Mark & John

19 Pages 4799 Words

ith these men in Rome.4 This is supported by remarks regarding the authorship from early church theologians, most notably Papias: “Mark became an interpreter of Peter; as many things as he remembered he wrote down accurately.”5 There has been speculation that Mark was really only an anonymous person, but this seems to have very little evidence and actually falls short of the historical testimony. However, this view is typically the widest held by scholars, primarily because it is believed that Papias merely suggested that Mark was the author because of his close connection with Peter.6 Nevertheless, it seems the first hypothesis is correct, which establishes a key fact: Mark was a missionary to Rome who had experience with the apostles. This is significant because it is this association that “...placed him in a unique position for writing a gospel to the Gentiles based on the teaching of Peter.”7
The composition of Mark’s gospel indicates that his intended audience was the Gentile community that was forming in Rome. His identity as a man who was in direct contact with the apostles there corroborates the content of his writing. Mark was cognizant of the fact that his audience would be rather ignorant of Jewish customs because the people were Greek or Roman, so he included many passages which “...reflect the Jewish environment and character of Jesus’ life.”8 Even the most mundane and basic practices were described, such as the washing of hands and purification of food containers.9 It was also important that Mark not only introduce Jesus’ lifestyle but relate to the Gentile way of life. For this reason he inserted specific Greek or Latin terms when describing such things as money and places of interest, an action which clearly illustrates that his gospel was meant to be read by people within the Roman Empire.10
Unlike the case of Mark’s gospel, the authorship of the Gospel of John is highly debatable. Church traditi...