The books below are ones I recommend for the study of the Gospel of Mark. The first column lists introductions to Mark, and you will see that I am especially promoting a narrative and reader-response approach. Below that you will find a listing of the most reliable modern commentaries on the Gospel of Mark.
INTRODUCTIONS TO MARK | COMMENTARIES ON MARK |
Mark as Story: Rhoads, Dewey, Michie |
Important work on Mark that provides good introduction to narrative reading of the Gospel. Works well at the popular level. | Mark: Black |
If you only get one commentary on Mark, I recommend this one. It is attentive to narrative, rhetorical, and theological matters, but it is not overly technical. My first choice for pastors, preachers, and Bible study leaders. | |
Mark & Method |
Provides
a variety of approaches to Mark. I especially like Moore's
deconstructive chapter and Fowler's reader-response one. |
Mark: Juel |
A
popular-level commentary backed by solid scholarship and narrative
awareness |
|
Reader:Fowler |
Fascinating
and provocative reader-response approach to Mark |
SacraPagina |
Attention
to literary aspects, especially intratextuality and intertextuality |
|
Surprise: Juel |
A bit dated but still an excellent introduction using a reader-response approach | Marcus v1 |
Anchor
Bible series > Scholarly and thorough. The one to check when you
need the most information |
|
Secrecy: Kermode |
A classic
dealing with literary aspects of Mark that was inspiration for many
subsequent works |
Marcus v2 |
Anchor Bible series > Scholarly and thorough. The one to check when you need the most information | |
Mark: A Commentary (Hermeneia): Adela Yarbro Collins |
As befits the
Hermeneia series, this is an exhaustive commentary on Mark informed
by the best historical-critical work. |
Mark: Williamson |
A
good, reliable commentary in the Interpretation series |
|
Marked: Ross |
An edgy,
graphic novel approach to Mark! |
Mark: France |
Somewhat
more technical commentary in NIGTC series assuming knowledge of
Greek |
|
The Oral Ethos of the Early Church: Speaking, Writing, and the Gospel of Mark: Joanna Dewey |
Much recent
work on Mark has attended to its oral character, and you can have no
better guide than Dewey who is a leader in the field. |
Witherington |
A
commentary that pays special attention to the socio-rhetorical
aspects of the Gospel |
|
This series assumes some knowledge of Greek, but it has features useful to anyone. Each section includes a "Literary Context," an outline, the "Main Idea," a translation that is graphical laid out to indicate the logic of the text, a section on "Structure and Literary Form," an exegetical outline, and then a verse by verse explanation of the text. |