Prophecy on the Mount : Mark 13 and the Gathering of the New Community

Chapter 13 in the Gospel of Mark continues to repel the assaults of recent exegetical methods. In this attempt, Dyer builds on the efforts of the past four decades and interprets Mark 13 as a speech of Jesus constructed - rather like the Sermon on the Mount - out of diverse traditions to suit the purposes of the author of the Gospel. He argues that the central section of the chapter, vv. 14-21, is best understood as verified prophecy - a 'word of the Lord' about the fate of Jerusalem - incorporated into Jesus' farewell discourse. This was done by Mark after the fall of the Temple in order to re-establish the followers of Jesus as the new community gathered from the four corners of the globe.