FRDB Archives

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.


Go Back   FRDB Archives > Archives > Religion (Closed) > Biblical Criticism & History
Welcome, Peter Kirby.
You last visited: Yesterday at 03:12 PM

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 02-03-2004, 02:03 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 32
Default The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark

Greetings all,
I was wondering if anyone on this board has read a book called The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark, by Dennis R. McDonald. The basic premise is that the Mark narrative borrows heavily from Homer's works, buth in theological content and narrative structure.

There is a review of it here:

http://www.depts.drew.edu/jhc/mcdonald.html

Richard Carrier has also reviewed it favorably here:

http://www.infidels.org/library/mode...erandmark.html

There is some additional analysis of it here:

http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/Jesus_and_Elpenor.html

I ordered the book and look forward to reading it. If anyone else has read it, what did you think of it?

Thanks,
UV
UV2003 is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 02:21 PM   #2
Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 40,549
Default

I read it and enjoyed it. It solves some problems with Mark (not all) and provides a fascinating view of Hellenistic education. We had a long, long discussion on it here a few years ago when we had a few more active evangelical debaters.

Note that McDonald is a practicing Christian and does not draw the conclusion from his work that Christianity is false.
Toto is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 02:25 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 32
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Toto
I read it and enjoyed it. It solves some problems with Mark (not all) and provides a fascinating view of Hellenistic education. We had a long, long discussion on it here a few years ago when we had a few more active evangelical debaters.

Note that McDonald is a practicing Christian and does not draw the conclusion from his work that Christianity is false.
Cool, I look forward to reading it. I don't think that it would necessarily defeat Christianity if it were proven that the gospels were fictional, not if they were at least based on a real resurrection experience, but I don't know much about the historicity of that event. I only know that by standards of evidence today, I'd find it very hard to believe someone came back from the dead.
UV2003 is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 03:56 PM   #4
Bede
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Hello UV,

One of my colleagues wrote this which covers MacDonald and the other pagan copycats.

Paganism and Christianity

MacD's central problem is his methodology allows him to show both similarities and differences are 'parallels' which makes the whole thing hopelessly loose. As you may have noticed, he hasn't set the world alight and we can rest assured that GMark is not a rewrite of Homer.

Yours

Bede

Bede's Library - faith and reason
 
Old 02-03-2004, 04:01 PM   #5
Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 40,549
Default

It's really missing the point to classify McDonald as a "copycat" theorist. He doesn't claim that Mark is "simply" a rewrite of Homer, and, as I noted, is a practicing Christian.

I will be interested in your take on it after you read it.
Toto is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 04:02 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 32
Default

Bede, thanks! I'll check it out...
-UV

Quote:
Originally posted by Bede
Hello UV,

One of my colleagues wrote this which covers MacDonald and the other pagan copycats.

Paganism and Christianity

MacD's central problem is his methodology allows him to show both similarities and differences are 'parallels' which makes the whole thing hopelessly loose. As you may have noticed, he hasn't set the world alight and we can rest assured that GMark is not a rewrite of Homer.

Yours

Bede

Bede's Library - faith and reason
UV2003 is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 04:13 PM   #7
Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 40,549
Default

Bede's friend is arguing not so much against McDonald as against the use of his book by Richard Carrier and other non-believers, which McDonald would probably rather avoid. However, as Carrier notes, McDonald does undercut the idea that Mark's gospel must have been based on actual events.

But read it for yourself.
Toto is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 04:33 PM   #8
Nom
Regular Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Joisey
Posts: 124
Default

UV - It's an excellent read. I picked it up four years ago after reading Carrier's glowing review and still revisit it every so often. Not all of McDonald's examples are compelling, but a great many are, and their collective weight is damning. Which reminds me, I keep meaning to pick up McD's book on the Acts of Andrew...anyone read that one? Any good?
Nom is offline  
Old 02-03-2004, 07:42 PM   #9
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: England
Posts: 20
Default

Have a look at this review that appeared on the Kata Markon List.

http://www.ibiblio.org/GMark/afr/HomerorNotHomer.htm

Jason
gridleyjason is offline  
Old 02-04-2004, 02:05 AM   #10
Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Barrayar
Posts: 11,866
Default

McDonald's book is not only good for the fresh perspective on Mark, but also for the interesting discussion of writing practices in the ancient world. I agree with the poster above: some of McDonald's parallels are forced, but some are dead on.

Bede's analysis is seriously skewed:
Quote:
MacD's central problem is his methodology allows him to show both similarities and differences are 'parallels' which makes the whole thing hopelessly loose.
This is a gross misunderstanding of McDonald.

Quote:
As you may have noticed, he hasn't set the world alight
Highly unlikely anyway, given the apologetic commitments of so many NT 'scholars...

Quote:
and we can rest assured that GMark is not a rewrite of Homer.
Quite true, since McDonald never says it was a rewrite of Homer.

Vorkosigan
Vorkosigan is offline  
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:10 AM.

Top

This custom BB emulates vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.