The Christian Gospel and Its Jewish Roots: A Redaction-Critical Study of Mark 2:21-22 in Context

The Christian Gospel and Its Jewish Roots goes against the tendency to interpret Scripture in ways that separate Christianity and Judaism. Through a redaction-critical analysis of the two sayings on the new and the old (Mark 2:21-22), the author argues that Mark does not leave his readers with a complete break between Jesus and his Jewish heritage. Rather, the Evangelist opens a ray of hope that the gospel and its Jewish soil are ultimately reconcilable, not fatally antagonistic. With thorough and incisive study, this work reaches the conclusion that standing at the literary center of the controversy series (Mark 2:1-3:6), the location of the two sayings on new and old (Mark 2:21-22) corresponds to their function of making a condensed statement for Mark, the Evangelist, of the meaning and impact of the whole conflict section.

The Author: Joseph F. Mali, a Catholic Priest originally from Nigeria, is currently the Director of Pastoral Care and Mission Effectiveness at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos, Nigeria. He also received a diploma in religious studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Bachelors of Divinity in theology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, a Master of Arts in biblical studies from St. John’s University in New York, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in theology, with specialization in biblical studies, from Fordham University.