I am pleased to announce the publication of my latest book, A Quaker Reading of Mark’s Gospel: To See the Invisible. This volume of essays was written mostly between the summer of 2022 and early this year, and much of its content has appeared here at Abiding Quaker. As with my last book, The Light That Is Given: Prophetic Quaker Faith, this book was published by Wipf & Stock Publishers and can be purchased from their site, as well as from bookstores and online sites. Links can be found in the “About” page in the blog’s menu.
Below you can find the book description that is featured on the back cover, a few editorial reviews, and an image of the front cover, which happily bears resemblance to the one created for the earlier book. In each, light figures prominently in a landscape: gloriously breaking through to illuminate vision and reveal the truth of nature’s forms. Once again, the illustrators at Wipf & Stock have excelled in their choice of visual metaphor to portray both the content and intent of the work: to affirm Light is come into the world!
Book Description
In story after story and chapter after chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Patricia Dallmann approaches the text with senses attuned to the Light Within, an orientation in keeping with that of seventeenth-century Friends (Quakers). Though in accord with the faith and message of these first Friends, Dallmann offers insights that are original and, at times, accompanied by illustrations from her own life. Mark’s Gospel is seen to be a practical guide that stands ready in every age to alert those of living faith to the dangers they will face, the responsibilities they must assume, and the Spirit they will embody while navigating their passage through the world. Mindful of the inward reality to which the Gospel alludes, Dallmann provides paths of understanding that have been found in Truth and are presented with reason. Thus, readers will find this book to be a clear, sound, and useful examination of the Gospel of Mark.
Editorial reviews
Early Quakers claimed to read and understand the Bible differently from others in mid-17th c. England. George Fox, in particular, spoke of “figures”—what we might call “metaphors”—and the critical importance of reading Scripture with the same Spirit that had given it forth. Patricia Dallmann has taken the Gospel of Mark and walks us through it, verse by verse, explaining the “figures” that reflect our own internal spiritual condition. She accompanies the explanations with appropriate quotations from early Friends. The result presents a vital and living Quaker way of understanding the life and teachings of Jesus.
—Marty Grundy, Quaker writer
I so enjoyed Dallmann’s A Quaker Reading of Mark’s Gospel that I often balked when someone disturbed me. Pat’s comments on the biblical text clarify the particular passages and identify their underlying relationships, tracing patterns that offered me another layer of guidance for my spiritual life. Her sprinkling of vignettes from her own experience balanced my reaction between the excitement of new understanding and the validation of personal example. I am eager for my second reading.
—Susan Smith, Former Clerk, Ohio Yearly Meeting
Patricia Dallmann’s commentary on the Gospel of Mark offers a spiritually insightful, figurative reading of the text. Drawing on Quaker tradition, she emphasizes inward transformation through the Spirit of Christ rather than outward law or ideals. Dallmann critiques literal and intellectual interpretations, urging readers to seek personal, experiential knowledge of God. Her chapter-by-chapter analysis highlights themes of unity, suffering, discipleship, and inner renewal, presenting Jesus as teacher, Messiah, and the source of spiritual wholeness.
—Charles Martin, Former Publisher, Inner Light Books
Abiding Quaker 