Mark the Evangelist

Who they were

Mark came from a well-off Jewish family; what is known of him comes from the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Peter and Paul. He was not one of the Lord's disciples, though some identify him with the young man who followed Jesus after His arrest in Gethsemane. He worked with Paul, travelling with him to Cyprus and later to Rome, and in Rome served Peter, who calls him 'Mark, my son'.

His Gospel, the shortest, is held to set down Peter's preaching. An ancient tradition makes him the evangeliser of Egypt and founder of the Church of Alexandria, where he probably died a martyr between 68 and 72, dragged through the streets by a rope around his neck. His body was brought to Venice in 828 and rests in St Mark's Basilica.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Mark has been honoured as an evangelist and martyr since the earliest Church.

Why that counted as sanctity

Mark gave his life to serving the apostles and handing on their witness. His Gospel preserves Peter's preaching of Christ for every generation, and by tradition he went on to found the Church in Alexandria and died there for the faith.

Connected on this site

• Barnabas Saint
  “Barnabas is usually identified as the cousin of Mark the Evangelist on the basis of the term "anepsios" used in Colossians 4, which carries the connotation of "cousin".” — Wikipedia
• John Mark Saint
  “Traditionally he is regarded as identical with Mark the Evangelist, the traditional writer of the Gospel of Mark.” — Wikipedia
• Syrus of Pavia Saint
  “Another tradition, dating back to the 8th century, makes Syrus a disciple of Hermagoras, who in turn was the disciple of Mark the Evangelist.” — Wikipedia