Gospel of Mark

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The Gospel of Mark (Gk. τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Μᾶρκον) is the second of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament but is believed by most modern scholars to be the first gospel written, on which the other two synoptic gospels, Matthew and Luke, were partially based.[1] It was written anonymously[1] but has been traditionally ascribed to Mark the Evangelist (also known as John Mark), a cousin of Barnabas.[2] However, there are pieces of evidence that may confirm that the author of the Gospel of Mark was a disciple of Peter.[3] The gospel narrates the life of Jesus of Nazareth from his baptism by John the Baptist to the resurrection (or to the empty tomb in the shorter recension), but it concentrates particularly on the last week of his life (chapters 11-16, the trip to Jerusalem). Its swift narrative portrays Jesus as a heroic man of action,[1] an exorcist, a healer and miracle worker. It calls him the Son of Man[4], the Son of God[5], and the Christ[6] (the Greek translation of Messiah).

Two important themes of Mark are the Messianic secret and the obtuseness of the disciples. In Mark, Jesus often commands secrecy regarding aspects of his identity and certain actions.[7] Jesus uses parables to explain his message and fulfill prophecy (4:10-12). At times, the disciples have trouble understanding the parables, but Jesus explains what they mean, in secret (4:13-20, 4:33-34). They also fail to understand the implication of the miracles that he performs before them.[1]

Following Augustine of Hippo, see also Augustinian hypothesis, the Gospel of Mark was traditionally believed by Christian churches to be based on the Gospel of Matthew, an epitome, and accordingly, it is placed after that gospel in most Bibles. However, most contemporary scholars regard it as the earliest of the canonical gospels[8] (c 70). According to the two-source hypothesis, it was one source for material in the other synoptic gospels, Matthew and Luke.