Mark

Who was Mark? John Mark, Barnabas' cousin and companion of Paul and Peter. Tradition credits him with Mark's Gospel and says he was martyred in Alexandria.

Era: 1st century AD (Historical estimate: Acts 13:5, Acts 13:13)
Manner of death: Martyred in Alexandria, by tradition (Tradition)
Burial place: St Mark's Basilica, Venice, by tradition (Tradition)

In Acts, Mark appears as 'John, also called Mark'; his mother Mary's house in Jerusalem was a place where the first believers gathered to pray (Acts 12:12). He was Barnabas' cousin. He set out with Paul and Barnabas on their first journey but left them at Perge, in today's Aksu district of Antalya, and returned to Jerusalem, so Paul refused to take him on the next journey. Years later Paul writes that Mark is useful to him in ministry (2 Timothy 4:11), and Peter calls him 'my son Mark' (1 Peter 5:13). As Eusebius reports, the early writer Papias said Mark was Peter's interpreter and wrote down what Peter taught.

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The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Which are the four Gospels, how do they differ and why are there four? A short, neutral guide introducing Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and explaining the Synoptic Gospels.
Who Wrote the Bible? When Was It Written?
Who wrote the Bible, when and in which languages was it written? A short, neutral guide to the Bible's many authors, the periods in which it was written and its original languages.

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When did Mark live?

Mark lived in the 1st century AD. Historians date his first journey with Paul and Barnabas to the late 40s AD (Acts 13:5, 13:13), and his name appears again in Paul's later letters and in Peter's letter. His exact dates of birth and death are unknown; Coptic Church tradition places his death around AD 68.

How did Mark die?

Church tradition holds that Mark was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt. The church historian Eusebius remembers him as the first to preach the gospel in Egypt and to found churches in Alexandria. Coptic Orthodox tradition adds that around AD 68 a pagan mob tied a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he died. The Bible does not describe Mark's death.

Where is Mark buried?

According to tradition, Mark's relics are today in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. First buried in Alexandria, they were smuggled to Venice by two Venetian merchants in 828, and the basilica was built to house them. In 1968 a portion was returned to St Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo. Coptic tradition holds that his head remained in Alexandria.

When and where was Mark's Gospel written?

The exact date is unknown. Most scholars regard Mark as the earliest of the four Gospels and date it to roughly the mid-60s to 70 AD. Early church tradition reports that Mark wrote down Peter's teaching in Rome.

Was Mark one of Jesus' twelve apostles?

No. Mark was not one of the Twelve; he was a first-generation believer who worked with Paul, Barnabas and Peter. Some interpreters suggest that the young man who left his linen cloth and fled when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51–52) was Mark himself, but the text does not say so.