AUTHOR: John Mark, cousin of Barnabas [ Col 4:10 ] and son of Mary, an illustrious lady who used her residence for the meetings of the disciples of Jesus [ At 12:12 ] . Mark joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch, returning to Jerusalem upon reaching Perge [Acts 4:10]. An ancient tradition holds that Mark was a companion of Peter, which is why this book is called The Gospel of Peter by some ancient writers. It is generally accepted that Pedro provided or suggested much of the material found in the book.

THEME: Mark presents the Person of Christ as a servant of Yahweh [ Is 52:13 ] and [ Is 53:11 ]. The use of the title Son of Man, which identifies the human form of Jesus, occurs 14 times in this Gospel, and is interpreted in most cases according to this concept. However, from the beginning of his Gospel, Mark identifies the humble Servant as the very Son of God, whose ministry is authenticated by His mighty works. the Gospel gives a brief narrative of three years of the Captain of our salvation, directed and ended in the furtherance of the deliverance of our souls and the defeat of Satan, through the works of Christ and his sufferings, death, resurrection and final triumph.

RECIPIENTS: Mark aimed to introduce the Person, work and teachings of Jesus to Christians in Rome and other Gentiles. It seems clear that it was not specially adapted for Jewish readers, as it contains few references to Old Testament prophecies. The book omits any reference to Jesus' genealogy as well as his childhood. Gentiles were more interested in power than genealogies.

COMPILATION: It is the shortest of the four gospels, it was the first to be written probably in Rome between 60 and 70 AD. It consists of 16 chapters and 678 verses.