# Saint Mark the Evangelist Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/saint-mark-the-evangelist — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02) Saint Mark the Evangelist is honored as the founder and first patriarch of the Coptic Church, a Gospel writer, and a martyr whose commemoration falls on 30 Baramudah.[^1][^2] ## Identity and sources Saint Mark the Evangelist, also known as John Mark, is traditionally regarded as the author of the Gospel of Mark and the first patriarch of the Coptic Church.[^1] The Egyptian Church honors him as its patron saint and commemorates his martyrdom on 30 Baramudah.[^2] The supplied biographical entry acknowledges the scarcity of historical sources and explicitly presents the Coptic traditional account, drawing on the work of Pope Shenouda III.[^1] ## Early life and missionary work According to that account, Mark was born in Cyrene into a Jewish family that later moved to Jerusalem; his mother, Mary, supported his education in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.[^3] The narrative describes his missionary journeys with Paul and Barnabas through Antioch and Cyprus, followed by his departure from them at Perga and return to Jerusalem.[^4] The sources differ concerning his relationship to Jesus: the biographical entry calls him one of the Twelve, while its continuation identifies him with the seventy disciples recognized in Coptic tradition; Papias, quoted in the Gospel entry, states that Mark had neither heard nor followed Jesus, but subsequently followed Peter.[^1][^5][^6] ## Mission in Alexandria Mark’s arrival in Alexandria dates to AD 42 and his martyrdom there to AD 68.[^7] The traditional conversion narrative centers on Anianus, a cobbler who injured his hand while repairing Mark’s sandal: Mark is said to have healed him, preached to him, and baptized his household.[^8] As the community grew and opposition increased, Mark ordained Anianus as bishop, together with three presbyters and seven deacons, before leaving Alexandria temporarily.[^8] On his return, he found that the Christians had established a church at Bucalis beside the eastern harbor; Anianus subsequently succeeded him as patriarch.[^8] ## The Gospel Papias’s testimony, preserved by Eusebius, describes Mark as Peter’s interpreter who accurately recorded what he remembered of the Lord’s words and deeds, though not in systematic order.[^6] The Coptic biographical account accepts Petrine material in the Gospel but rejects the conclusion that Mark merely transcribed Peter’s dictation.[^9] The supplied sources also present differing dates of composition: the biography discusses a date around AD 45, whereas its continuation reports a scholarly preference for the sixties of the first century.[^9][^10] ## Martyrdom and relics The martyrdom narrative recounts that a hostile crowd seized Mark while he was leading Easter prayers at Bucalis in AD 68, when Easter coincided with a festival of Serapis.[^10] It describes his being dragged through Alexandria, imprisoned overnight, and dragged again the following day until he died; Christians then buried him beneath the altar of the Bucalis church.[^11] The relic account states that his body was taken to Venice in 828.[^11] It further records that relics were returned to the Coptic Church in 1968 and deposited by Pope Cyril VI in the crypt of the new Cathedral of Saint Mark at Dayr Anba Ruways.[^12] ## Veneration and legacy Mark’s customary iconographic emblem is the winged lion.[^12] Coptic tradition attributes to him an early eucharistic text transmitted to Anianus and later edited by Cyril the Great; the liturgical entry identifies the Anaphora of Saint Cyril as a recension of the anaphoric portion of the Greek Liturgy of Saint Mark.[^13][^14] Tradition also associates Mark with the beginnings of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, while this early nucleus should not be equated with the elaborate institution of later centuries.[^15] ## Sources [^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 439) [^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 181) [^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 439) [^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 440) [^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 440) [^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 379) [^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia — Introduction, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 59) [^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 344) [^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 443) [^10]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 444) [^11]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 445) [^12]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 446) [^13]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 447) [^14]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 466) [^15]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 448)