Mark for Prelims - Introductory work before term

Above all it is necessary to have a good idea of the gospel text. Please familiarise yourself with it; read it two or three times reflectively. What is Mark trying to tell his readers? What would your impression be if you have never heard of Jesus? It would be helpful if you could read two or three of the following:

BF Meyer The Aims of Jesus (1979)

an education to read, particularly on Christology

G Vermes Jesus the Jew (1973)

Jesus' Galilean context - critical, minimalist

GN Stanton The Gospels and Jesus (1989)

useful intro to any topic

AE Harvey Jesus and the Constraints of History (1982)

usually considered a classic on Jesus in his time

EP Sanders The Historical Figure of Jesus (1994)

builds on previous works, cuts away many misconceptions.

Henry Wnasbrough The Lion and the Bull (1996)- first half

If you are going to read one only, try the Sanders - or me.

The beginning of NT Greek is a grind. But it is essential to have a grasp of the language if you are going to do any serious work on the NT - quite apart from the examination you will face in March! The textbook used is John Wenham, The Elements of NT Greek. Buy it and work through it at a slow and careful pace, little and often, rather than four hours a day from 15th September. An ideal is seldom reached, but the ideal would be 10-15 minutes a day. You need to make Greek your third instrument for the summer and practise it regularly. On arrival in October you will have a test to determine which set you enter, so any preliminary work will pay dividends.