Verses
The bloodthirsty
dragged Mark along the earth,
Sending to the heavens him who they did not recognize.
On the twenty-fifth the senseless ones dragged Mark along earth.
Sending to the heavens him who they did not recognize.
On the twenty-fifth the senseless ones dragged Mark along earth.
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark was a Jew
by birth, of the tribe of Levi. His Hebrew name was John, but attached his
Latin name Mark to it when he joined the Apostle Peter to preach the gospel in
Rome. He is considered one of the Seventy Apostles of the Lord by Origen and
Saint Epiphanios of Salamis.
In his Gospel he records how a certain youth
secretly followed the Lord wrapped only in a linen sheet when He was betrayed
in the Garden of Gethsemane, and when soldiers laid hold of the young man, he
escaped naked, leaving the sheet behind in their hands (Mk. 14:51-52). It is
believed by many that this youth was the Apostle Mark himself, and that he
followed the Lord wearing only a linen may indicate that he lived nearby in the
garden, thus indicating that the Garden of Gethsemane was the property of his
family. In the Book of Acts we are further told that Mark's mother, Mary, owned
a house in Jerusalem in which the Apostle Peter found refuge after his
miraculous deliverance from prison by an angel (Acts 12:1-12). This house had
served as a place of congregation and worship after the Lord ascended into
heaven. It was at this time that Mark developed a close friendship with the
Apostle Peter, as Peter testifies in his epistle when he calls Mark his son,
saying: "The Church that is in Babylon, elected together, greets you; and
so does Mark, my son" (1 Pet. 5:13).
Mark was also a nephew of the Apostle Barnabas,
who was a Levite by descent, though born on the island of Cyprus. Through him
Mark was introduced to the Apostle Paul when he first arrived in Jerusalem
following his conversion. Thus Mark became a close and invaluable companion of both
Peter and Paul.
Joining Paul and Barnabas in Antioch around the
year 44, Mark took part in their first missionary journey. After spreading the
gospel on the island of Cyprus, Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to his
mother in Jerusalem. There he attached himself to Peter, who set out for Rome.
Together they established the Church of Christ in Rome, converting both Jews
and pagans alike to the Christian faith. Desiring an account of the life and
teachings of the Lord, Mark was approached by the new Christians of Rome to
record all that he and Peter taught them. Mark agreed to fulfill their good
desire, so he wrote down accurately what was deemed most profitable for them.
Thus the Gospel of Mark, written with the approval of the Apostle Peter, has
apostolic authority and is part of divinely-inspired Scripture.
After laboring in Rome, Mark was sent by Peter
to preach the gospel in the city of Aquilea, which lies at the northern end of
the Adriatic Sea. Establishing a Church there, he visited other places along
the Adriatic Sea, founding Churches everywhere. After this, again at the
insistence of Peter, Mark was sent to Egypt to spread the gospel. This took
place, as Patriarch Eutychios of Alexandria bears witness, in the ninth year of
the reign of Emperor Claudius (c. 49 AD).
At that time many Jews lived in Egypt, so it was
to them that Mark was to proclaim the gospel first. After first sojourning in
Pentapolis and establishing a Church there, the Holy Spirit informed him to go
to Alexandria. Arriving in Alexandria he went to certain place called Medion,
where at the city gates his sandal split in two. Seeing a cobbler repairing an
old shoe nearby, the Saint gave him his sandal to fix. While working on the
sandal, he accidentally ran his awl through his hand, and cried out in pain.
The Holy Apostle saw this as an opportunity to share the power of the Lord. As
the wound gushed forth blood and the cobbler was in pain, Mark made clay of the
dirt and smeared it on the cobblers hand calling upon the Lord to make this
man's hand whole again. Immediately the blood stopped and the wound was
completely healed. In return the cobbler, whose name was Ananias, thanked Mark
and invited him to stay in his home and have dinner. Mark consented, and at
dinner he taught the cobbler the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. The
cobbler believed the words of Mark, which were further confirmed by the
miracle, and he and his entire household were baptized, together with many in
the area. Day by day the number of faithful increased.
Upon hearing that the rulers of the city sought
Mark in order to kill him for leading people away from the pagan faith of their
fathers, he hastened to ordain Ananias a bishop. With him he also ordained
three priests - Malchus, Sabinus and Cedronus -, seven deacons and eleven other
ministers for the ministry of the Church. He then fled to Pentapolis, where he
remained for two years establishing the Church there and ordaining men to
minister to it. After going through all the surrounding regions and cities, he
returned to Alexandria and found near the sea a church that had been erected in
a place called Bukulus. Seeing this Mark rejoiced and gave glory to God. He
remained there for some time, and saw the Church of Alexandria grow
considerably. He also worked many miracles there, healing the sick, causing the
deaf to hear and the blind to see. Yet as the Church grew, the less people went
to the pagan temples. This brought new threats against Mark, so he left and
returned to Jerusalem.
After this Mark joined the Apostle Paul in Rome
as he languished in prison. We read in Paul's epistle to the Colossians that
Mark was one of his few co-workers in Rome that were a consolation to him, and
that at the instructions of Paul, Mark left Rome to go to Colossae in Asia
Minor to counteract false teachers who were leading the Colossian Christians
astray (Col. 2:8-18; 4: 10-11).
While in Asia Minor, Mark met up with the
Apostle Timothy who was bishop of Ephesus. As Paul was in prison he asked
Timothy in an epistle to come to Rome to assist him and charged also to
"take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the
ministry" (2 Tim. 4:11). In Rome Mark witnessed his two teachers, Peter
and Paul, die martyric deaths for the love of Christ.
Mark returned then to Egypt and found the
Churches he established there in good order. It is believed that at this time
the Apostle Mark established in Alexandria a Christian catechetical school to
counteract the pagan schools of Alexandria for the benefit of the Christians
there who loved learning. He also codified a Divine Liturgy at this time to be
used by all the Christians of Alexandria.
We have an idea of what these Churches in Egypt
were like from the historian Eusebius, who preserved a historical text of the
Jewish philosopher Philo, a contemporary of the Apostles, who praised the
virtuous life of the Egyptian Christians. Eusebius writes:
"And they say that this Mark was the first
that was sent to Egypt, and that he proclaimed the gospel which he had written,
and first established churches in Alexandria. And the multitude of believers,
both men and women, that were collected there at the very outset, and lived
lives of the most philosophical and excessive asceticism, was so great, that
Philo thought it worth while to describe their pursuits, their meetings, their
entertainments, and their whole manner of life.... And since he describes as accurately
as possible the life of our ascetics, it is clear that he not only knew, but
that he also approved, while he venerated and extolled, the apostolic men of
his time, who were as it seems of the Hebrew race, and hence observed, after
the manner of the Jews, the most of the customs of the ancients.
In the work to which he gave the title, On
a Contemplative Life or on
Suppliants, after affirming in the first place
that he will add to those things which he is about to relate nothing contrary
to truth or of his own invention, he says that these men were called
Therapeutae and the women that were with them Therapeutrides. He then adds the
reasons for such a name, explaining it from the fact that they applied remedies
and healed the souls of those who came to them, by relieving them like
physicians, of evil passions, or from the fact that they served and worshiped
the Deity in purity and sincerity. Whether Philo himself gave them this name,
employing an epithet well suited to their mode of life, or whether the first of
them really called themselves so in the beginning, since the name of Christians
was not yet everywhere known, we need not discuss here.
He bears witness, however, that first of all
they renounce their property. When they begin the philosophical mode of life,
he says, they give up their goods to their relatives, and then, renouncing all
the cares of life, they go forth beyond the walls and dwell in lonely fields
and gardens, knowing well that intercourse with people of a different character
is unprofitable and harmful. They did this at that time, as seems probable,
under the influence of a spirited and ardent faith, practicing in emulation the
prophets' mode of life. For in the Acts of the Apostles, a work universally
acknowledged as authentic, it is recorded that all the companions of the
apostles sold their possessions and their property and distributed to all
according to the necessity of each one, so that no one among them was in want.
'For as many as were possessors of lands or houses,' as the account says, 'sold
them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the
apostles' feet, so that distribution was made unto every man according as he
had need' (Acts 2:45).
Philo bears witness to facts very much like
those here described and then adds the following account: 'Everywhere in the
world is this race found. For it was fitting that both Greek and Barbarian
should share in what is perfectly good. But the race particularly abounds in
Egypt, in each of its so-called nomes, and especially about Alexandria. The
best men from every quarter emigrate, as if to a colony of the Therapeutae's
fatherland, to a certain very suitable spot which lies above the Lake Maria
upon a low hill excellently situated on account of its security and the
mildness of the atmosphere.'
And then a little further on, after describing
the kind of houses which they had, he speaks as follows concerning their
churches, which were scattered about here and there: 'In each house there is a
sacred apartment which is called a sanctuary and monastery, where, quite alone,
they perform the mysteries of the religious life. They bring nothing into it,
neither drink nor food, nor any of the other things which contribute to the
necessities of the body, but only the laws, and the inspired oracles of the
prophets, and hymns and such other things as augment and make perfect their
knowledge and piety.'
And after some other matters he says: 'The whole
interval, from morning to evening, is for them a time of exercise. For they
read the holy Scriptures, and explain the philosophy of their fathers in an
allegorical manner, regarding the written words as symbols of hidden truth
which is communicated in obscure figures. They have also writings of ancient
men, who were the founders of their sect, and who left many monuments of the
allegorical method. These they use as models, and imitate their principles.'
These things seem to have been stated by a man
who had heard them expounding their sacred writings. But it is highly probable
that the works of the ancients, which he says they had, were the Gospels and
the writings of the apostles, and probably some expositions of the ancient
prophets, such as are contained in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in many
others of Paul's Epistles.
Then again he writes as follows concerning the
new psalms which they composed: 'So that they not only spend their time in
meditation, but they also compose songs and hymns to God in every variety of
metre and melody, though they divide them, of course, into measures of more
than common solemnity.'
'Having laid down temperance as a sort of
foundation in the soul, they build upon it the other virtues. None of them may
take food or drink before sunset, since they regard philosophizing as a work
worthy of the light, but attention to the wants of the body as proper only in
the darkness, and therefore assign the day to the former, but to the latter a
small portion of the night. But some, in whom a great desire for knowledge
dwells, forget to take food for three days; and some are so delighted and feast
so luxuriously upon wisdom, which furnishes doctrines richly and without stint,
that they abstain even twice as long as this, and are accustomed, after six
days, scarcely to take necessary food.'
These statements of Philo we regard as referring
clearly and indisputably to those of our communion. But if after these things
any one still obstinately persists in denying the reference, let him renounce
his incredulity and be convinced by yet more striking examples, which are to be
found nowhere else than in the evangelical religion of the Christians.
'For they say that there were women also with
those of whom we are speaking, and that the most of them were aged virgins who
had preserved their chastity, not out of necessity, as some of the priestesses
among the Greeks, but rather by their own choice, through zeal and a desire for
wisdom. And that in their earnest desire to live with it as their companion
they paid no attention to the pleasures of the body, seeking not mortal but
immortal progeny, which only the pious soul is able to bear of itself.'
Then after a little he adds still more
emphatically: 'They expound the Sacred Scriptures figuratively by means of
allegories. For the whole law seems to these men to resemble a living organism,
of which the spoken words constitute the body, while the hidden sense stored up
within the words constitutes the soul. This hidden meaning has first been
particularly studied by this sect, which sees, revealed as in a mirror of
names, the surpassing beauties of the thoughts.'
Why is it necessary to add to these things their
meetings and the respective occupations of the men and of the women during
those meetings, and the practices which are even to the present day habitually
observed by us, especially such as we are accustomed to observe at the feast of
the Savior's passion, with fasting and night watching and study of the divine
Word. These things the above-mentioned author has related in his own work,
indicating a mode of life which has been preserved to the present time by us
alone, recording especially the vigils kept in connection with the great
festival, and the exercises performed during those vigils, and the hymns
customarily recited by us, and describing how, while one sings regularly in
time, the others listen in silence, and join in chanting only the close of the
hymns; and how, on the days referred to they sleep on the ground on beds of
straw, and to use his own words, 'taste no wine at all, nor any flesh, but
water is their only drink, and the relish with their bread is salt and hyssop.'
In addition to this Philo describes the order of
dignities which exists among those who carry on the services of the church,
mentioning the diaconate, and the office of bishop, which takes the precedence
over all the others. But whosoever desires a more accurate knowledge of these
matters may get it from the history already cited. But that Philo, when he
wrote these things, had in view the first heralds of the gospel and the customs
handed down from the beginning by the apostles, is clear to every one."
Such was the fragrant garden of Christ that the
Holy Apostle Mark planted in the land of Egypt.
Saint Symeon Metaphrastes recounts for us the
martyrdom of the Apostle Mark in Alexandria. He says that when it was the
festival to Serapis, the pagans finally managed to arrest Saint Mark. As he was
serving the Divine Liturgy, a pagan mob attacked the church and seized Mark.
They dragged Mark through the streets on ground littered with sharp stones,
causing him to bleed profusely. After being cast into prison, an angel appeared
to him at midnight and strengthened him for the struggle of martyrdom; the Lord
Jesus Christ also appeared to him and comforted him by His appearance. In the
morning the angry mob dragged him out of prison to the streets of the city.
Unable to sustain any more wounds, Saint Mark gave thanks to God and
surrendered to Him his spirit. The mob intended to burn Mark's body in a great
fire, but suddenly a great storm arose and everyone fled. Pious Christians took
up his body with reverence, and interred it in a stone tomb where they also
held their prayer services.
In the year 310 a church was erected over the
tomb of Saint Mark, and his relic remained in Alexandria until the ninth
century. In 828, when Islam had dominated Egypt and Monophysitism had weakened
the Orthodox Church in Egypt, the relics of the holy Evangelist were transferred
to Venice. There they rest to this day, in a magnificent church dedicated to
him.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
From your early youth,
O Mark, the truth enlightened you, and you loved the labor of Christ the
Savior. Wherefore you followed Peter zealously and ministered unto Paul as a
good fellow-laborer. In recording the Gospel, you have enlightened the world.
Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/04/holy-apostle-mark-evangelist.html
CONVERSATION