[Frontispiece: Jesus of Nazareth]
JESUS OF NAZARETH
A BIOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN MARK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK : : LONDON : : MCMXXII
COPYRIGHT 1922, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
FOREWORD
"Jesus of Nazareth, a Biography, by John Mark," recognizes the authorof the second Gospel as that "John, whose surname was Mark" (Acts15:37), whom Barnabas chose as companion when he sailed for Cyprus onhis second missionary journey. In making use of the new title, theplan of the Editor is to present "The Gospel: According to Mark" as itwould be printed were it written in the twentieth rather than the firstcentury.
Mark's Gospel has been chosen for this purpose to make available inmore readable form this timely portion of the Bible. In John Mark themissionary is revealed a man of action. This characteristic influencesstrongly the point of view and style of his writing. As John, thebeloved disciple, in "The Revelation" beholds the victorious Christ as"the Lion of the tribe of Judah," foretold by the prophets, so Marksees Jesus of Nazareth as the strong, vigorous man of action; he writesof His mighty works in swift narrative at times so vivid it flasheslike a burst of flame, as though the facts presented must have been onfire in the heart of the author. Written for the practical, energeticRoman, the Editor feels that this biography of Jesus of Nazarethexactly fits the mood of our own time, with its emphasis upon thepractical and its insistence that the man of action, the doer, is theman for the hour.
Printed like a modern book, but in the fine old King James' version, itis believed that all Bible lovers will welcome their old friend, "TheGospel: According to Mark," in its new literary dress; it is hoped,too, that in this popular form book buyers and lovers of goodliterature may be led to purchase a book which needs only to bethoroughly and thoughtfully read to be greatly reverenced.