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Marcus Borg's Conversations With Scripture: The Gospel Of Mark

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As a Christian, I see the bible as the inspired word of God. In the context of the Scriptures, the word “inspiration” means “God-breathed”. 2 Timothy 3:16 “ All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. 1. 2 Peter 1: 21 “ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of men, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. 2. Jesus reinforced the accuracy of scriptures right down to the smallest detail in Matthew 5: 17-18: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished”. 3.

In his book, Conversations With Scripture: The Gospel of Mark, Marcus …show more content…

4. He continues by saying that this way of seeing the bible offers a way of re-claiming its power and meaning by means of understanding rather than belief, as it realizes the limits of understanding.

Borg’s way of studying the bible gives an alternative manner of exploring scripture. Borg does this by getting us to engage Mark’s Gospel on more than just the factual level. Interpreting the bible on a purely factual level does not does allow a deep understanding of the underlying social currents that the writer is expressing. 5. We can become preoccupied with the facts and blind to the rich treasury which lies beneath the text. Borg discusses a variety of ways in which we can experience the Gospel that can make our understanding more meaningful and …show more content…

7. Mark 1:12 says that the Spirit sent him into the wilderness. Why not say countryside or region. Wilderness evokes a “surplus of meaning”. Being lost, searching, without direction etc. 8. The particular choice of word evokes images to the reader. Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. Are we lost in our own wilderness, searching for direction? Was the people of Mark’s community lost searching for direction out of the spiritual wilderness forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus? Being able to study the bible in this way engages the reader as part of the narrative not just a spectator

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