User:SlothMcCarty/Mark the Evangelist

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For Saint Mark the fourth-century Pope, see Pope Mark.
Mark the Evangelist
BornCyrene
Died26 April 68
Alexandria
Venerated inCoptic Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Lutheranism
Major shrineSaint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Cairo, Egypt)
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria, Egypt)
Basilica di San Marco (Venice, Italy)
FeastApril 25
AttributesLion in the desert; bishop on a throne decorated with lions; man helping Venetian sailors; man holding a book with "pax tibi Marce" written on it; man holding a palm and book; man with a book or scroll accompanied by a winged lion; man with a halter around his neck; man writing or holding his gospel; rescuing Christian slaves from Saracens.
PatronageBarristers, Venice, Egypt, Mainar and others; see others in.

Mark the Evangelist (Latin: Mārcus; Greek: Μᾶρκος; Coptic: Μαρκοϲ) is the author to whom the Gospel of Mark is ascribed.

This Mark is usually identified with the "Mark" and the "John, called Mark" mentioned at various points in the New Testament. Ancient sources report that Mark compiled his Gospel from the preaching of Peter in Rome, and that he founded the Church of Alexandria, which regards him as its first pope. Christian tradition has long venerated Mark as a saint and martyr.

Gospel authorship[edit]

Pasqualotto, St. Mark writes his Gospel at the dictation of St. Peter, 17th century.

The Gospel according to Mark, as it is always titled in the early manuscripts, is unanimously ascribed in patristic testimony to a certain Mark, an interpreter of Peter who compiled his Gospel from the preaching of Peter in Rome.

The earliest extant record of this attribution is a fragment of Papias (c. 100), citing "the Elder" (i.e., John):[1]

The Elder used to say: Mark, in his capacity as Peter's interpreter, wrote down accurately as many things as he recalled from memory—though not in an ordered form—of the things either said or done by the Lord. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied him, but later, as I said, Peter, who used to give his teachings in the form of chreiai, but had no intention of providing an ordered arrangement of the logia of the Lord. Consequently Mark did nothing wrong when he wrote down some individual items just as he related them from memory. For he made it his one concern not to omit anything he had heard or to falsify anything.

Likewise, Justin Martyr cites Mark's Gospel as the "memoirs of Peter",[2] and Papias is echoed in summary by Irenaeus[3], Tertullian[4], and Origen[5].

Clement of Alexandria (c. 195), citing "the tradition of the earliest elders", records[6][7] that many of Caesar's knights who heard Peter preaching in Rome entreated Mark, who had followed Peter for a long time, to put what they had heard into writing, so Mark did so and provided copies to those who requested. After this initially private circulation,[8] Peter learned of this Gospel through a revelation of the Spirit and then sanctioned it for use in the churches.

Clement's Letter to Theodore—the authenticity of which is much disputed—speaks of Mark producing a second edition of his Gospel, the Secret Gospel of Mark. According to this letter, after Peter's death, Mark brought his notes to Alexandria and there composed "a more spiritual Gospel" including secret material suitable only for "those being perfected", which he left to the Church of Alexandria.[9]

Modern scholars are divided on the extent to which the patristic accounts can be trusted. The attribution of the Gospel to such an obscure figure as Mark is hard to explain if not authentic. Some see the connection to Peter, however, as a fabrication serving to enhance the Gospel's apostolic authority, while others see the internal evidence of the Gospel as supportive of an eyewitness source and of Peter in particular.[citation needed]

Identification[edit]

The name Mark was at this time the most common name in the Roman world.[10] Thus, it has long been debated which occurrences of this name in the New Testament refer to the same person.

Papias, Clement, and others corroborate their accounts of the Gospel's origin by citing Peter's First Epistle: "She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark."1 Pet 5:13 (This "Babylon" is understood by Eusebius[11] and others as a thinly veiled reference to Rome, while later sources saw it as Babylon of Egypt.[12]) Some scholars have further argued that Mark was a contributive amanuensis of this epistle.[13]

The other New Testament references to "Mark" are all associated with Paul and Barnabas. Paul extends greetings from MarkPhlm 1:24, he elsewhere requests, "Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service,"2 Tim 4:11 and he elsewhere extends greeting from Barnabas' cousin Mark, "about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him."Col 4:10 In Acts, a certain "John, called Mark" accompanies BarnabasActs 12:25, 15:37–39, and is at times simply called John.Acts 13:5–13 The apostles gathered at the house of Mary, mother of John Mark.Acts 12:12

Most scholars regard all these as a single Mark, and a majority regard this Mark as identical with the Evangelist.[citation needed] A few scholars further suggest that John Mark was author of some or all of the Johannine literature ascribed to "John".[citation needed]

In lists of the seventy disciples, Mark the Evangelist is always included. In the version ascribed to Hippolytus,[14] however, three Marks are distinguished: "Mark the Evangelist, Bishop of Alexandria", "Mark cousin of Barnabas, Bishop of Apollonia", and "Mark, who is also John, Bishop of Bibloupolis".

Medieval sources[15] identify the Evangelist with the young man who fled naked during the arrest of Jesus, mentioned only in Mark's Gospel.Mk 14:51–52

Others[16] have identified the Evangelist with the man carrying a jar of water, who led the way to the room of the Last Supper,Mk 14:13–16 and hence also with the servant at Cana who poured the water that Jesus turned to wine.Jn 2:7–11

Life[edit]

Hippolytus (c. 230) refers in passing to the Evangelist as "Mark the Stumpy-fingered" (colobodactylus).[17] Old Latin prologues[18] also know this epithet and explain it in two different ways: that his fingers were disproportionately short, or that he cut off his thumb to disqualify himself from Levitical priesthood. North proposes that it originates from murcus, a term for Italian soldiers who amputated their thumbs to dodge military service, playing on the Evangelist's name.[19]

Death[edit]

Veneration[edit]

Feast[edit]

Relics[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.15. Translation from Bauckham (2006), p. 203.
  2. ^ Justin Martyr, Dial. 106.3.
  3. ^ Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1.
  4. ^ Tertullian, Marc. 4.5.
  5. ^ Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 6.25.5.
  6. ^ Clement of Alexandria, Hypotyposeis 8, apud Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 2.15.1–2, 6.14.5–7.
  7. ^ Clement of Alexandria, Adumbr. in 1 Pet. 5:13, apud Cassiodorus, In Epistola Petri Prima Catholica 1.3.
  8. ^ Carlson, Stephen C. (2001). "Clement of Alexandria on the 'Order' of the Gospels". New Testament Studies. 47: 118–125. doi:10.1017/S0028688501000091. S2CID 171005597.
  9. ^ Oden (2011), pp. 198–208.
  10. ^ Boring, M. Eugene (2006). Mark: A Commentary. New Testament Library. p. 11. ISBN 0664221076.
  11. ^ Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 2.15.2.
  12. ^ Oden (2011), pp. 114–122.
  13. ^ Moon, Jongyoon (2009). Mark as Contributive Amanuensis of 1 Peter?. Theologie. Vol. 97. ISBN 978-3643104281.
  14. ^ Pseudo-Hippolytus, On the Seventy Apostles.
  15. ^ Allen, Rupert (2008). "Mark 14,51-52 and Coptic Hagiography" (PDF). Biblica. 89 (2): 265–268.
  16. ^ Oden (2011), pp. 92–93.
  17. ^ Hippolytus, Philosophumena 7.18.
  18. ^ See The anti-Marcionite and Monarchian prologues to the canonical gospels.
  19. ^ North, J. L. (1977). "Markos ho kolobodaktylos: Hippolytus, Elenchus, VII.30". Journal of Theological Studies. 28 (2): 498–507. doi:10.1093/jts/XXVIII.2.498.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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