Synopsis of Contents.—Omitling all notice of the birth and minority of Jesus and recording briefly the ministry of John the Baptist, Mark introduces Jesus at his baptism, followed by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him, with the voice from heaven, and by the temptation in the wilderness. He then begins the account of his public ministry at the imprisonment of John; narrates the call of Sinion and Andrew, and of James and John; the mighty works wrought in Capernaum, followed by the circuit in Galilee; the forgiveness of the paralytic, attested by his restoration to health; the calling of Levi, followed by the entertainment at his house where many publicans and sinners were guests; the disciples in the corn-fields and the authority claimed by Jesus over the Sab bath day; the Withered hand restored on the Sabbath; the 'multitudes drawn to Jesus from all parts of Palestine, Idumea, and Syria; the choice of the 12 apostles; the effort of the mother and brethren of Jesus to reshain him; the parable of the sower; the enablems of the lighted candle, of the seed sown, and of the grain of mustard seed; the stilling of the storm on the lake; the legion of demons that, cast out of the man, entered into the swine; the woman healed, and the daughter of Jairus raised up; the preaching at Nazareth, and unbelief of the people there; the twelve instructed, empowered, and sent forth, two by two; the perplexity of Herod, explained by a full narrative of his having put John the Baptist to death; the return and report of the twelve; the feeding of 5,000 men with five loaves, followed by the walking on the sea, and by the multitude of the sick brought together from all the region around and healed; the traditions of the elders condemned as making void the commandments of God, and counter-instructions concerning true religion given; the Syrophenician mother, at first apparently rejected in order to manifest her faith, rewarded by finding her daughter restored; the deaf stammerer cured; the 4,000 fed with seven loaves; warning against hypocrisy under the emblem of leaven; a blind man led out of the town and healed; Peter's confession of faith, followed by his presumption and -stern rebuke; the disciples warned concerning future trials; thg transfiguration and instructions connected with it; the dumb, deaf, and desperate demon cast out; the death of the Son of man foretold; the ambition of the disciples reproved, and humility taught under the emblem of a child; John's narrow views corrected; offenses warned against under the emblems of a hand and foot to be cut off and of an eye to be plucked out; the unlawfulness of divorce declared; little chil dred blessed; the rich inquirer concerning eternal life; the disciples amazed and afraid; the ambitious request of James and John; Bartimmus restored to sight; the entrance iuto Jerusalem; the fig-tree dried up, and instructions afterwards drawn from it; the temple cleansed, and the subsequent demand for authority silenced; the hypocritical question of the Pharisees and Herodians, the scoffing question of the Sadducees, the earnest ques tion of the scribe, and the silencing question of Jesus; warning against the scribes; the offerings of rich men and of the poor widow compared; the destruction of the temple foretold, with the attending tribulations and the sudden coming of the Son of man; the conspiring. of the chief priests and scribes; the broken box of ointment, and the predic
tion concerning it; the covenant of Judas with the chief priests; the passover kept, the supper instituted, the betrayal and Peter's denial foretold; the conflict in Gethsemane; the betrayal, apprehension,.denial by Peter, condemnation by the council, and accusa :tIon before Pilate; Barabbas released, and Jesus scourged and crucified; scenes at the .cross and at the tomb; resurrection, attested by appearances to the disciples; commission and promise to the apostles; the ascension of Jesus, followed by the successful preaching ,of the apostles every-where in his name. The last 12 verses of the xvi. chapter are not found in two of tile oldest and best manuscripts, and their genuineness has, therefore, been questioned; but their genuineness is claimed as fully proved by the quotations _from them by Irenmus and other writers of the 2d c., whose testimony is much older tlian any manuscript extant.