In recent years an increasing number of interpreters have found dramatic and verbal ironies widely distributed in Mark's Gospel. This lucid study makes an important contribution to our understanding of Mark's irony, and combines a literary-critical approach with insights gained from the sociology of knowledge. Professor Camery-Hoggatt argues that Mark's ironies are intentional, and that irony comprises an integral factor in Mark's overall strategy of composition: irony is a subtle means to achieve apologetic and paradigmatic ends.