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Name of the second book of the
New Testament and one of the four canonical gospels. According to the hypothesis of Augustine of Hippo, the Gospel of Mark
was traditionally believed to be based on the Gospel of Matthew and
consequently, in biblical order, placed thereafter. Though, many contemporary scholars
assumed it to be the first gospel written, on
which the other two Synoptic Gospels were in part based, a hypothesis
known as the Markan priority.
There are conflicting opinions as to when the
Gospel of Mark could have been written. Most scholars agree that it was
written at the earliest after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction
of the Second Temple in 70 AD, based on apparent references to these
events in Jerusalem, though others assert that it was written prior to
68 AD, a view based on the lettering on a papyrus fragment found in a
cave at Qumran, representing a fragment of the gospel, whilst a handful
scholars even propose dates as early as the mid 50's and no later than
62 AD, based on the dates of when the Acts could have been written.
In Greek it is known as Kata Markon (Κατὰ Μᾶρκον),
i.e. ‘According to Mark’. Whilst being composed in Greek, the Gospel of
Matthew also uses passages from the Old Testament in the form in which
it had been translated into the Septuagint, yet also making use of
non-Hellenistic terms, thus indicating its Jewish heritage.
Despite the fact that it was written anonymously,
it has conventionally been ascribed to Mark, also known as John Mark, a
cousin of Barnabas, an Early Christian Jewish convert and one of the
earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, there is also
some evidence, including a quote by Eusebius of Caesarea, that may
confirm that the author may have been an interpreter of Peter, who had
heard Peter's speeches in Rome or, more broadly, in the Roman Empire.
The Gospel of Matthew narrates the life of Jesus
of Nazareth, from His baptism to the resurrection, including His Galilean ministry and journey to Jerusalem,
and focuses in
particular on the last week of His life. It portrays Jesus as a heroic
man of action, a healer, an exorcist and miracle worker. It calls Him
the Son of Man, the Son of God and the Christ, the Greek translation for
Messiah.
Mark Chapter 1;
2;
3;
4;
5;
6;
7;
8;
9;
10;
11;
12;
13;
14;
15;
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