St Mark
Meet the companion of Peter who gave us the earliest Gospel. St Mark travelled with the apostles, recorded Peter's preaching, and founded the Church in Alexandria. His Gospel presents Jesus as the suffering Servant who conquers through the Cross.
Peter'sInterpreter
John Mark, as he is called in Acts, was a young man in Jerusalem whose mother's house served as a meeting place for the early Church. Tradition identifies him as the young man who fled naked from Gethsemane. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, though he later parted from them.
Mark became closely associated with St Peter in Rome, and ancient tradition calls him Peter's interpreter. His Gospel, the shortest and probably the earliest, is vivid, urgent, and action-packed. Mark emphasises Christ's mighty deeds and his journey to the Cross, presenting Jesus as the suffering Servant of Isaiah.
After Peter's martyrdom, Mark travelled to Alexandria in Egypt, where he founded the Church and became its first bishop. He was martyred there around 68 CE. His relics were later taken to Venice, where the winged lion of St Mark became the city's symbol. The lion represents his Gospel's opening in the wilderness with John the Baptist.
At a Glance
“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
St Mark
Mark 1:1
Peter's Witness
St Mark preserved the preaching of St Peter in written form, giving us the earliest Gospel. His urgent, vivid account brings readers face to face with Christ the suffering Servant.