St Mark the Apostle
St Mark the Apostle, or the Evangelist, is revered in the Coptic Orthodox Church as the author of the Gospel of Mark and the founder of the Church in Alexandria, Egypt. A close disciple of the St Peter, he helped spread Christianity and is credited with establishing one of the earliest Christian communities. He was martyred in Alexandria and is celebrated for his vital role in the early Church.
Icon & Relic
Category
Background
St Mark the Evangelist (Μαρκοϲ in Coptic), is the author of the Gospel of Mark (written in Rome around 53 A.D.). St Mark was a native of the North Africa county of Libya. He was born in the city of Cyrene in Pentapolis, the western part of Libya, west of the border of Egypt.
St Mark was born of Jewish parents several years after the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. His name was John and his surname was Mark.
Acts 12:11-12
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
Acts 12:25
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
Acts 15:37
Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
He was the one that the Lord Christ meant when He said:
Matthew 26:18
And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”
His house was the first Christian church, where they ate the Passover, hid after the death of the Lord Christ, and in its upper room the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Mark the Apostle by Stéphane René
St Mark the Apostle by Stéphane René
Mark the Evangelist (1986) by Stéphane René
The Martyrdom of St Mark (1976) by Isaac Fanous
Mark the Apostle by Isaac Fanous
Relic of St Mark the Evangelist
His father's name was Aristopolus and his mother's name was Mary. They were Jewish in faith, rich and of great honour. They educated him with the Greek and Hebrew cultures. He was called Mark after they emigrated to Jerusalem, where St Peter had become a disciple to the Lord Christ. St Peter was married to the cousin of Aristopolus. Mark visited St Peter's house often, and from him he learned the Christian teachings.
After the ascension of the Lord Christ, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel in Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, and Perga Pamphylia where he left them and returned to Jerusalem. After the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, he went with Barnabas to Cyprus.
He went to Alexandria in 61 AD. When he entered the city, his shoe was torn because of the much walking in preaching and evangelism. He went to a cobbler in the city, called Anianus, to repair it. While he was repairing it the stitching awl pierced his finger. Anianus shouted in Greek, "Oh, one God!". When Mark heard these words his heart rejoiced exceedingly. He found it suitable to talk to him about God. Mark then took some clay, spat on it and applied it to Anianus' finger, saying in the Name of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the wound healed immediately, as if nothing happened to it.
Anianus invited him to go to his house and brought to him his children. Mark then preached and baptised them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
When the believers in the Name of Christ increased and the pagan people of the city learned this, they were raged with anger and thought of slaying Mark. The faithful advised him to get away for a short while for the sake of the safety of the church and its care.
Mark then ordained Anianus a Bishop for Alexandria, together with three priests and seven deacons. He went to the Five Western Cities (his home region), remained there for two years preaching, and ordained bishops, priests, and deacons. He returned to Alexandria where he found the believers had increased in number, and built a church for them in the place known as Baukalis, east of Alexandria on the sea shore.
It came to pass, when he was celebrating the feast of the Resurrection in 68 AD, the same day coincided with the great pagan celebration for the feast of the god Serapis, a multitude of them assembled and attacked the church at Baukalis and forced their way in. They seized Mark, bound him with a thick rope and dragged him in the roads and streets, with severe cruelty. His flesh was torn and scattered everywhere, and the ground of the city was covered with his blood. They cast him that night into a dark prison.
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him,
O Mark, the good servant, rejoice for your name has been written in the book of life, and you have been counted among the congregation of the saints.
The angel disappeared, then the Lord Christ appeared to him, and gave him peace. His soul rejoiced and was glad. The next morning, the pagans took Mark from the prison. They tied his neck with a thick rope and did the same as the day before, dragging him over the rocks and stones. Finally, Mark delivered up his pure soul in the hand of God, and received the crown of martyrdom, the apostolic crown, the crown of evangelism, and the crown of virginity.
Nevertheless, Mark's death did not satisfy the rage of the pagans and their hatred. They gathered much firewood and prepared an inferno to burn him. A severe storm blew and heavy rains fell. The pagans became frightened, and they fled away in fear. The believers came and took the holy body, carried it to the church they built at Baukalis, wrapped it up, prayed over him and place it in a coffin. They laid it in a secret place in this church.
