The Combat Myth According to Mark: From Ancient Near Eastern Genre to Apocalyptic Gospel

by Brendan Graham Dempsey

This monograph explores the historical processes by which the ancient Near Eastern combat myth—a story of battle between a mighty storm god and a draconic sea monster—became one of early Christianity's key frameworks for interpreting and articulating the significance of Jesus of Nazareth's life and death.Beginning with a survey of extant texts from Mesopotamia to Anatolia, the myth's defining themes, motifs, and structure are established. With these, a clear trajectory is then traced from ancient Israelite myth and cult, through the Prophets, to Jewish apocalypticism and, finally, early Christianity. This analysis provides the context for the remainder of the an exegesis of the Gospel of Mark, wherein the role of the combat myth is, for the first time, comprehensively assessed. This investigation shows Mark employing a combat myth typology as the chief thematic and structural basis for his gospel. Jesus is the apocalyptic warrior—and Satan, the cosmic Leviathan.

294 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2021

About the author

Brendan Graham Dempsey is a writer whose work focuses on the meaning crisis and the nature of spirituality in metamodernity.

He earned his BA in Religious Studies from the University of Vermont and his MA in Religion and the Arts from Yale University. ​

He lives in Wolcott, Vermont.