Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

The Earliest Gospel

Modern scholarship regards Mark as the earliest of the written Gospels. Luke and Matthew used Mark as a source for their own works. They also drew on another source, a collection of Jesus’ sayings known as the Q source or Logia source. This is the so-called Two-Source Theory, which is commonly presented in introductory studies of the Synoptic Gospels. John most likely knew all three Synoptic Gospels but deliberately wrote a Gospel that was different from them. Mark thus pioneered a new literary genre: the written Gospel.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels. The word synoptic comes from the Greek words syn (together) and opsis (sight or view), meaning “viewed together.” In practical terms, almost the entire text of Mark’s Gospel has a parallel passage in either Matthew or Luke. Mark contains 661 verses, of which Matthew has parallel verses for 606 and Luke for 380. Only 31 verses are found exclusively in Mark. Matthew and Luke also share 250 parallel verses that are not found in Mark. These passages common to Matthew and Luke consist almost entirely of Jesus’ sayings. This has led scholars to conclude that they used a source containing specifically the sayings of Jesus.

Who, Where, When, and for Whom?

The average Bible reader is not particularly interested in the history of how a biblical book came into being. Academic biblical scholarship, however, devotes considerable attention to the origins of the books of the Bible. The renowned English biblical expositor John Stott aptly remarked, “Introduction is boring, but useful!” Certain background details can help even the ordinary Bible reader understand the text more fully.

The earliest Christian tradition concerning the Gospel of Mark is found in what is known as the Papias fragment, dating from around AD 130. The Church Father Eusebius records it in his Ecclesiastical History, written in the 320s.

"The Elder also used to say this: Mark, who had been Peter’s interpreter, wrote down accurately everything he remembered, though he did not record in order what the Lord had said and done. For he had neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later, as I have said, he followed Peter. Peter adapted his teachings to the needs of his hearers, rather than attempting to compile a collection of the Lord’s sayings. Therefore, Mark did nothing wrong when he wrote down some of these things as he remembered them. His one concern was to omit nothing he had heard and to make no false statements in his account."

Mark was therefore Peter’s interpreter and wrote the Gospel from Peter’s perspective. The Gospel was probably written either shortly before or shortly after Peter’s martyrdom in Rome in AD 64.

Many scholars have questioned the reliability of the information provided by Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis. However, no alternative author has been convincingly proposed. Instead, scholars have generally suggested that the Gospel was written sometime in the 70s.

If Mark was not the Gospel’s actual author, why would such an important book have been attributed to a Christian figure who was so little known? Would it not have been more natural to attribute the work directly to Peter if its actual author was unknown?

The early readers trusted Mark’s account. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why Matthew and Luke would have used Mark as a source (compare Luke 1:1–4).

It is clear that Simon Peter, an uneducated fisherman, could not have managed without an interpreter. From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12:17) and Paul’s references to Peter (1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 2:11), we know that from the 40s AD onward, Peter travelled around the eastern Mediterranean, proclaiming the Gospel to the Jews. However, many Jews living in the Diaspora, scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, no longer knew the sacred language of their ancestors, Hebrew—or, more precisely, its dialect, Aramaic. Instead, they spoke Greek, the common language of the eastern Roman Empire.

The Greek used by Mark is rather awkward in places, suggesting that he, too, was not a highly educated man.

The Gospel of Mark was written for Gentile Christians, as Mark occasionally explains Jewish customs and practices (compare Mark 7:3, 12:42, 14:12, and 15:16).

Translator’s note: I have aimed for clear, natural English suitable for a Bible study guide while preserving the original author’s structure, tone, and theological perspective. I have retained the historical claims as presented in the Finnish text rather than revising them to reflect current scholarly debates. The quotation from Papias is translated into readable English from the Finnish version you supplied, rather than taken from a particular published English translation.

Who Was Mark?

John Mark is mentioned about ten times in the New Testament, although some of these references may refer to other Christians with the same name, since Mark was a common name at the time. We do not know a great deal about him, but we do know a few things.

A Christian congregation met at the home of his mother, Mary, in Jerusalem during the 40s AD. It was to this house that Peter went after an angel had freed him from prison (Acts 12:12). John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), so it is understandable that Barnabas took him along when he and Paul travelled from Jerusalem to Syrian Antioch after delivering aid to the Christians in Judea (Acts 12:25).

Mark also accompanied them on their first missionary journey, but he left Barnabas and Paul when their mission moved from Cyprus to the region of present-day Turkey (Acts 13:13).

Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on the second missionary journey as well, but Paul refused. As a result, the two parted company: Barnabas and Mark sailed to Cyprus, while Paul and Silas travelled to the region of present-day Turkey (Acts 15:36–41).

Later, Paul’s relationships with both Barnabas and Mark were restored, as he mentions them both as his fellow workers in his letters:

• 2 Timothy 4:11 — Mark (and Luke, meaning that two of the Gospel writers were together)
• Philemon 24 — Mark
• 1 Corinthians 9:6 — Barnabas

In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter refers to Mark as “my son Mark.” This has led some to suggest that Mark may have come to faith through Peter’s ministry.

Christian tradition tells us that Mark suffered martyrdom in Egypt.

Why Did the Gospels Begin to Be Written in the 60s AD?

Why did people begin writing the Gospels in the 60s AD in particular? There were several reasons.

1. More than thirty years had passed since Jesus’ death. The number of eyewitnesses was beginning to dwindle. Their testimony needed to be recorded before they died.

2. At the beginning of the 60s, three key leaders of the early Church suffered martyrdom:

- James, the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem in AD 62.
- Peter in Rome in AD 64.
- Paul in Rome in the late 60s, or around the same time as Peter.

3. Missionary work had established new congregations throughout the eastern Mediterranean. These communities also needed written accounts of Jesus’ life. Clearly, some material had already been written down before Mark, but Mark was probably the first to produce a comprehensive account of Jesus’ life (compare Luke 1:1–4).

The Structure of the Book

Geographically, the Gospel can be divided into three parts:

1. Mark 1:1–8:26 — Jesus’ ministry in Galilee.
2. Mark 8:27–10:52 — Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.
3. Mark 11:1–16:20 — Events in Jerusalem.

The final week of Jesus’ public ministry receives particular emphasis in Mark’s narrative. For this reason, the Gospel of Mark has been described as a passion narrative with an extended introduction.