‘The Gospel of Mark’ is our designation, but it is not Mark's: he sets out to relate what he calls ‘the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’, a gospel which begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. John's ministry marked the beginning of the fulfilment of those wide areas of Hebrew prophecy which looked forward to the consummation of Yahweh's saving work on earth. Jesus, introduced in the context of John's ministry, is the one through whom this saving work is accomplished. His designation as Son of God in the prooemium is not textually certain, but no doubt of his identity is left by the heavenly voice which addresses him at his baptism, ‘You are my beloved Son …’ (Mark 1: 11), and acclaims him at the transfiguration, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him’ (Mark 9: 7). At the end of Mark';s narrative, where we might expect to hear a similar affirmation, we do indeed hear it, but not from heaven: it is voiced at the cross by the most unlikely of the dramatis personae there. The Roman centurion, hearing Jesus's last shout and seeing the manner of his death, says, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’ (Mark 15:39).

Otherwise Jesus is hailed as Son of God only by the demon-possessed, who might be presumed to have some contact with the wider knowledge available in the spirit-world (cp. Mark 5: y). The disciples do not speak to him in these terms, and Jesus makes no such claim himself – not, at least, until his appearance before the Sanhedrin.