Mark and the Elijah-Elisha Narrative

Synopsis: In this monograph, Adam Winn proposes that the ancient Greco-Roman literary practice of imitation can and should be used when considering literary relationships between biblical texts. After identifying the imitative techniques found in Virgil's Aeneid, Winn uses those techniques as a window into Mark's use of the Elijah-Elisha narrative of 1 and 2 Kings. Through careful comparisons between numerous pericopes of both respective narratives, Winn argues that the Markan evangelist has, at many points, clearly and creatively imitated the Elijah-Elisha narrative and has relied on this narrative as a primary source. Endorsements: "Since 1971 when Raymond Brown identified the Elisha narrative as a precedent for Gospel composition, the Elijah-Elisha narrative has slowly been coming into focus as a literary model for Mark, and now, in the work of Adam Winn, the detail of that insight is coming into full view. Winn reviews research, applies literary criticism, and weighs the data meticulously. This is the moment when the search for Mark's literary sources finally begins to reach land." --Thomas L. Brodie Dominican Biblical Institute, Limerick, Ireland "Adam Winn's new book shows how the evangelist Mark drew upon the Elijah-Elisha narratives of 1-2 Kings. Winn works in a field where others have labored, but he has taken care to avoid the pitfalls that have discredited previous attempts. Winn offers readers a fresh examination of Mark's composition and the contribution that Israel's old and respected Elijah-Elisha narratives exerted on it. Students of Mark (and the other Gospels) must engage Winn's work." --Craig A. Evans Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia, Canada Author Biography: Adam Winn serves as an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He is the author of The Purpose of Mark's Gospel: An Early Christian Response to Roman Imperial Propaganda (2008).