"The earliest and briefest of the four Gospels has traditionally been ascribed to a disciple named Mark. Though overshadowed by its lengthier neighbors in ages past, its pages hold rich rewards for those who ask the right questions. Who was "Mark" and what were his purposes - historical, theological, or otherwise? How does his shaping of the story of Jesus of Nazareth and the origins of Christianity continue to inform our understanding of the "good news" today?" "In Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist, biblical scholar Francis J. Moloney explores these questions in a presentation that will profit all those who wish to encounter one of the Christian faith's earliest proponents and the inventor of its most revered literary genre, the gospel."--BOOK JACKET.