The Date Of Mark's Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity (Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement series)

This book argues that Mark's Gospel was not written as late as c.65-75 CE, but dates from sometime between the late 30s and early 40s CE. It challenges the use of the external evidence (such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria) often used for dating Mark, relying instead on internal evidence from the gospel itself. James Crossley also questions the view that Mark 13 reflects the Jewish war, arguing that there are other plausible historical settings - for example the Caligula crises - going on to critically examine other arguments which place the writing of Mark as either around the time of the Jewish war, or at least after Paul's letters. The Date of Mark's Gospel argues that the gospel makes numerous Jewish assumptions, particularly concerning law observance. It shows that the synoptic gospels all portray Jesus as a law-observant Jew, before arguing more specifically that Mark assumes that Jesus fully observed biblical law, while Matthew and Luke had to make this explicit. Mark could only make such an assumption at a time when Christianity was largely law observant: and this could not have been later than the mid-40s, from which point on certain Jewish and gentile Christians wer