Mark

"Mark, though often eclipsed by the other synoptic gospels, is considered by many scholars to be the earliest written gospel and thus closest to the historical Jesus. In his book, Douglas Hare examines Mark for modern Christians in search of the Jesus as portrayed in these earliest known writings. What emerges is a Jesus whose moral and religious teachings are of secondary importance to that of his life, death, and resurrection. Jesus as depicted in Mark serves as the window through which we may see God. God's love for humankind, Hare contends, is made visible through Mark's Jesus."--Jacket.