Mirrors in Mark

Do you desire to go deeper still in your understanding of the New Testament Scriptures? In Mirrors in Mark you will find a fresh and arresting approach to most of the New Testament, drawing on the mnemonic methods that were common to the ancient world and employed by writers of the Scriptures. Much of the fascination of Mark's Gospel--Mark receives particular attention in this book--lies in the use of catchwords and catch-phrases to stamp on our minds the words and works of Jesus. The other works of the New Testament treated in this way are Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation. The book of Revelation features quite largely, yielding up many invaluable insights into its apocalyptic nature. This book will prove to be a constant companion to the serious student of the sacred writings. In the ancient world, chiasmus was commonly deployed to assist in the ordering of a literary work and as a help to memorization. In our contemporary world, readers often miss the chiasmi employed by biblical authors, thereby reading past this structural contribution to meaning. Edmond Smith's volume strives to remedy this misstep by highlighting chiastic arrangements in several New Testament books. Whether one agrees or disagrees with all of the particular examples Smith furnishes, every reader stands to benefit from his attentive reading of Scripture. --Mark P. Ryan, Director, The Francis A. Schaeffer Institute, St. Louis, MO Edmond Smith (BD with honors, University of London) is a retired Baptist pastor. He is the author of A Tree by a Stream (1995) and the autobiographical The Silver Poplar (2009), winner of the Australian Caleb Prize for a work of nonfiction. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife of forty-three years, and together they have three children and six grandchildren. He continues to preach and teach in the church community.