Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;''

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Mark, was the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...

. Most modern Bible scholars have concluded that the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author rather than an identifiable historical figure, though the topic remains contentious among experts. According to Church tradition, Mark founded the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, which was one of the five most important sees of early Christianity. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

is the winged lion.

Identity

Leone marciano andante - Vittore Carpaccio - Google Cultural Institute

According to William Lane (1974), an unbroken tradition identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas. However, Hippolytus of Rome, in ''On the Seventy Apostles'', distinguishes Mark the Evangelist ( 2 Timothy 4:11), John Mark ( Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas ( Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24). According to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the "Seventy Disciples" who were sent out by

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

to disseminate the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

( Luke 10:1ff.) in Judea. According to Eusebius of Caesarea, Herod Agrippa I, in his first year of reign over the whole of Judea (AD 41), killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter, planning to kill him after the Passover. Peter was saved miraculously by angels, and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1–19). Peter went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, and Bithynia, as mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1), and arrived in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in the second year of Emperor Claudius (AD 42). Somewhere on the way, Peter encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark, before he left for

in the third year of Claudius (AD 43). According to the Acts 15:39, Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem. According to tradition, in AD 49, about 16 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark travelled to

and founded the Church of Alexandria, having already been in Egypt for 4-5 years. The Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church all trace their origins to this original community. See drop-down essay on "Islamic Conquest and the Ottoman Empire" Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself. He became the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Alexandria and he is honoured as the founder of Christianity in Africa. According to Eusebius, Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

(62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68. Modern Bible scholars (i.e. most critical scholars) have concluded that the Gospel of Mark is anonymous and doubt the traditional attribution to Mark, Peter’s interpreter. Scholarship is inconclusive on authorship, with some denying that the gospel was written by anyone named Mark while others accept the view John Mark was the author. Others argue the gospel was written by a Mark not mentioned in the Bible or connected to Peter. For instance, the author of the Gospel of Mark knew very little about the geography of the region (having apparently never visited it), "was very far from being a peasant or a fisherman", was unacquainted with Jewish customs (unlikely for someone from Palestine), and was probably "a Hellenized Jew who lived outside of Palestine". Mitchell Reddish does concede that the name of the author might have been Mark (making the gospel possibly homonymous), but the identity of this Mark is unknown. Similarly, "Francis Moloney suggests the author was someone named Mark, though maybe not any of the Marks mentioned in the New Testament". ''The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus'' takes the same approach: the author was named Mark, but scholars are undecided who this Mark was. The four canonical gospels are anonymous and most researchers agree that none of them was written by eyewitnesses.

Biblical and traditional information

Evidence for Mark the Evangelist's authorship of the Gospel of Mark that bears his name originates with Papias (). Scholars of the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are "almost certain" that Papias is referencing John Mark. Modern mainstream Bible scholars find Papias's information difficult to interpret. The Coptic Church accords with identifying Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, as well as that he was one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1), as Hippolytus confirmed. Coptic tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in his house after Jesus's death, that the resurrected Jesus came to Mark's house ( John 20), and that the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

descended on the disciples at

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

in the same house. Furthermore, Mark is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine ( John 2:1–11). Pope Shenouda III, ''The Beholder of God Mark the Evangelist Saint and Martyr'', Chapter One
Tasbeha.org
/ref> According to the Coptic tradition, Mark was born in Cyrene, a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa (now

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

). This tradition adds that Mark returned to Pentapolis later in life, after being sent by Paul to Colossae ( Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24.) Some, however, think these actually refer to Mark the Cousin of Barnabas), and serving with him in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11); from Pentapolis he made his way to

. When Mark returned to Alexandria, the pagans of the city resented his efforts to turn the Alexandrians away from the worship of their traditional gods. In AD 68, they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead. Pope Shenouda III. ''The Beholder of God Mark the Evangelist Saint and Martyr'', Chapter Seven
Tasbeha.org
/ref>

Veneration

The Feast of St Mark is observed on April 25 by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. For those Churches still using the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

, April 25 according to it aligns with May 8 on the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

through the year 2099. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes the Feast of St Mark on Parmouti 30 according to the Coptic calendar which always aligns with April 25 on the

or May 8 on the

. Where John Mark is distinguished from Mark the Evangelist, John Mark is celebrated on September 27 (as in the Roman Martyrology) and Mark the Evangelist on April 25. Mark is remembered in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and in much of the Anglican Communion, with a

Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

on 25 April.

In art

Mark the Evangelist is most often depicted writing or holding his gospel. In Christian tradition, Mark the Evangelist is symbolized by a winged lion. Mark the Evangelist attributes are the lion in the

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

; he can be depicted as a

on a throne decorated with lions; as a man helping Venetian sailors. He is often depicted holding a book with ''pax tibi Marce'' written on it or holding a palm and book. Other depictions of Mark show him as a man with a book or scroll, accompanied by a winged lion. The lion might also be associated with Jesus' Resurrection because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, thus a comparison with Christ in his tomb, and Christ as king. Mark the Evangelist can be depicted as a man with a halter around his neck and as rescuing Christian slaves from

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

. File:Accademia - St Mark's Body Brought to Venice by Jacopo Tintoretto.jpg, Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks take Mark the Evangelist's body to

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, by Tintoretto File:Codexaureus 21.jpg, Mark the Evangelist listening to the winged lion, Mark; image 21 of the Codex Aureus of Lorsch or Lorsch Gospels File:Vangeli di ebbone (evangelista marco), epernay, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 1 f 18 v., 20,8x26 cm, ante 823.jpg, Mark the Evangelist looking at the lion, File:Folio 19v - The Martyrdom of Saint Mark.jpg, The

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

of Saint Mark. '' Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry'' ( Musée Condé, Chantilly), and 1416. File:Andrea Mantegna 087.jpg, '' St Mark'' by

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

, 1448 File:Evangelist-with-lion.jpg, Mark the Evangelist with the lion, 1524 File:Bodleian Library MS. Arm. d.13. Armenian Gospels-0041-0.jpg, A painted miniature in an Armenian Gospel manuscript from 1609, held by the Bodleian Library File:Åhus kyrka-15.jpg, Saint Mark on a 17th-century naive painting by unknown artist in the choir of St Mary church (Sankta Maria kyrka) in Åhus, Sweden File:Pasquale Ottino San Marcos escribe sus Evangelios al dictado de San Pedro Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux.jpg, ''St. Mark writes his Evangelium at the dictation of St. Peter'', by Pasquale Ottino, 17th century, Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux File:Il Pordenone - San Marco - Budapest.jpg, Mark the Evangelist by Il Pordenone () File:GRM Inv. J-3179.jpg, Saint Mark the Evangelist Icon from the royal gates of the central iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, 1804 File:Tzanes Emmanuel - St Mark the Evangelist - Google Art Project.jpg, An icon of Saint Mark the Evangelist, 1657 File:San Marco cathedral in Venice.JPG, Saint Mark's Basilica File:Nuremberg chronicles f 104r 1.png, St Mark in the ''

Nuremberg Chronicle The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, ...

'' File:Stmark.jpg, '' Saint Mark'', 1411–1413, by

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...

( Orsanmichele,

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

) File:StMarkcoptic.jpg, Coptic icon of Saint Mark the Evangelist

Major shrines

* Basilica di San Marco (

, Italy) * Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (

, Egypt) * Saint Mark's Church, Belgrade, Serbia * Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt) * St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, NY, the United States * St. Mark The Evangelist Parish Church, Pangil, Laguna, Philippines * St. Mark The Evangelist Parish, Linao, Ormoc City,

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mark the Evangelist 12 births 1st-century Christian martyrs 1st-century popes and patriarchs of Alexandria 1st-century writers 68 deaths Anglican saints Body snatching Burials at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria) Christian missionaries in Africa Christian writers Early Jewish Christians Four Evangelists Gospel of Mark People in Acts of the Apostles Saints from Roman Egypt Seventy disciples Year of birth unknown