Most scholars believe that Mark's Gospel was completed before Matthew and Luke. Drawing on recently discovered historical, literary, and linguistic evidence, C. S. Mann proposes the controversial theory that Mark followed the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and that it is a digest of those two other Synoptic Gospels. Lay readers and serious students of the Bible may disagree with Mann, but they cannot ignore his theory.

The Gospel of Mark presents an action-packed, nonstop picture of Jesus' public life. Here we encounter the humanity of Jesus, and the secrecy shrouding his divine nature. Through his lively translation and insightful commentary, Mann clearly explains the central message of Mark's Gospel: The power of faith and hope that moves the Christian community toward ultimate glory in the coming of the Lord and His Kingdom rests in the triumph of the suffering Christ.

The themes in Mark -- the suffering of Jesus, the liberation of the oppressed, the search for community, and the healing power of Christ -- echo the turbulent times during which he wrote this Gospel. The unthinkable destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, the persecution of early followers of Jesus, and the rampant obsession with the end of the world are reflected in Mark's stories and parables.