MARCUS: A Novel of the Youngest Apostle

Based on research into the period of the Gospel story, this is Chinn's first book dealing with New Testament history. It is a story of the early church during the period of formation (from the crucifixion to the death of Peter) as recounted by Mark, a late addition to the number of the apostles. Mark was in his teens when he experienced an awakening in overhearing the agony of Jesus in the Garden before his arrest, trial and crucifixion. Mark, whose mother was a follower of Jesus, found it very hard to credit, and for years fought affiliation, though circumstances threw him with the apostles, with Nicodemus and Paul. Much of the book presents in cogent terms his struggle to sustain faith, to see where compromise must be reached, to accept the fact that Jesus was not to return after the resurrection and the ascension. It is a judicial sort of treatment, with the pros and cons presented vigorously. Mark's gradual concession is pinpointed. As the end draws near, with Paul's death and the Peter's, Mark finds himself committed to putting down the gospel according to Peter, which has come down in Biblical study as the Gospel according to St. Mark. This isn't a book for everyone, but it is an unusual presentation.