'''Mark''', also known as John Mark,<ref>Acts 12:12</ref> was the author of the second Gospel, the [[Gospel of Mark]]. Written in [[Greek]] for a [[Christian]] audience, and using terms that were meaningless to non-believers, Mark’s Gospel is a mixture of theology and history. It is written in a simple, forceful style. He was likely an eyewitness to the arrest of [[Jesus]], as described in Mark 14:51-52. Mark was likely too young to be an Apostle of Jesus, and probably simply accompanied his mother when she followed Jesus. See the [[Gospel of Mark]] for a discussion of how young Mark was. Mark himself accompanied [[Paul]] and [[Barnabas]], his cousin, on their missionary journey.<ref>Acts 12:25</ref> Mark’s unexplained departure from that trip at Perga caused a later split between Paul and Barnabas, when Paul refused to take Mark on the second mission. Barnabas, in loyalty to his cousin Mark, broke off his relationship with Paul and traveled with Mark instead to [[Cyprus]].<ref>Acts 15:36-39</ref> Later Paul realized he was wrong about Mark and requested him to come visit. Mark and Paul were reunited and went on an additional trip together. Mark was close to the Apostle [[Peter]], who once described Mark as "my son."<ref>I Peter 5:13</ref>. According to [[Papias]], Mark was the interpreter for Peter and the Gospel According to Mark is often considered to be Peter’s Gospel as transcribed by Mark. In Acts 12:12 when Peter escapes from prison, he goes to the home of Mark's mother, which was then the center of the Church<ref>''The Men, the Meaning, and the Message of the New Testament Books'', William Barclay, Westminster Press, 1977, page 15</ref>. If Mark 14:51-52 is truly a self-description of Mark as a young man, which some scholars believe, then the [[Last Supper]] (Mark 14:22-25) was also held in the home of Mark's mother. Mark has been the patron saint of [[Venice]] ever since the Venetians led a successful mission to recover his body from the [[Muslim]]s in [[Alexandria]], and to this day his body lies in St Mark's Basilica in the city. Depictions of Mark are common in Venetian art, and often feature a [[lion]], the animal that is identified with him. The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt reveres Mark (Saint Mark, or Mark the Evangelist) as its first Pope (Bishop of Alexandria).<ref>http://st-takla.org/Coptic-church-1.html</ref> == References == <references/> [[Category:Biblical Persons]]
