The aim of the present study is the description and interpretation of one of the constituent themes in the gospel of Mark, the theme of faith. Our objective is to understand both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the theme – what Mark understands by the notion of faith and how he succeeds in communicating this understanding to his readers through the medium of his gospel narrative. In pursuing this aim, the first question is one of method. What critical procedures are best suited to the task in hand?

Although there has been a tendency towards a polarisation of approaches, it has become increasingly clear that an adequate treatment of the complexities of Mark's text requires a methodological pluralism. No one method can answer all the questions; all methods – source criticism, redaction criticism, rhetorical criticism, and so on – are valuable in complementing, correcting and controlling each other. In fact, a hard and fast distinction between different approaches to Mark is today more and more difficult to maintain.

In this chapter we will propose a somewhat eclectic method that offers the possibility of elucidating both the theological and the literary dimensions of Mark's faith-theme. Our basic contention is that the interpretation of Markan themes is best served by using the tools and insights of literary or narrative criticism, while still taking into account what redaction criticism has taught us about the composition and character of the gospel.