April 25 is the feast of St. Mark, one of the companions of the apostles and the author of one of the gospels.
Who was he, and what do the Bible and the Church Fathers record about him?
Here are 8 things to know and share . . .
1. Who was St. Mark?
St. Mark is commonly identified as:
- The figure John Mark from the book of Acts
- The figure referred to in St. Paul’s epistles simply as “Mark”
- The figure in St. Peter’s epistles also referred to simply as “Mark”
- The author of the second gospel
- The first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt
2. What does the book of Acts tell us about Mark?
We first meet him in chapter 12, just after the martyrdom of James the son of Zebedee (the first of the apostles to be martyred).
At this time, Peter was captured and his martyrdom scheduled, but he was miraculously freed from prison. When this happened, Luke records:
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying [Acts 12:12].
Mark then began to play a prominent role in the life of the Church, becoming the travelling companion of the apostles Paul and Barnabas:
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark [Acts 12:25].