Jesus the Best Capernaum Folk-Healer: Mark's Aretalogy of Jesus in the Healing Stories

This book takes the established fields of orality performance and first-century Christian healthcare studies further by combining analogues of praise performances to Apollo Asclepius and those from the Dondo people of South Eastern Zimbabwe to propose that Jesuss healing stories in Marks Gospel are praise-giving narratives to Jesus as the best folk healer within the region of Capernaum. The book argues that the memory of Jesus as the folk healer from Capernaum survived and possibly functioned in similar contexts of praise-giving within early Christian households. The book goes through each healing story in Marks Gospel and imaginatively listens to it through the ears of analogue from praise-giving given to Greek healers/heroes and similar practices among the Dondo people. The power completeness and effectiveness in which Jesus healed each of the mentioned conditions provoke praise-giving from the listeners to the best folk healer in the village. In each instance while Mark is calling for attention to the new healer more so he is raving praise-giving.