"Though some scholars continue to vote to the contrary, it is generally held that Mark was the inventor of the Gospel genre, and his work thus the earliest of the New Testament Gospels and a model for the other evangelists. The articles in this collection, drawn from four decades of publication of the best international scholarship in Novum Testamentum, document the discussion on the literary methods, style and theological purpose of this innovative early Christian writer. From the earliest attempts at redaction criticism, in which Mark's work is viewed primarily in his treatment of his sources, the collection traces the discussion as far as recent attempts to read Mark as a creative composer: story-teller, theologian and playwright."--BOOK JACKET.