This study contributes to the debate over the function of Davidic sonship in the Gospel of Mark. In contrast to William Wrede's paradigm, Max Botner argues that Mark's position on Jesus's ancestry cannot be assessed properly though isolated study of the name David (or the patronym son of David). Rather, the totality of Markan messiah language is relevant to the question at hand. Justification for this paradigm shift is rooted in observations about the ways in which ancient authors spoke of their messiahs. Botner shows that Mark was participant to a linguistic community whose members shared multiple conventions for stylizing their messiahs, Davidic or otherwise. He then traces how the evangelist narratively constructed his portrait of Christ via creative use of the Jewish scriptures. When the Davidssohnfrage is approached from within this sociolinguistic framework, it becomes clear that Mark's Christ is indeed David's son.

Many New Testament Greek students have laid the groundwork necessary to read other ancient Greek texts, and yet they shy away from it. In this book, an expert in Greek teaches those students to read beyond the New Testament, showing both how to do it and why it matters. This helpful Greek language resource equips students to read and enjoy the vast corpus of ancient Greek literature. It covers a variety of relevant texts from the Septuagint and the Apostolic Fathers to Homer and Ignatius, making it a perfect supplemental text for courses on Greek or New Testament backgrounds. The book also considers the specific challenges students face when they seek to read complex Hellenistic and classical texts. Each reading includes a brief introduction to the text, suggested readings, and extensive footnotes that provide key points of grammar, vocabulary help, and cross-references to major Greek grammars. Students will acquire a greater capacity to read larger portions of Greek text and the confidence that no text or author is beyond their reach.

This study contributes to the debate over the function of Davidic sonship in the Gospel of Mark. In contrast to William Wrede's paradigm, Max Botner argues that Mark's position on Jesus's ancestry cannot be assessed properly though isolated study of the name David (or the patronym son of David). Rather, the totality of Markan messiah language is relevant to the question at hand. Justification for this paradigm shift is rooted in observations about the ways in which ancient authors spoke of their messiahs. Botner shows that Mark was participant to a linguistic community whose members shared multiple conventions for stylizing their messiahs, Davidic or otherwise. He then traces how the evangelist narratively constructed his portrait of Christ via creative use of the Jewish scriptures. When the Davidssohnfrage is approached from within this sociolinguistic framework, it becomes clear that Mark's Christ is indeed David's son.