Advanced Studies
Special Lecture
An Intertextual Discourse
Analysis of Mark 8:14-30
Chinese lecture with English interpretation
- 28 Jul 2025 (Monday)
- 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Fully online
Zoom details to follow a week
before the event
This article focuses on analyzing Mark 8:14-30, a portion of Scripture that marks a turning point in the Gospel of Mark, using sociolinguistic scholar Jay Lemke’s intertextual discourse analysis approach. It begins by summarizing three traditional methods of interpreting the Old Testament in the New Testament. It then introduces David Penchansky’s notion of the socio-text to explain and illustrate Lemke’s sociolinguistic concepts and methods of intertextual study, applying them to Mark 8:14-30.
The main section analyzes this passage through Lemke’s thematic formation and concludes that the disciples misunderstand Jesus’ Messianic identity (8:14-21, 27-30). Through the story of the blind man of Bethsaida (8:22-26), Mark demonstrates that the new Messianic community represented by the disciples must undergo a series of failures—a process of recognizing who Jesus is. It is only through repeated encounters with Jesus that the community can truly understand, experience, and ultimately be transformed.
This process of transformation contrasts with the Qumran community’s emphasis on obeying the law and seeking truth from the Lord. While the Qumran community was primarily concerned with moral behavior and adherence to God’s law, the new Messianic community represented by Jesus and his disciples differed fundamentally from the Jewish community of that time.
Speaker
Dr. Xiaxia Xue
She was called to full-time ministry in secondary school and became active in youth ministry. After completing her Master’s degree in Beijing, she entered the China Graduate School of Theology for theological training. During this time, she realized that God was calling her to the ministry of theological education. She then attended McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to study with Dr. Stanley Porter.
Upon completing her doctoral studies, she returned to Hong Kong to join the faculty of the China Graduate School of Theology. Since then, she has been active on international academic platforms focusing on the New Testament, publishing numerous scholarly articles. She has published the book Paul’s Viewpoint on God, Israel, and the Gentiles in Romans 9–11 (Langham, 2015), which was translated into Chinese and published in 2018.
You may also check her profile on the CGST website.Registration
Admission is free. Registration is required.
Registration deadline: 18?Jul 2025 (Monday)
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