous behavior, or extrabiblical examples, in the way that one can
>find extrabiblical precedent for such other synoptic miracles as virgin
>birth, healings, and casting out demons.
>
>I think the person was asking in part because the phrase "walking on wate=
>r"
>is a common metaphor today for anyone who shows amazing ability to go whe=
>re
>others can't or do what others can't.  Everyone knows the story.  Maybe
>everyone in Mark's audience "knew the story" of what it meant to walk on
>water -- did they?
>
>Greetings again!
>
>I realize when the list was started people were invited to share which
>resources they'd found most helpful; I have a more specific question.
>
>I've been using volume I of Word Biblical Commentary on Mark 1-8:26 (Robe=
>rt
>A Guelich) as a resource for a Bible study group that's going through the=
>
>gospel of Mark.  I use some other books as well, such as the Interpretati=
>on
>commentary and Ched Myers' "Binding the Strong Man" but I find Guelich
>invaluable for its notes on the Greek and extrabiblical topics.  Also I
>just got the Anchor Bible Dictionary on CD-Rom and I have some Bible
>dictionaries and so on.  But Guelich has been invaluable for its
>verse-by-verse detail, especially since my Greek's not very strong.
>
>HOWEVER, the group's halfway through chapter 7 now, and I see no sign of
>Volume II appearing by the time we get to 8:27!  Can anyone suggest an
>alternative commentary I might buy?  I'm far from any but small public
>libraries, so I'll have to buy based on your recommendations or do withou=
>t.
>
>
>Thanks very much!
>
>Susan Jeffers

On both the above counts:
I have just noticed that a book by Wendy Cotter 'Miracles in Greco-Roman
Antiquity: a Source Book' (London: Routledge 1999) has arrived in our
library. I haven't seen it yet, but shall let you know if there is anything
that looks helpful there.
About commentaries: I still use Vincent Taylor (2nd ed 1966!) most often,
but very useful is
Hooker, Morna 'The Gospel According to St Mark' (London: A&CBlack 1991),
which is less detailed in a philological way than the Word series, and is
based on an English translation, but would, I think, be useful for most
purposes.
Best wishes
Bridget Gilfillan Upton


Dr Bridget Gilfillan Upton
Department of Biblical Studies
Heythrop College, University of London,
Kensington Square
LONDON  W8 5HQ
Direct Line  0171 795 4226
Fax               0171 795 4200