The opening verse of the Gospel of Mark states right from the start Mark's belief. American academic Robert J. Miller translates it as "The good news of Jesus the Anointed", on the basis that χριστου means "anointed" and the phrase υιου του θεου is not present in a few early witnesses. The "beginning" could refer to the beginning of the book, or the next verse, or the beginning of the story of Jesus, as Mark is only beginning to tell the reader about Jesus' life, not writing his entire biography.