THE NAVARRE BIBLE

Saint Mark’s Gospel

with a commentary by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre

FOUR COURTS PRESS • DUBLIN

SCEPTER PUBLISHERS • NEW YORK

© Text of the biblical books in English: The translation used in this book is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, copyrighted 1965 and 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and used by permission.

© Other material (origination and selection): Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, SA 1980 Original title: Sagrada Biblia: II. Evangelio según San Marcos.

© Translation and typography: Michael Adams 2005

Nihil obstat: Stephen J. Greene, censor deputatus

The translation of introductions and commentary was made by Michael Adams.

A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

First edition 1985; Second edition 1990;

Third edition (reset and repaged) 2005

Reprinted 2008, 2009

isbn 978-1-85182-901-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data [for first volume in this series]

Bible. O.T. English. Revised Standard. 1999.

The Navarre Bible.—North American ed.

p. cm

“The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy in the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate with a commentary by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre.”

Includes bibliographical references.

Contents: [1] The Pentateuch.

ISBN 1-889334-21-9 (hardback: alk. paper)

I. Title.

BS891.A1 1999.P75

99-23033

221.7′7—dc21

CIP

The title “Navarre Bible” is © Four Courts Press 2003.

acknowledgments

Quotations from Vatican II documents are based on the translation in Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed. A. Flannery, OP (Dublin 1981).

editorial committee

José María Casciaro, General Editor

Luis Alonso Martín, Santiago Ausín,

Claudio Basevi, Antonio García-Moreno,

Juan Belda, Secretary

with

P. Hípola, K. Limburg, L.F. Mateo-Seco

for the english edition

James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy

Thomas McGovern

Contents

Map

Preface and Preliminary Notes

Abbreviations

General Introduction to the Bible

Introduction to the Books of the New Testament

Introduction to the Holy Gospels

Introduction to the Gospel according to Mark

The author

The apostolic figure of St Mark

Date of composition

Place of composition and immediate readership

Structure

Doctrinal content

Literary style

Jesus, the promised Messiah

Jesus, the Son of God

The Gospel according to Mark: English version, with notes

Explanatory Notes

Headings added to the Biblical Text

Sources quoted in the Commentary

Map

Palestine in the time of Jesus

Preface and Preliminary Notes

The Commentary

The distinguishing feature of the Navarre Bible is its commentary on the biblical text. Compiled by members of the Theology faculty of the University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain, this commentary draws on writings of the Fathers, texts of the Magisterium of the Church, and works of spiritual writers, including St Josemaría Escrivá, ...