25th of April. Saint Mark, apostle and evangelist. Holiday

Mark
or
John-Mark
[1] (+), apostle from 70, evangelist - author of the Gospel of Mark Memory January 4 (70 ap.), April 25, September 27, October 30 and in the Council of Cyprus Saints (Greek [2] )

Nephew of the Apostle Barnabas, born in Jerusalem. His mother Mary's house adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. As church tradition says, on the night of Christ’s suffering on the Cross, he followed Him, wrapped in a cloak, and ran away from the soldiers who grabbed him (Mark 14: 51-52). After the Ascension of the Lord, the house of the mother of St. Mark became a place of prayer meetings for Christians and a refuge for some of the apostles (Acts 12:12).

Apostle Mark was the closest companion of the apostles Peter, Paul and Barnabas. Together with the apostles Paul and Barnabas, Saint Mark was in Seleucia, from there he went to the island of Cyprus and walked all over it from east to west. In the city of Paphos, Saint Mark witnessed how the Apostle Paul struck the sorcerer Elimas with blindness (Acts 13: 6-12).

After his labors with the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem, and then, together with the Apostle Peter, visited Rome, from where, at his command, he went to Egypt, where he founded the Church.

During the second evangelistic journey of the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark met him in Antioch. From there he went to preach with the Apostle Barnabas in Cyprus, and then again went to Egypt, where, together with the Apostle Peter, he founded many Churches, including in Babylon. From this city, the Apostle Peter sent a message to the Christians of Asia Minor, in which he spoke with love of Saint Mark, his spiritual son (1 Pet. 5:13).

When the Apostle Paul was in prison in Rome, the Apostle Mark was in Ephesus, where the Apostle Timothy occupied the see. Together with him, the Apostle Mark arrived in Rome. There he wrote the Holy Gospel (c. 62-63).

From Rome, Saint Mark again withdrew to Egypt and in Alexandria he founded a Christian school, from which later famous fathers and teachers of the Church emerged. Zealous for the organization of church services, the holy Apostle Mark compiled the order of the Liturgy for the Alexandrian Christians. Then Saint Mark, preaching the Gospel, visited the interior regions of Africa and was in Libya and Nectopolis.

During these travels, Saint Mark received a command from the Holy Spirit to go to Alexandria again to preach and oppose the pagans.
There he settled in the house of the shoemaker Anian, whose sick hand he healed. The shoemaker joyfully received the holy apostle, listened with faith to his stories about Christ and was baptized. Following Anian, many residents of the part of the city where he lived were baptized. This aroused the hatred of the pagans, and they were going to kill Saint Mark. Having learned about this, the holy apostle made Anian a bishop, and three Christians: Malko, Savin and Kerdin - presbyters. The pagans attacked Saint Mark while the apostle was performing divine services. He was beaten, dragged through the streets of the city and thrown into prison. There Saint Mark was rewarded with a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, who strengthened him before suffering. The next day, an angry crowd again dragged the holy apostle through the streets of the city to the judgment seat, but on the way Saint Mark died with the words: “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.”

The pagans wanted to burn the body of the holy apostle. But when the fire was lit, everything went dark, thunder was heard and an earthquake occurred. The pagans fled in fear, and the Christians took the body of the apostle and buried him in a stone tomb. It was April 4th of the year.

In 310, a church was built over the relics of the Apostle Mark. In 820, the saint's relics were transferred to Venice and placed in a temple named after him.

In the ancient iconographic tradition, which gave the holy Evangelists symbols borrowed from the vision of St. John the Theologian (Rev. 4:7), the Evangelist Mark is depicted with a lion - in commemoration of the power and royal dignity of Christ (Rev. 5:5).

Prayers

Troparion, tone 3

[3]

Having learned from the supreme Peter,/ you were an apostle of Christ/ and, like the sun of the countries, you became a blessing to Alexandria, blessed:/ by you Egypt was freed from delusion,/ by your gospel enlightened everything with honor,/ like a light, a pillar of the church./ For this reason We honor your memory, we brightly celebrate,/ Marco, God-Glass,/ pray to God with the gospel, // that forgiveness of sins may be granted to our souls

.

Kontakion, tone 2

From on high we receive the grace of the Spirit,/ you destroyed the rhetorical weaving, O apostle,/ and, having caught all the tongues, O all-glorious Marco,/ you brought to your Master,// Having preached the Divine Gospel

.

• Troparion, tone 4, from the Greek Menaion [4]

Petrov, a traveler/ and a sacred companion,/ the words of a servant and a wise seer/ appeared to you, O apostle./ Moreover, the Divine Good News of the Savior, Marke, inscribed,/ as it is hidden heavenly servant.// For this reason, evangelist, we magnify you with love

.

Memory of the Apostle and Evangelist Mark in the Orthodox Church. Reference

As church tradition says, on the night of Christ’s Passion on the Cross, Mark followed Him, wrapped in a cloak, and ran away from the soldiers who grabbed him.

From the Book of Acts of the Apostles it is known that the mother of the Evangelist Mark, Mary, had her own house in Jerusalem, adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane, in which Jesus Christ prayed before he was captured. After the Ascension of the Lord, during the persecution of Christians, this house served as a place of prayer meetings for many believers and a refuge for some of the Apostles. In his mother's house, Saint Mark had the opportunity to become close to the Apostles themselves. He had a particularly close relationship with the Apostle Peter, who had fatherly love for him, as evidenced by his letter, in which he calls Mark his son.

Together with Paul and Barnabas, Saint Mark took part in their first Apostolic journey from Antioch, as their closest assistant for preaching the Gospel. He was in the seaside city of Seleucia, from here he sailed to the island of Cyprus and passed it from east to west from Salamis to Paphos. Then Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem, and then, together with the Apostle Peter, visited Rome, from where, at the behest of Peter, he went to Egypt. In Alexandria, the main city of Egypt, Saint Mark founded a church and was its first bishop. He composed the rite of the Liturgy for the Alexandrian Christians. Here he laid the foundation for a Christian school, from which subsequently came such famous fathers and teachers of the Church as Clement of Alexandria, St. Dionysius, St. Gregory the Wonderworker and others.

Then Saint Mark, preaching the Gospel, visited the interior regions of Africa and was in Libya and Nectopolis. After visiting several more countries, he returned to Rome, finding the Apostle Paul imprisoned there. There, as church tradition says, St. Mark wrote his Gospel, which is included in the New Testament (c. 62-63).

As ancient church writers testify, the Gospel of Mark is a brief record of the sermon and stories of the Apostle Peter. Returning to Alexandria, the apostle strengthened the believers, opposing the pagans, which aroused their hatred. Saint Mark, foreseeing his end, hastened to leave behind successors - Bishop Ananias and three presbyters. Soon, during the service, the pagans attacked the apostle, beat him, dragged him through the streets of the city and threw him into prison. At night the Savior appeared to him and encouraged him.

The next morning, a crowd of pagans again dragged the Apostle Mark to the judgment seat, but on the way St. The evangelist died with the words: “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.”

The pagans wanted to burn the body of the holy apostle. But when the fire was lit, everything went dark, thunder rang out, and an earthquake occurred. The pagans fled in fear, and the Christians took the body of the holy apostle and buried him in a stone tomb.

A church was built over the relics of St. Mark in 310, and they remained in Alexandria until the 9th century. In 820, when the power of the Mohammedan Arabs was established in Egypt and the Christian Church was being pressed by non-believers, the relics of the saint were transferred to Venice and placed in the temple named after him, where they rest to this day.

Venice venerates St. apostle as his first enlightener.

A very ancient manuscript of the Gospel of Mark is also kept here, written on thin Egyptian papyrus, according to legend, by the hand of the Evangelist himself. According to ancient iconographic tradition, St. Mark corresponds to the symbol of the lion, which is written about in the “Revelation” of St. John the Theologian.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Passage characterizing the Apostle Mark

“After all, this is our Tikhon,” said the esaul. - He! they are! “What a rogue,” Denisov said. - He will go away! - Esaul said, narrowing his eyes. The man they called Tikhon, running up to the river, splashed into it so that splashes flew, and, hiding for a moment, all black from the water, he got out on all fours and ran on. The French running after him stopped. “Well, he’s clever,” said the esaul. - What a beast! – Denisov said with the same expression of annoyance. - And what has he been doing so far? - Who is this? – Petya asked. - This is our plastun. I sent him to take the tongue. “Oh, yes,” Petya said from Denisov’s first word, nodding his head as if he understood everything, although he absolutely did not understand a single word. Tikhon Shcherbaty was one of the most necessary people in the party. He was a man from Pokrovskoye near Gzhat. When, at the beginning of his actions, Denisov came to Pokrovskoye and, as always, calling the headman, asked what they knew about the French, the headman answered, as all the headmen answered, as if defending themselves, that they didn’t know anything, to know they don't know. But when Denisov explained to them that his goal was to beat the French, and when he asked if the French had wandered in, the headman said that there were definitely marauders, but that in their village only one Tishka Shcherbaty was involved in these matters. Denisov ordered Tikhon to be called to him and, praising him for his activities, said a few words in front of the headman about the loyalty to the Tsar and the Fatherland and the hatred of the French that the sons of the Fatherland should observe. “We don’t do anything bad to the French,” said Tikhon, apparently timid at Denisov’s words. “That’s the only way we fooled around with the guys.” They must have beaten about two dozen Miroders, otherwise we didn’t do anything bad... - The next day, when Denisov, completely forgetting about this guy, left Pokrovsky, he was informed that Tikhon had joined the party and asked to be left with it. Denisov ordered to leave him. Tikhon, who at first corrected the menial work of laying fires, delivering water, skinning horses, etc., soon showed greater willingness and ability for guerrilla warfare. He went out at night to hunt for prey and each time brought with him French clothes and weapons, and when he was ordered, he also brought prisoners. Denisov dismissed Tikhon from work, began to take him with him on travels and enrolled him in the Cossacks. Tikhon did not like to ride and always walked, never falling behind the cavalry. His weapons were a blunderbuss, which he wore more for fun, a pike and an ax, which he wielded like a wolf wields his teeth, equally easily picking out fleas from his fur and biting through thick bones. Tikhon equally faithfully, with all his might, split logs with an ax and, taking the ax by the butt, used it to cut out thin pegs and cut out spoons. In Denisov's party, Tikhon occupied his special, exclusive place. When it was necessary to do something especially difficult and disgusting - turn a cart over in the mud with your shoulder, pull a horse out of a swamp by the tail, skin it, climb into the very middle of the French, walk fifty miles a day - everyone pointed, laughing, at Tikhon. “What the hell is he doing, you big gelding,” they said about him. Once, the Frenchman whom Tikhon was taking shot at him with a pistol and hit him in the flesh of his back. This wound, for which Tikhon was treated only with vodka, internally and externally, was the subject of the funniest jokes in the entire detachment and jokes to which Tikhon willingly succumbed. - What, brother, won’t you? Is Ali crooked? - the Cossacks laughed at him, and Tikhon, deliberately crouching and making faces, pretending that he was angry, scolded the French with the most ridiculous curses. This incident had only the influence on Tikhon that after his wound he rarely brought prisoners. Tikhon was the most useful and brave man in the party. No one else discovered cases of attack, no one else took him and beat the French; and as a result of this, he was the jester of all the Cossacks and hussars and he himself willingly succumbed to this rank. Now Tikhon was sent by Denisov, at night, to Shamshevo in order to take the tongue. But, either because he was not satisfied with just the Frenchman, or because he slept through the night, during the day he climbed into the bushes, into the very middle of the French and, as Denisov saw from Mount Denisov, was discovered by them. After talking a little more time with the esaul about tomorrow's attack, which now, looking at the proximity of the French, Denisov seemed to have finally decided, he turned his horse and rode back. “Well, darling, now let’s go dry off,” he said to Petya. Approaching the forest guardhouse, Denisov stopped, peering into the forest. Through the forest, between the trees, a man in a jacket, bast shoes and a Kazan hat, with a gun over his shoulder and an ax in his belt, walked with long, light steps on long legs, with long, dangling arms. Seeing Denisov, this man hastily threw something into the bush and, taking off his wet hat with its drooping brim, approached the boss. It was Tikhon. His face, pitted with smallpox and wrinkles, with small, narrow eyes, shone with self-satisfied gaiety. He raised his head high and, as if holding back laughter, stared at Denisov. - Well, where did you fall? - Denisov said. - Where had you been? “I followed the French,” Tikhon answered boldly and hastily in a hoarse but melodious bass. - Why did you climb during the day? Cattle! Well, didn’t you take it?.. “I took it,” said Tikhon. - Where is he? “Yes, I took him first at dawn,” Tikhon continued, moving his flat legs turned out wider in his bast shoes, “and took him into the forest.” I see it's not okay. I think, let me go and get another more careful one. “Look, you scoundrel, that’s how it is,” Denisov said to the esaul. - Why didn’t you do this? “Why should we lead him,” Tikhon interrupted hastily and angrily, “he’s not fit.” Don't I know which ones you need? “What a beast!.. Well?..” “I went after someone else,” Tikhon continued, “I crawled into the forest in this manner, and then lay down.” – Tikhon suddenly and flexibly lay down on his belly, imagining in their faces how he did it. “One and catch up,” he continued. “I’ll rob him in this manner.” – Tikhon quickly and easily jumped up. “Let’s go, I say, to the colonel.” How loud he will be. And there are four of them here. They rushed at me with skewers. “I hit them with an ax in this manner: why are you, Christ is with you,” Tikhon cried, waving his arms and frowning menacingly, sticking out his chest. “We saw from the mountain how you asked a line through the puddles,” said the esaul, narrowing his shining eyes. Petya really wanted to laugh, but he saw that everyone was holding back from laughing. He quickly moved his eyes from Tikhon’s face to the faces of the esaul and Denisov, not understanding what it all meant. “You can’t imagine it,” Denisov said, coughing angrily. – Why didn’t peg’vogo pg’ivel? Tikhon began to scratch his back with one hand, his head with the other, and suddenly his whole face stretched into a shining, stupid smile, revealing a missing tooth (for which he was nicknamed Shcherbaty). Denisov smiled, and Petya burst into cheerful laughter, which Tikhon himself joined in. “Yes, it’s completely wrong,” said Tikhon. “The clothes he’s wearing are bad, so where should we take him?” Yes, and a rude man, your honor. Why, he says, I myself am the son of Anaral, I won’t go, he says. - What a brute! - Denisov said. “I need to ask…” “Yes, I asked him,” said Tikhon. - He says: I don’t know him well. There are many of ours, he says, but all of them are bad; only, he says, one name. “If you’re fine,” he says, “you’ll take everyone,” Tikhon concluded, looking cheerfully and decisively into Denisov’s eyes. “Here, I’ll pour in a hundred of them, and you’ll do the same,” Denisov said sternly. “Why be angry,” said Tikhon, “well, I haven’t seen your French?” Just let it get dark, I’ll bring whatever you want, at least three. “Well, let’s go,” Denisov said, and he rode all the way to the guardhouse, frowning angrily and silently. Tikhon came from behind, and Petya heard the Cossacks laughing with him and at him about some boots that he had thrown into a bush. When the laughter that had taken over him at Tikhon’s words and smile passed, and Petya realized for a moment that this Tikhon had killed a man, he felt embarrassed. He looked back at the captive drummer, and something pierced his heart. But this awkwardness lasted only for a moment. He felt the need to raise his head higher, cheer up and ask the esaul with a significant look about tomorrow's enterprise, so as not to be unworthy of the society in which he was. The sent officer met Denisov on the road with the news that Dolokhov himself would arrive now and that everything was fine on his part. Denisov suddenly became cheerful and called Petya over to him. “Well, tell me about yourself,” he said. When Petya left Moscow, leaving his relatives, he joined his regiment and soon after that he was taken as an orderly to the general who commanded a large detachment. From the time of his promotion to officer, and especially from his entry into the active army, where he participated in the Battle of Vyazemsky, Petya was in a constantly happily excited state of joy at the fact that he was great, and in a constantly enthusiastic haste not to miss any case of real heroism . He was very happy with what he saw and experienced in the army, but at the same time it seemed to him that where he was not, that was where the most real, heroic things were now happening. And he was in a hurry to get to where he was not. When on October 21 his general expressed a desire to send someone to Denisov’s detachment, Petya asked so pitifully to send him that the general could not refuse. But, sending him, the general, remembering Petya’s crazy act in the battle of Vyazemsky, where Petya, instead of going along the road to where he was sent, galloped in a chain under the fire of the French and shot there twice from his pistol, - sending him, the general namely, he forbade Petya to participate in any of Denisov’s actions. Because of this, Petya blushed and became confused when Denisov asked if he could stay. Before leaving for the edge of the forest, Petya believed that he needed to strictly fulfill his duty and return immediately. But when he saw the French, saw Tikhon, learned that they would certainly attack that night, he, with the speed of transitions of young people from one glance to another, decided with himself that his general, whom he had hitherto greatly respected, was rubbish, the German that Denisov is a hero, and Esaul is a hero, and that Tikhon is a hero, and that he would be ashamed to leave them in difficult times.

Good News for Roman Christians

Mark wrote his Gospel at the request of newly converted Roman Christians. At this moment he was again in Rome and was most likely a witness to the martyrdom of both of his teachers - the great apostles Peter and Paul.

It is no coincidence that the Gospel of Mark opens with the words: The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). The expression “the beginning of the Gospel” is used in the New Testament - in particular, in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul - in the meaning of “the initial stage of the Gospel preaching.” The Apostle Mark also strives to give the newly converted Roman Christians initial, basic knowledge of who Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is, and what faith in Him consists of. The people to whom the apostle addresses were raised as pagans: they did not read the Old Testament, they most likely had little idea of ​​where Judea was, they never worshiped the One God, they did not expect any Messiah. How can you hook them? What will touch their hearts? And the Apostle Mark, who grew up under the shadow of the Old Testament law, takes the point of view of his flock, as if forgetting everything that he himself knows. The main message that he strives with all his might to convey to Christians who have recently abandoned pagan customs is that Christ came as the Conqueror of death. He died and rose from the dead.

For the goal that the Apostle Mark sets for himself, the brevity and conciseness of the narrative that he chose is most suitable. The action develops rapidly, one picture replaces another, and everywhere we see the Victorious Lord, abolishing illness, suffering and the root of suffering - sin. Mark, unlike other evangelists, is focused not on the teachings of Christ, not on His words, but on His deeds.

The Apostle Mark carefully preserved in his memory the details conveyed to him by the Apostle Peter. He felt not so much like the author of the gospel narrative, but rather a translator, or rather, an interpreter of the memories of his teacher. In the text of the Gospel of Mark, we hear the living and fiery voice of the Apostle Peter, we hear his bitter cry of repentance on the cold night preceding the Savior’s suffering on the Cross.

The Gospel of Mark is written in Greek, but it is clear that it was created for those who speak Latin: Mark incomparably more often than other evangelists cites Latin words in the text - such as “centurion”, “speculator”, “legion” ", "qualification" - and explains Greek expressions through Latin terms.

The author of the Gospel is a native of Palestine, and he takes pleasure in showing his Roman readers the beauty of his native language, so in the Gospel of Mark we often hear the words of the Lord as they sounded in His native dialect. Here He heals a deaf man who is tongue-tied and, touching his tongue, says: Ephphatha (open) (Mark 7:34). He takes the recently deceased girl by the hand and says: talifa kumi, which means: “maid, I tell you, stand up” (Mark 5:41). He suffers a painful death on the Cross and says: Eloi! Eloi! lamma sabachthani? - which means “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Mark 15:33).