| James Brooks has accomplished something special in his slim volume on Mark. He has interacted with all the important Marcan studies as well as tons of other pertinent material. While the commentary stands firmly within the Evangelical tradition (as do all NAC commentaries), Brooks is not afraid to plow some fairly independent furrows. This volume will also satisfy all but the most hard-core of redaction-critical readers! In Brooks' theological reflections (between the actual verse-by-verse commentary) he packs immense learning into small spaces. While my knowledge of Greek is scant compared to that of Brooks, it seems to me that he occasionally reaches for alternate readings. For example, in Mark 4:12, Brooks' preferred translation of the "hina" as reading, "as a result." While this reading is theoretically possible, it seems that Brooks has allowed his reading of the parallel passages in the other Synoptics (in which, Matthew and Luke supposedly "soften the blow" of the Isaianic quote) to unduly influence his reading of this word, and thus the entire text. One would have preferred that the normal reading ("in order that") was taken, and that Brooks would have allowed us to see a brilliant scholar like himself truly wrestle with the text. Having said that, such slips are few and far between. This text should take an honored place on any pastor's, teacher's or scholar's Mark section. If you only have 20 or 25 bucks to spend on a solid, dependable commentary on Mark, look no further. This is not your dad's commentary on Mark, and James Brooks will challenge you, sometimes irritate you, but certainly bless you as you dig in. |
Mark (New American Commentary) Books In Print, Audio Books.