The fullest commentary ever to come out on the Gospel of Mark, this monumental work by Robert H. Gundry, reflecting years of painstaking scholarship, presents a well-argued alternative reading of the Greek text of Mark. Gundry turns from form and redaction criticism, both of which he considers largely inapplicable to Mark, to a very close reading of Mark's text as it stands -- a reading that pays special attention to such literary devices as word order, chiasm, inclusion, asyndeton, and the historical present tense.

Driving the commentary is Gundry's provocative thesis that the Gospel of Mark constitutes a straightforward apology for the apparently shameful manner of Jesus' death; as such Mark is essentially an evangelistic tract rather than an obliquely written handbook of Christian discipleship and church life. Besides positing this bold, seldom-defended thesis, Gundry's commentary contains these features:

• Thoroughness of treatment, including extensive interaction with other interpretations and detailed discussions of authorship, date, etc.;
• A defense of the Papian tradition, including Mark as getting his materials from Peter;
  A rejection of the view that Mark 13 reflects the Jewish war of 66-70 C. E.
• A lengthy excursus on the Secret Gospel of Mark;
• A rejection of currently popular ironic, polemic, and other symbolic interpretations;
• New literary critical arguments supporting the view that Mark did not originally end at 16:8; and
• A massive bibliography.