Mimetic Criticism and the Gospel of Mark

"Finally! A work that recognizes how truly revolutionary and deeply reflective the gospel of Mark was and is. Watts puts forth a bold first step."

--Anthony Le Donne, University of the Pacific



"The newest element in the periodic table of scholarly tools, highly unstable and liable to cause reactions, mimetic criticism gets a detailed methodological exploration in this book, followed by a similarly detailed application to the gospel of Mark. . . . At times, his way of expressing things, like Mark's, seems rough and unpolished. I suspect Watts did this intentionally, just as he argues Mark did, and the translators of the Septuagint before him. For at the end of the book, Watts indicates he has written seriously yet playfully, aiming not merely to discuss mimesis but to illustrate it. All in all, a fascinating book, bound to generate fruitful and illuminating discussion."

--James F. McGrath, Butler University



"Watts' study of Mark's gospel offers bold and thought-provoking claims regarding issues of method, historicity, and literary theory--claims that deserve consideration and will no doubt elicit responses from many in the field of New Testament studies. Standing upon such claims is an anti-imperial reading of Mark's gospel that builds on the work of others, but also advances previous readings through original and creative interaction with both Greco-Roman history and literature."

--Adam Winn, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor