The Marcan Portrayal of the Jewish Unbeliever

One of the most lamentable aspects of Christendoms history has been the long-standing antipathy of some of its members toward persons of the Jewish faith. However, the writer of Marks gospel did not intend to promulgate such antipathy. Parkers groundbreaking re-assessment of how the evangelist applies Jewish scriptures serves to establish the true nature of Marks unfavourable depiction of Judaisms custodians as a theological construct. The overriding purpose behind Marks caricature of Jesus compatriots was to explain the presence of faulty belief, or even unbelief, among a Gentile readership. Subsequent generations have mistakenly given historical credence to Marks account of Jesuss ministry. Regrettably, this has resulted in the erroneous theological legitimization of atrocities against the Jews.