To read this text is to be taken on a journey through the specific territory of the Marcan narrative, but with insightful side glances at the references in the other Gospels.

Denis McBride’s style is easy, without being simplistic. Because of his connections with the Church in the Philippines, he dedicates his work to his friends there “whose joyful witness amidst hardship speaks its own Gospel”.

As the Marcan Gospel itself was addressed to a people facing persecution, so he brings to his reflections a contemporary relevance which is refreshing. As he deals with each section of the Gospel, the NRSV text is printed so that the reader does not have to cross-refer to a separate Bible to follow his helpful commentary. Throughout his endeavour, McBride keeps us conscious of the wider organisation of Mark’s themes and development of the action of the Gospel.

 

The commentary on the events of the Crucifixion is particularly moving, and the author is clearly identifying with P Achtemeier in his Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 4, when he quotes from that work: “It appears that one of Mark’s theological goals with his gospel, therefore, was to move his readers from observers to participants, and thus to move them to share in the gospel whose beginnings he had narrated in his account of Jesus of Nazareth.”

This is a valuable resource for all Christians, but will be especially so next year when the Gospel portions read in the Eucharistic celebrations are largely taken from St Mark’s Gospel.

The undergirding of his scholarship by a dedicated life of prayer and commitment is evident throughout the work. Some readers may already be familiar with Fr McBride’s earlier similar reflective commentary on the Gospel of Luke – an equally valuable resource.

The Very Revd Arthur Grimshaw is Dean Emeritus of Brisbane Cathedral