A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of editing Scripture scholar Wilfrid Harrington, OP's delightful and accessible Reading Mark for the First Time. Here I share with you a review of the book that has appeared in the current issue of Biblical Theology Bulletin (Vol. 46, 2016).
Wilfrid J. Harrington, a Dominican scholar, has written a brief
and insightful introduction to the Gospel of Mark. He begins with what he calls
a “modest” proposal: to outline Mark’s literary technique, and to discuss the
“centrality of the cross to Mark’s account of Jesus” (p. 2). In the pages that
follow, he does exactly this, and he does it very well, within the confines of
his stated purpose.
Harrington divides his work into two primary sections. In
Part One, he discusses the story of Mark’s Gospel in its broad themes and
literary structure. He walks the reader through the background of the Gospel,
before introducing what he calls Mark’s “literary pointers,” including the
overall plan of the book, various emphases and concerns in the Gospel, and what
he sees as the divine purpose that unfolds in Mark. To illustrate the kinds of
observations Harrington offers his readers, a few examples will be helpful. On
pp. 17–20, he discusses Mark’s use of minor characters as foils to the major
players in the story, such as the disciples. The courageous women in 15:40–41
are a bold contrast to the fleeing disciples in 14:50, for instance. Harrington
reminds us that “any enlightened reading of Mark’s Gospel must acknowledge the
major contribution of its minor characters” (p. 20). He discusses Mark’s use of
triplets (pp. 23–27), summary statements (pp. 30–31), inclusio (pp.
32–36) and bracketing (pp. 37–40) to help the reader to “better appreciate
Mark’s artistry” (p. 24), that is, to see the overall structure of Mark’s
telling of the Jesus story. He also points readers to the significance of
Mark’s use of the region of Galilee (p. 36), of his references to Jesus being
alone (pp. 41–44), and to the frequent theme of the disciples’ misunderstanding
of Jesus (pp. 45–48). Harrington’s goal is that as the reader explores the
Gospel, these “literary pointers” become clear, guiding the reader to
understand Mark’s message. In this, his material is quite helpful. The second
section of the book focuses on the message of Mark, which revolves around Jesus
Christ. Harrington discusses Mark’s depiction of the Christ as prophet (pp.
69–85), as teacher (pp. 85–91), as messiah (pp. 94–95), as the Son of David
(pp. 95–96), and as the Son of God (pp. 97–100). He then turns his attention to
the theme of the suffering of Jesus in Mark. He presents Jesus as the suffering
servant (pp. 105–08), discusses a brief theology of the cross (pp. 108–11), and
Mark’s depiction of the passion narrative (pp. 119–22). He reminds his reader
of Mark’s theme of the great reversal—that what seemed to be a failure (the
death of Jesus) was God’s great victory in the resurrection. He concludes his
second section with a discussion of discipleship, or as he calls it, “walking
the way.”
For Harrington, Jesus’ relationship with his disciples provides a
pattern and example for contemporary disciples in their walk with Jesus Christ.
Harrington finds in Mark’s Gospel “the nature of Jesus’ call and the nature of
Christian response—in short, (showing) what ‘following Jesus’ means” (p. 130).
Harrington traces this through the call of the twelve as well as their frequent
misunderstanding of Jesus (pp. 130–33). He discusses threats to discipleship in
Mark’s Gospel, such as riches, false religion, and the traditions of men (pp. 143–49).
Harrington is a Dominican priest and scholar, but there is much to be found in
his book to benefit those who do not share his tradition. In his section on
Mark’s theology of the cross, for example, he does not seek to impose a
specifically Catholic theology on the text, but retains his emphasis on Mark’s
telling of the passion story. Readers from a wide range of theological
persuasions, from evangelicals to liberals, Catholics to Protestants, will find
much in his book with which to agree, and will find it a helpful guide to the
story and text of Mark’s Gospel. If Harrington’s insights into the Gospel
appear to arise more from a close observation of the biblical text than from an
analysis of contemporary Markan studies, his bibliography bears this out. In
the whole of his text, he cites only three authors besides himself: Moloney,
Meier, and Schillebeckx. In this respect, his work is particularly refreshing.
He does not write as a scholar observing other scholars, but as a preacher
observing the Gospel of Mark. His analysis would be quite useful for a lay
reader beginning to study Mark (as his title indicates) or for a teacher
presenting the contents of the Gospel to a lay audience, but for a rigorous
analysis of the Marcan text, the scholar should look elsewhere. As he tells us
in his introduction, his goals are modest. His book fulfils his goals quite
well, and is worthwhile reading for those who desire a broad, if not
necessarily deep, introduction to Mark’s Gospel.
