Title: Proclaiming the gospel: first century performance of Mark. Author: Shiner, Whitney Proclaiming the gospel xxiv, 214 p. Publisher: Harrisburg ; London ; New York : Trinity Pr Intl, 2003

Spielmann, Ruth

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 30Issue 1 Globalization Article 125-1-2005Proclaiming the gospel: first century performanceof MarkRuth SpielmannFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationSpielmann, Ruth (2005) "Proclaiming the gospel: first century performance of Mark ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 12.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/12profound commitment to linking the texts with the Jewish, Christianand human project of liberation.Oscar Cole-ArnalWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryProclaiming the Gospel: First-Century Performance of MarkWhitney ShinerHarrisburg, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International, 2003214 pages, $23.00 SoftcoverIn recent years much has been written about the oral culture in whichthe New Testament documents were written. Due to very low literacyrates, all first century texts were primarily known through publicperformance rather than through individual reading. Several scholarshave concluded that the Gospel of Mark was either written to beperformed, or was written down after a period of development as oralperformance. Within the relatively new discipline of performancecriticism, Shiner’s book adds significantly to the understanding ofwhat performances were like in the first century, and morespecifically, what the experience of an audience would have been inhearing a performance of the Gospel of Mark. Shiner’s study of oral performance in the first century leads himto conclude that oral performance was much more highly valued thenthan it is in our culture, that oral performance was done dramatically,that recitation emphasized emotional impact, and that both theperformer and the audience were lively and emotionally involved inthe performance. He states, “We are not hearing the Gospel throughfirst-century eyes if we do not hear the emotions.” (5) Two general chapters describing oral performance in the ancientworld are followed by seven chapters which each discuss a particularaspect of performance: emotion, delivery, memorization, gesture andmovement, audience response, audience inclusion, and applause lines.Throughout, he looks for evidence of these within Mark. Yes, applauselines in the Gospel of Mark! Shiner looks at what first-centuryaudiences applauded: the content of a speech, well-crafted verbalstyle, and impressive vocal delivery. Then he looks at Mark and122 ConsensusPublished by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005suggests that audiences would have applauded, for example, when thenarrative relates Jesus defeating his opponents, when Jesus speaks awell-phrased pithy saying (epigram), when the crowd within thenarrative is applauding, and when the narrator speaks directly to theaudience. Shiner’s interest is not only historical, for he finds that“consideration of the audience’s interaction with the Gospel performerhelps us to recover the intended meaning of a passage.” (168)At times the search for indications of performance markers inMark seems a bit stretched, as in the description of vocal effects inthe Greek text of the beginning of Mark, and the conjecture regardinggestures that a performer might have used at specific points of a story.Nonetheless, even there the explanations are plausible.Shiner is not just interested in history and academic research; hewants to understand how modern audiences can be moved by Mark’sGospel in similar ways to first century audiences, too. His love for theGospel of Mark is evident. He himself performs Mark, and he refersto many examples in which his own performance has given himinsights into the meaning of the Gospel, and to many examples inwhich he incorporates first-century performance strategies (e.g.gestures) into his presentations to make them more authentic,interesting, and moving. The book is written in a style that is easy to read, and although itis well grounded in scholarship, it will appeal to those interested inmodern day biblical storytelling as much as to New Testamentscholars interested in performance criticism or the Gospel of Mark.The bibliography reflects this appeal to a varied audience: it isdivided into topical sections, and includes one section that listsvideotaped performances that are available of the Gospel of Mark.The Greek text of Mark is cited from time to time, but it is always intransliterated form and translated (and once there is even an attemptto provide pronunciation for those who do not read Greek).Proclaiming the Gospel is not difficult to read, and in places thereader will be reading aloud or making hand gestures to betterunderstand an example, and in places even laughing out loud. I highlyrecommend it.Ruth SpielmannCanadian Bible SocietyKitchener, OntarioBook Reviews 123http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/12

Proclaiming the gospel: first century performance of Mark

Scholars Commons

https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1210&amp;context=consensus

Proclaiming the gospel: first century performance of Mark

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Wilfrid Laurier University

Scholars Commons