I am anxious as I set out to read the bible without pretenses or expectations. My desire is to set my own path and chart my own course as I come across difficult passages and confusing phrases or situations.
I am beginning with the Gospel of Mark. Some believe that this was the first gospel recorded and that Matthew and Luke wrote their gospels after Mark's account had been in circulation for quite some time. Mark's audience is mainly to the gentile Greeks of the Roman Empire, as Jewish traditions are explained for the non-Jew.
I am also choosing to read the English Standard Version (ESV) on my iPad. I want something different from what I normally read which is the New International Version (NIV).
- Historical Background:
- Roman domination began in 63 BC.
- Galilee and Perea were ruled by Herod
- Judea, Samaria, and Idumea were governed by a Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate
- The Jews were taxed on everything they owned - animals, fruit trees, homes, etc. and tax collectors were despised.
- Religious Background
- 586 BC was the destruction of Solomon's Temple, subsequently the number of synagogues multiplied by the time of Christ.
- When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, there were 480 of them in Jerusalem.
- Wherever there were 10 adult male Jews in a town or village a synagogue was to be built.
- These synagogues served as centers of education as well as places of worship. Public reading and expounding of the law was the leading function.
- Three main Jewish groups at the time: Pharisees (Teachers in the Synagogue), Sadducees (Temple Worship), and Essenes (lived in seclusion).
Since Mark's gospel account is obviously about Jesus, my objective is to begin by discovering
- Who is He?
- What did He say?
- What did He do?
- Why did He come?
