South-southwest of Beitjibrin—in all probability Eleutheropolis-and it little over a Roman mile
therefrom is a site called Marash, which is possibly the representative of the ancient Mareshah.
Mark
one of the evangelists, and probable author of the Gospel bearing his name. (Marcus was his
Latin surname. His Jewish name was John, which is the same as Johanan (the grace of God). We
can almost trace the steps whereby the former became his prevalent name in the Church. “John,
whose surname was Mark” in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) becomes “John” alone in (Acts 13:5,13)
“Mark” in (Acts 15:39) and thenceforward there is no change. (Colossians 4:10); Phlm 1:24; 2Tim
4:11 The evangelist was the son of a certain Mary, a Jewish matron of some position who dwelt in
Jerusalem, (Acts 12:12) and was probably born of a Hellenistic family in that city. Of his father
we know nothing; but we do know that the future evangelist was cousin of Barnabas of Cyprus,
the great friend of St. Paul. His mother would seem to have been intimately acquainted with St.
Peter, and it was to her house, as to a familiar home, that the apostle repaired, A.D. 44, after his
deliverance from prison (Acts 12:12) This fact accounts for St. Mark’s intimate acquaintance with
that apostle, to whom also he probably owed his conversion, for St. Peter calls him his son. (1 Peter
5:13) We hear Of him for the first time in Acts 15:25 where we find him accompanying and Barnabas
on their return from Jerusalem to Antioch, A.D. 45. He next comes before us on the occasion of
the earliest missionary journey of the same apostles, A.D. 48, when he joined them as their
“minister.” (Acts 13:8) With them he visited Cyprus; but at Perga in Pamphylia, (Acts 13:13) when
they were about to enter upon the more arduous part of their mission, he left them, and, for some
unexplained reason, returned to Jerusalem to his mother and his home. Notwithstanding this, we
find him at Paul’s side during that apostle’s first imprisonment at Rome, A.D. 61-63, and he Is
acknowledged by him as one of his few fellow laborers who had been a “comfort” to him during
the weary hours of his imprisonment. (Colossians 4:10,11); Phle 1:24 We next have traces of him
in (1 Peter 5:13) “The church that is in Babylon ... saluteth you, and so doth Marcus my son.” From
this we infer that he joined his spiritual father, the great friend of his mother, at Babylon, then and
for same hundred years afterward one of the chief seats of Jewish culture. From Babylon he would
seem to have returned to Asia Minor; for during his second imprisonment A.D. 68 St. Paul, writing
to Timothy charges him to bring Mark with him to me, on the ground that he was “profitable to
him For the ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11) From this point we gain no further information from the
New Testament respecting the evangelist. It is most probable, however that he did join the apostle
at Rome whither also St. Peter would seem to have proceeded, and suffered martyrdom with St.
Paul. After the death of these two great pillars of the Church; ecclesiastical tradition affirms that
St. Mark visited Egypt, founded the church of Alexandria, and died by martyrdom.—Condensed
from Cambridge Bible for Schools.—ED.)
Mark, Gospel Of
By whom written.—The author of this Gospel has been universally believed to be Mark or Marcus,
designated in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) as John Mark, and in ch. 5,13 as John.
•
•When is was written.—Upon this point nothing absolutely certain can be affirmed, and the Gospel
itself affords us no information. The most direct testimony is that of Irenaeus, who says it was
after the death of the apostles Peter and Paul. We may conclude, therefore, that this Gospel was
not written before A.D. 63. Again we may as certainly conclude that it was not written after the
destruction of Jerusalem, for it is not likely that he would have omitted to record so remarkable a