We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 October 2009
The theme of faith in Mark's gospel takes its point of departure in the very first words found on the lips of Jesus. After the scene is set with information on time (‘after John was handed over’), place (‘Jesus came into Galilee’) and theme (‘preaching the gospel of God’), Jesus is quoted as declaring:
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.
(1:15)The declaration falls into two parts: a two-fold indicative stating the kingdom's advent, and a double imperative summoning a response to this event of repentance and faith.
The appearance of the kingdom of God constitutes the leitmotiv of the entire gospel. As the theme unfolds in the following narrative, it becomes apparent that Mark's concept of the kingdom of God resists easy definition. It is bound up in paradox and mystery, and is the subject of cryptic parabolic discourse (4:1–34). The underlying idea, however, seems relatively clear, especially against the backdrop of Isaianic prophecy which the author first evokes in 1:2f. Fundamentally, in Mark's account, God's kingdom represents the definitive manifestation of his ruling power to put things right in the world, to bring in the promised age of eschatological salvation. It is not primarily a spatial or a temporal category but a dynamic event: God himself is approaching ‘with strength’ (Isa 40:10 LXX; cf. Mk 1:7) to establish his dominion over sin, sickness and hostile powers.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
