SPECIAL TOPIC: JOHN MARK

  1. John Mark has traditionally been identified with the Apostle Peter in writing this Gospel. The work itself (like all the Gospels) is anonymous.

  2. Another evidence of Peter's eyewitness account is the fact that Mark does not record three special events in which Peter was personally involved.
    1. his walking on water (cf. Matt. 14:28-33)
    2. his being the spokesperson at Caesarea Philippi for the faith of the Twelve (cf. Matt. 16:13-20), in Mark only Mark 8:27-30 and the "on this rock" and "keys of the kingdom" passages are omitted
    3. his procurement of the temple tax for himself and Jesus (cf. Matt. 17:24-27) Perhaps Peter's modesty motivated him not to emphasize these events in his sermons in Rome.

  3. Early church tradition
    1. I Clements, written from Rome about A.D. 95, alludes to Mark (as does Shepherd of Hermes).
    2. Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis (about A.D. 130), wrote Interpretation of the Lord's Sayings, which is quoted by Eusebius (A.D. 275-339) in his Ecclesiastical History 3:39:15. He asserts that Mark was Peter's interpreter who recorded accurately, but not chronologically, Peter's memories of Jesus. Apparently Mark took and adapted Peter's sermons and organized them into a Gospel presentation. Papias claims to have received this information from "the elder," which could refer to the Apostle John.
    3. Justin Martyr (A.D. 150), in quoting Mark 3:17, adds that it comes from Peter's memory.
    4. The Anti-Marcionite Prologue to Mark, written about A.D. 180, identifies Peter as the eyewitness of Mark's Gospel. It also states that Mark wrote the Gospel from Italy after Peter's death (traditionally in Rome around A.D. 65)
    5. Irenaeus, writing about A.D. 180, mentions John Mark as Peter's interpreter and compiler of his memoirs after his death (cf. Contra Haereses 3:1:2).
    6. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) asserts that those who heard Peter preach in Rome asked Mark to record these sermons.
    7. The Muratorian Fragment (i.e., a list of accepted books), written about A.D. 200 from Rome, although the text is incomplete, seems to affirm John Mark's recording Peter's sermons.
    8. Tertullian (A.D. 200) in Against Marcion (4:5) says Mark published Peter's memories.
    9. In The Expositor's Bible Commentary Vol. 8, p. 606, Walter Wessel makes the interesting comment that the above early church traditions are from geographically diverse church centers.
      1. Papias from Asia Minor
      2. Anti-Marcion Prologue and the Muratorian Fragment both from Rome
      3. Irenaeus (cf. Adv. Haer. 3:1:1) from Lyons in France. Irenaeus' tradition is also found in Tertullian (cf. Adv. Marc. 4:5) from north Africa and Clement of Alexandria, Egypt (cf. Hypotyposeis 6, quoted by Eusebius, Eccl. His. 2:15:1-2; 3:24:5-8; 6:14:6-7). This geographical diversity gives credence to its trustworthiness because of the tradition's wide acceptance in early Christianity.
    10. According to Eusebius' Eccl. His. Origen (a.d. 230) in Commentary on Matthew (there is no known commentary on Mark by anyone until the fifth century) says Mark wrote the Gospel as Peter explained it to him.
    11. Eusebius himself discusses the Gospel of Mark in Eccl. His. 2:15, and says Mark recorded Peter's sermons at the behest of those who heard them so that they could be read in all the churches. Eusebius bases this tradition on the writings of Clement of Alexandria.

  4. What do we know about John Mark
    1. His mother was a well known believer in Jerusalem in whose house the church met (possibly the night of the Lord's Supper, cf. Mark 14:14-15; Acts 1:13-14; Acts 12:12). He was possibly the unnamed man who fled "naked" from Gethsemane (Mark 14:51-52).
    2. He accompanied his uncle Barnabas (cf. Col. 4:10) and Paul back to Antioch from Jerusalem (Acts 12:25).
    3. He was a companion of Barnabas and Paul on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5), but returned home suddenly (Acts 13:13).
    4. Later Barnabas wanted to take Mark on a second missionary journey, but this caused a terrible disagreement between Barnabas and Paul (Acts 15:37-40).
    5. He was later reunited with Paul and became a friend and co-worker (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philemon 24).
    6. He was a companion and co-worker with Peter (1 Pet. 5:13), possibly in Rome.

  5. Mark's personal knowledge of the life of Jesus seems confirmed by Mark 14:51-52, where a man flees naked from the garden of Gethsemane just after Jesus' arrest. This unusual and totally unexpected detail seems to reflect Mark's personal experience.

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