A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins

Mack proposes that since the gospels are mythical stories, the foundations of Christianity should be located with the composition of the gospel stories.The Markan depiction of Jesus is the result of two generations of imagination and social experiences, as well as the need to develop a common understanding of Jesus.It is the socio-historical circumstances which are of interest to Mack, who focuses on legendary accretions and the reasons for re-imagining the story of Jesus as a novel origin.