The holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, also called John-Mark (Acts 12:12), an apostle from among the seventy, nephew of the Apostle Barnabas (commemorated June 11), was born in Jerusalem. His mother Mary’s house adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. According to Church tradition, on the night of Christ’s Passion he followed Him, wrapped in a cloak, and fled naked when the soldiers seized him (Mark 14:51–52). After the Ascension of the Lord, the house of Saint Mark’s mother became a place of prayer gatherings for Christians and a refuge for some of the apostles (Acts 12:12).
The holy Mark was the closest companion of the apostles Peter, Paul (joint commemoration June 29), and Barnabas. Together with the apostles Paul and Barnabas, Saint Mark was in Seleucia; from there he went to the island of Cyprus and traversed it entirely from east to west. In the city of Paphos, Saint Mark was a witness to how the Apostle Paul struck the sorcerer Elymas with blindness (Acts 13:6–12).
After his labors with the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem, and then, together with the Apostle Peter, visited Rome. From there, at Peter’s command, he set out for Egypt, where he founded the Church.
During the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, Saint Mark met him in Antioch. From there he went to preach with the Apostle Barnabas to Cyprus, and then again departed for Egypt, where together with the Apostle Peter he established many churches, including in Babylon. From that city the Apostle Peter sent his epistle to the Christians of Asia Minor, in which he spoke with love of Saint Mark, his spiritual son (1 Peter 5:13).
When the Apostle Paul was in chains in Rome, the Apostle Mark was in Ephesus, where the see was occupied by Saint Timothy (commemorated January 4). Together with him, the Apostle Mark came to Rome. There he wrote the Holy Gospel (around 62–63).
From Rome, Saint Mark again departed for Egypt and in Alexandria established the beginning of the Christian school, from which later came such renowned fathers and teachers of the Church as Clement of Alexandria, Saint Dionysius (October 5), Saint Gregory the Wonderworker (November 5), and others. Zealous for the ordering of church worship, the holy Apostle Mark composed the order of the Liturgy for the Christians of Alexandria.
Then Saint Mark, preaching the Gospel, visited the inner regions of Africa, was in Libya and Nectopolis.
During these journeys, Saint Mark received a command from the Holy Spirit to return once more to Alexandria to preach and oppose the pagans. There he settled in the house of the cobbler Ananias, whose diseased hand he healed. The cobbler joyfully received the holy apostle, listened with faith to his accounts of Christ, and accepted Baptism. After Ananias, many residents of that part of the city where he lived were baptized. This aroused the hatred of the pagans, and they planned to kill Saint Mark. Learning of this, the holy apostle appointed Ananias bishop and three Christians — Malkus, Savinus, and Cerdinus — presbyters.
The pagans attacked Saint Mark while the apostle was celebrating the divine service. They beat him, dragged him through the streets of the city, and threw him into prison. There Saint Mark was vouchsafed a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthened him before his sufferings. The next day the enraged crowd again dragged the holy apostle through the streets of the city to the place of judgment, but on the way Saint Mark reposed with the words: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”
The pagans wished to burn the body of the holy apostle. But when they kindled the fire, everything grew dark, thunder sounded, and an earthquake occurred. The pagans fled in terror, and the Christians took the body of the holy apostle and buried it in a stone tomb. This took place on April 4, 63. The Church celebrates his memory on April 25.
In the year 310 a church was built over the relics of the holy Apostle Mark. In the year 820, when the power of the Arab Mohammedans was established in Egypt and the Christian Church was oppressed by the infidels, the relics of the saint were transferred to Venice and placed in the cathedral named after him.
In the ancient iconographic tradition that assigned symbols to the holy evangelists, borrowed from the vision of Saint John the Theologian (Revelation 4:7), the holy Evangelist Mark is depicted with a lion — in token of the power and royal dignity of Christ (Revelation 5:5). Saint Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians from among the Gentiles; therefore he dwells primarily on the words and deeds of the Savior in which His Divine omnipotence is especially manifested. Many features of his narrative can be explained by his closeness to the Apostle Peter. All ancient writers testify that the Gospel according to Mark is a concise record of the preaching and accounts of the chief apostle. One of the central theological themes in the Gospel of Saint Mark is the theme of the power of God accomplished in human weakness, for the Lord makes possible what is impossible with men. By the action of Christ (Mark 16:20) and the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11), His disciples go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 13:10; 16:15).