Claim about the Gospel of Mark

The author claims that the gospel of Mark is a speech or sermon. To prove this he shows how Mark used many of the elements of Aristotle's rhetoric.

Rhetorical Features in Mark

Literary critics noticed these rhetorical features in Mark, but remained with a literary critical model of that gospel instead of a rhetorical view that the evidence called for. They continued to translate the first word of Mark, arche, as "beginning" to provide Mark's story of Jesus with a chronological beginning.

Author’s Translation

The author translates Mark's first word as "guiding principle" to provide Mark's persuasive speech or sermon with a logical starting point.