Mark

After centuries of neglect by biblical scholars, the Gospel of Mark found a friend in, among others, J. A. Alexander. He saw this Gospel not as "a mere abridgement, supplement, or compilation," but as "a history complete in itself, designed to answer a specific purpose and to make a definitive impression.” After a nineteen-page introduction to the phenomenon of four Gospels and to the distinctive characteristics of the second, the author comments on the text, one verse at a time. Something in the structure of Mark’s Gospel “makes it eminently fit to give the first impression of the Gospel History,” the author concludes, “and [to] prepare the reader for the study of the other books.” Joseph Addison Alexander (1809-1860) was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1833 to his death.