Last week, you were given a few questions to answer about the Book of Mark. It is important to review the general information concerning the book as a whole, as it will give you some insight, as to how the section of Scripture you have chosen to study, may fit into the whole.
Hopefully, you have gathered some of the resources we mentioned in week one, to your personal library. The two resources I used from my library to answer those questions, were the Life Application Study Bible, and the Archaeological Study Bible. Below is the comparison of information that I received from both.
Who Is The Author
Life Application Study Bible: John Mark
Archaeological Study Bible: John Mark
To Whom Was It Written
Life Application Study Bible: To Christians in Rome.
Archaeological Study Bible: Possibly Rome.
When Was It Written
Life Application Study Bible: 55-65 A.D.
Archaeological Study Bible: 50-70 A.D.
Why Was It Written
Life Application Study Bible: To present the person, work, and teachings of Jesus.
Archaeological Study Bible: Some interpreters, assuming a Roman audience for Mark’s Gospel and a historical setting during the time of Nero’s persecutions, believe that Mark was especially written to encourage Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. However, Mark’s general purpose appears to have been precisely what Papias claimed it was: to preserve Peter’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus.
What Are Some Background Elements
Life Application Study Bible: The Roman empire under Tiberius Caesar. The empire, with its common language and excellent transportation and communications systems, was ripe to hear Jesus message, which spread quickly from nation to nation.
Archaeological Study Bible: The notorious fire of Rome in A.D. 64—probably set by Nero himself but blamed on Christians—resulted in widespread persecution and martyrdom.
Key People
Life Application Study Bible: Jesus, 12 disciples, Pilate, the Jewish religious leaders.
Archaeological Study Bible: N/A
Key Places
Life Application Study Bible: Capernaum, Nazareth, Caesera Philippi, Jericho, Bethany, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Golgotha
Archaeological Study Bible: N/A
Notable Facts
Life Application Study Bible: Mark was probably the first gospel written. The other Gospels quote all but 31 verses of Mark. Mark records more miracles than does any other Gospel.
Archaeological Study Bible: During the Passover and the week-long Feast of unleavened Bread, the population of Jerusalem increased from about 50,000 to several hundred thousand. In addition to being labeled traitors, tax collectors were notorious for their dishonesty. They were banned from serving as witnesses or judges and were expelled from the synagogue.
Comparing The Information
After comparing the information, the first thing you will notice is that there are differing time periods given for the possible writing of the document. This is not a huge deal, as one of the time periods falls inside the other, but it does say that there is not universal agreement as to when the document was written.
You will also see that there is some question raised as to the audience of Mark’s letter in the Archaeological Study Bible. This is something that you may investigate in another resource or two and find out what the varying opinions are.
Finally, you see that there is different information shared concerning the background information and notable facts. This is good. The study bibles were written with a different focus in mind. The Life Application Study Bible was written to help bring the understanding of the Scriptures from information to practical application, whereas, the Archaeological Study Bible was written to highlight matters important to the original culture.
As we discussed in an earlier post, choosing two or three study bibles, with a different focus and in different translations, will give you more to work with in fewer resources.
Now compare this information to the information that you have gathered from your resources.
How is it similar?
How is it different?
How Is This Information Helpful
In the verses that we have chosen to study, Mark 12:13-17, there is a reference to a coin. By narrowing the timeline we can get details on what this coin would have looked like and be able to see the answer to Jesus’ question, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Details like this help the bible come to life. It becomes more than words on a page when you can visualize parts of the story.
A Final Thought
If you do not have study bible and do not have plans to buy one any time soon, be sure to organize this information in a notebook, folder, or on your computer so you can reference it over and over when needed.
Next week we will be learning to asks questions about the text.
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