Theology

This concise volume brings together seventeen essays by international scholars that examine the Gospel of Mark from historical and theological perspectives. The contributions address key issues of reception, interpretation, and application, reflecting the current state and diversity of scholarly research on Mark's theological and literary profile.

The contributors examine theological and philosophical discourses on sacrifice and their historical, religious, and cultic backgrounds in Antioch and the Syrian-Antiochian region in early Christian times and Late Antiquity, shedding light on key processes of exchange between ancient Jewish, pagan, and Christian circles during this period.

The contributors examine how wisdom traditions - from Amenemope and the Septuagint through Second Temple literature - shape New Testament theology, ethics, and communal identity. Seventeen essays trace wisdom motifs across the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline and Johannine literature, James, and Hebrews.

Since the second century, the eunuchs of Matthew 19:12 have been read as a figure for celibacy. Ian Kinman challenges this consensus: drawing on first- and second-century literature, he argues that Matthew presents eunuchs not as models of discipleship but as an anti-type - those who remain »withered« in the face of the kingdom's demands.