This book investigates Mark's Gospel as an example of a 'transformative discourse' that uses
many interwoven rhetorical elements to move its audience toward change. A detailed exegesis of
the Gerasene demoniac story (Mark 5:1-20) in its literary setting highlights its significant
contribution to this transformative discourse. What happens to the demoniac - release from
bondage to evil and entrance into a new perceptual world - typifies the dynamics of the
Gospel's theological anthropology and can be regarded as somewhat paradigmatic of human
transformation in the context of Christian discipleship. The heart of the book is its overview
of Mark's vision of humanity. The language and narrative rhetoric of Mark's Gospel express
ideas about human nature and human destiny that are strongly predicated on the new
eschatological perspective of Jesus. Despite the fundamental distortion of humankind the
possibility of radical transformation is clear. The book highlights the transformative
potential of the Gospel demonstrating the rhetorical means by which Mark promotes the
transformation of his audience and showing how this rhetoric is linked to a dynamic
eschatological anthropology.
