The Quest for Mark's Sources: An Exploration of the Case for Mark's Use of First Corinthians

The question of the relationship between the Gospel of Mark and letters of Paul has been ever-present in New Testament scholarship but has never been fully explored. This monograph seeks to probe further into this question through an examination of the literary relationship between sections of Mark and 1 Corinthians. Nelligan explores the context of these texts in Greco-Roman and Jewish literature, adopting the view that New Testament authors use imitation, with a sophisticated use of literary sources, as a major technique in their composition. He proposes a new set of criteria for judging literary dependence that builds upon and advances those already promoted by biblical scholars. Sections of Mark and 1 Corinthians are then compared and analyzed including the Eucharist accounts given in both texts. By analyzing and comparing sections of Mark and 1 Corinthians, most notably the account of the Eucharist in both texts, Nelligan argues Mark used 1 Corinthians as a literary source and that this was done using well-established literary techniques used in the wider Greco-Roman and Jewish literary world.

Thomas P. Nelligan is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin where he studied Biblical Studies, Theology and Classics. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland.

Outside of Biblical Studies Thomas is the author of TheStandingStone.ie which contains hundreds of articles on historical sites in Ireland.