In his general introduction to this volume, Dr Barclay explains why the 1st three gospels are called "synoptic," how they came to be written, & how scholars have decided that Mark was the 1st, the one on which all other accounts are based. Touching on Mark's own life, Barclay discusses the rift that Mark occasioned between Paul & Barnabas, Mark's sources of information about Jesus, the characteristics of his gospel writing & the mystery of the "lost ending." Barclay's interpretation of this gospel is full of pertinent insight, clear & absorbing reading from beginning to end. This volume, like the others in The Daily Study Bible Series, is an ideal Bible guide for individual or group use.