Missions Methods and Principles
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 57, No. 1 – Fall 2014
Managing Editor: Terry L. Wilder
By Thomas Oden. Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, 2011. 279 pages. Paperback, $22.00.
Thomas Oden is well-known for reviving ancient traditions. He is the general editor for the popular series, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and Ancient Christian Texts, which provides translations of patristic interpretations of Scripture. He regularly defends the value of studying ancient traditions for the benefit of the modern church (i.e. The Rebirth of Orthodoxy).1 His work in historical theology is also informed by an extensive list of theological and pastoral publications including a four-volume set on the teachings of John Wesley, a three-volume systematic theology, and a number of popular works on practical theology and devotional guides.
In recent years, however, Oden has focused his research agenda on the early Christian traditions of the African continent. He has already published How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity2 and Early Libyan Christianity: Uncovering a North African Tradition.3 Now in The African Memory of Mark, Oden revives and retells the complex portrait of Mark the evangelist, Gospel writer, and interpreter of Peter. Going against the tide of contemporary biblical scholarship, he argues that the roots of African Christianity lie in Mark and believes that the time has come for many (especially those in the Global South and others interested in African Christianity) to benefit from the stories of Mark’s early evangelistic efforts. According to Oden the “African popular memory of Mark is very different from the Western memory” (23) that developed from the critical methods disseminating from Harnack and Bauer (183-4, 254). Bib- lical scholars in the West have largely concluded that Mark was Palestinian not African and assumed that many of the African narratives surrounding Mark are unreliable accounts. Oden, on the other hand, draws upon the Ricoeurian notion of a “second naiveté” and approaches the life and writings of Mark from a perspective of historiography that reads Mark “within the specific experience and outlook of the continent of Africa” (27). In doing so, he weaves together an eclectic blend of ancient legends, biblical texts, archeology, artwork, and literary sources that paint a fuller portrait of the “African Memory” of Mark (23).
In chapter 1, Oden describes the pre-Christian days of North African and the Diaspora Jews who migrated to Cyrene, Libya and Alexandria, Egypt beginning in the third century B.C. Then, he summarizes the African story of Mark beginning “with his brith in Cyrene (ca. A.D. 5-15), and from there tracks him to Jerusalem, to Rome, back to Cyrene in Africa and finally to his death in Egypt” (21). Part 1 comprises chapters 2-4 and concerns issues of definitions and methodology. Oden delineates the concept of “African Memory” and charts a composite sketch of the chronology of Mark (28-43). He identifies his primary sources including: New Testament texts, the patristic witness, synaxaries, Martyrium Marci, the Coptic writer Sawirus, and the current patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Senouda III. He readily admits that many of these sources are themselves based upon the authority and inspiration of Scripture (55-58). Part 2, chapters 5-7, traces the biblical portrait of Mark from the African perspective. Oden describes the close association between Barnabus and Mark and the tradition that the Last Supper and Pentecost occurred at the house of Mark’s mother (84-5, 92-4). He also considers the movements of Mark during the missionary journeys of Peter and Paul and his placement in Rome at the time of Peter’s death. Part 3 forms the heart of his argument: “Mark in Africa” (131). Oden observes a strong connection between Peter and Mark and the founding of the churches in Rome and Alexandria. After his missionary efforts with Peter, Mark seems to have returned to his people in Libya first before receiving a vision that encouraged him on to Egypt. Eventually, after extensive evangelistic efforts and other short journeys outside Egypt, Mark’s teaching raised enough concerns in Alexandria that he suffered martyrdom. In chapter 10, Oden describes the extent to which early Christian writers through Eusebius in 325 A.D. confirm the accounts of Mark’s death in Alexandria. In the final section, part 5, Oden brings all these pieces together and argues that the weight of evidence makes the “African Memory” of Mark at least “plausible” (221, 256). He also depicts his own academic and spiritual journey toward a greater appreciation for the African memory of Mark, and explains the importance of Mark in the grounding of early African liturgy and catechesis. Finally, Oden hopes that this book is not an end to itself, but the beginning of a larger project that uncovers “the wisdom of ancient Christian texts written on the continent of Africa and to communicate them to modern readers” (13). To facilitate this vision, he has assumed the role of director of the Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University and readers can find out more about this project at www.earlyafricanchristianity.com.
Oden’s treatment of Mark is a good example of historiography that takes into account aspects of reception history typically ignored in modern treatments. Nevertheless, some of the categories are not without a measure of criticism. Although he uses the designation, “African Christianity” most of the evidence is derived from North Africa (45), although I anticipate that his larger project will address some of the evangelistic streams that pervade a larger extent of the continent. Furthermore, many NT scholars will likely remain skeptical of his sources that are not “historically verifiable fact” (254, c.f. 53-55, 59) and continue to assume that the Alexandrian church invented Mark’s martyrdom as a means to gain apostolic credibility among the larger church. Beside any issues of presuppositions, part of the issue is that the book is written for a more popular audience (14, c.f. 222). For biblical scholars a more academic treatment of these issues could be more convincing. In spite of these weaknesses, Oden has organized a fascinating collection of traditions on Mark. For any reader interested in the history of the evangelization of Africa or the life of the Mark the Evangelist, this book would be a valuable resource. Oden has made a good case for the African memory of Mark and helped a new generation of Christian ministers and scholars in the Global South to find their place in early Christianity.
- Thomas C. Oden, The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 2002). ↩︎
- Thomas C. Oden, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity (Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, 2010). ↩︎
- Thomas C. Oden, Early Libyan Christianity: Uncovering a North African Tradition
(Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, 2011). ↩︎
