Kata Markon

[JFAlward AT aol.com]

In a message dated 10/17/02 2:54:44 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
stefan AT stefanluecking.de writes:

<< A word about Robert Gundry: The introduction to his book is very 
refreshing.  His principle "Mark's meaning lies on the surface" (p. 1) is an 
important clue against so many interpretations of Mark that read the gospel 
against what it explicitly says, because of presuppostions about the 
historical context or the real meaning behind the text. >>

Refreshing, indeed,  Stefan.  I couldn't agree more with Gundry, if I 
understand his meaning.  It seems to me that the "genius" of Mark grows with 
each new generation of PhD's in Markan scholarship, who discover ever-deeper 
and hidden meaning in the gospel stories. There's a natural tendency to 
"uncover" the buried meaning, in order to make the gospels more complex in 
order to justify the research.  If it were admitted that Mark's stories 
should be read on their surface--to be taken at face value, there would be 
little for Markan scholars to write about.


Joseph F. Alward
"A Skeptical View of Christianity and the Bible"
http://members.aol.com/jalw/joseph_alward.html