Exile, Identity, and Reconstructing Belonging in the Gospel of Mark

Allan E.C. Wright is an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is the author of “Better to Reign in Hell, Than Serve in Heaven:” Satan’s Metamorphosis From a Heavenly Council Member to the Ruler of Pandaemonium.

• Introduction1. Mark’s Social Setting and Circumstances2. Nation, Identity, Place, and Exile3. Alienation, Dislocation, and Disillusionment in the Gospel of Mark4. Rectification of Exile through Reconstructing Socio-Cultural InstitutionConclusion

"Wright’s makes a compelling and much-needed intervention in Markan studies. Against the prevailing consensus, Wright proposes that we rethink the Gospel’s setting and social world: the Markan Jesus does not inhabit a realistic world of the 30s CE, nor does Mark even depict his own social world. Instead, Wright encourages us to think of Mark’s world as one caught up in the complex and symbolically-charged relations of the post-War period. Mark emerges as a creative and sophisticated text, challenging its first readers to ponder their new situation and confront their own feelings of alienation with its own novel interpretations of Jesus’ life." - Christopher B. Zeichmann, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada