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Summary
- Mark is a New Testament name: John Mark appears in Acts 12–15, Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:11 and 1 Peter 5:13.
- Mark is the English form of the Latin Marcus, probably from Mars, the Roman god of war; it has no Hebrew meaning, though the man who bore it was a Jewish believer.
- The King James Version spells the name Marcus in three verses: Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24 and 1 Peter 5:13.
- The Gospel names no author; Papias, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria connect it with Mark as Peter’s interpreter, and many modern scholars regard it as anonymous.
- Most scholars think Mark was the first Gospel written, around AD 70; its oldest complete copies end at Mark 16:8.
- Saint Mark’s emblem is the lion, his feast is 25 April, and the Coptic Orthodox Church traces its origins to him.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Mark,” “Marcus” and “Marcos,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/mark
- Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s G3138 (Markos), with the King James Version’s renderings “Mark” and “Marcus.” https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3138/kjv/tr/0-1/
- Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s G431 (anepsios, “cousin”), with Thayer’s lexicon on Colossians 4:10. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g431/kjv/tr/0-1/
- “Gospel of Mark,” Wikipedia, on authorship, date, Marcan priority and the ending at 16:8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Mark
- “Mark the Evangelist,” Wikipedia, on the traditions of Alexandria, the martyrdom in 68 and the feast of 25 April. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_the_Evangelist
- “Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church,” Wikipedia, on the title “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_of_the_Coptic_Orthodox_Church
- “Tetramorph,” Wikipedia, on the schemes of Irenaeus and Jerome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetramorph
- Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 3.1.1 and 3.11.8, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103311.htm
- Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15 (Papias) and 6.14.5–7 (Clement of Alexandria), trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250106.htm
- Augustine, The Harmony of the Gospels, book 1, chapter 2, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, first series, vol. 6. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1602101.htm
- Jerusalem Perspective, “Mark: The Shortest or the Longest Gospel?”, on the length of the Gospels. https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/30857/
- Scripture quotations from the King James Version (1 Peter 5:13; 2 Timothy 4:11; Colossians 4:10–11) and the English Standard Version (Mark 1:1, 3; 16:8). Arabic spelling from the New Arabic Version (Acts 12:12). References: Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37–40; Philemon 24; Ezekiel 1:10; Revelation 4:7.
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