Authenticity of the Gospel of Mark in New Testament

The Gospel of Mark is traditionally attributed to John Mark, also known as Mark, a figure mentioned in the New Testament ^{[1, 3]}. His Latin surname was Marcus, while his Jewish name was John, or Johanan ^[3]. He is identified in Acts 12:12, 25 and 15:37 as John Mark, and later simply as John in Acts 13:5, 13, and then as Mark in Acts 15:39 and subsequent epistles like Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11 ^{[3, 6]}. Mark was the son of Mary, a Jewish woman of some standing in Jerusalem, whose house served as a gathering place for believers, including Peter, after his release from prison ^{[3, 6]}. He was also a cousin of Barnabas ^[6].

Tradition holds that Mark derived much of his information for the Gospel from the discourses of Peter, acting as Peter's "disciple and interpreter" ^[2]. While he would have had opportunities to gather information from other apostles and their associates in his mother's house, his primary source is believed to be Peter ^[2].

The Gospel of Mark begins with the declaration, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1 KJV) ^[7]. This opening sets the tone for the narrative, which focuses on Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God ^[11]. The term "gospel" (Greek euaggelion) means "good message" or "good news" and refers to the inspired accounts of Christ's life and teachings ^{[4, 5]}. Matthew Henry notes that this "gospel of Jesus Christ" is the "new testament," which is divine and brings glad tidings ^{[8, 9]}. The Tyndale House commentary emphasizes that the Gospel of Mark is fundamentally "about Jesus," prompting readers to consider what each passage reveals about Him ^[11].

Regarding the dating of the Gospel, no definitive information is provided within the text itself ^{[1, 2]}. However, scholars generally place its composition before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 ^[4]. Irenaeus, an early church father, testified that it was written after the deaths of the apostles Peter and Paul, suggesting a date no earlier than A.D. 63 ^[1]. Easton's Bible Dictionary suggests a probable date around A.D. 63, noting that Mark makes no mention of Jerusalem's destruction ^[2]. Smith's Bible Dictionary concurs that it was likely written before A.D. 63, and certainly before the destruction of Jerusalem ^{[1, 4]}.

Mark's Gospel is characterized by its portrayal of Jesus as "a prophet, mighty in deed and word" ^[5]. It frequently uses the term "Good News" (gospel) throughout its narrative ^[11]. The Gospel also incorporates Old Testament prophecies to support its account of Jesus, such as the quotations in Mark 1:2-3, which refer to Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, highlighting John the Baptist's role as a prophetic messenger preparing the way for Jesus ^[10].

A significant point of scholarly discussion concerns the ending of Mark's Gospel. Nearly all scholars agree that the "shorter" and "longer" endings (Mark 16:9-20) were not originally written by Mark ^[12]. This conclusion is based on differences in style, vocabulary, and theology, as well as the absence of these endings in the two oldest Greek manuscripts, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus ^[12]. However, some scholars question whether Mark intended his Gospel to end abruptly at 16:8, given that such an ending would lack any reference to Jesus' resurrection appearances, which are emphasized in other Gospels and fulfill Jesus' own predictions ^[12].

Sources

Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Mark, Gospel Of — + By whom written.--The author of this Gospel has been universally believed to be Mark or Marcus, designated in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) as John Mark, and in ch. 5,13 as John. + When is was written.--Upon this point nothing absolutely certain can be affirmed, and the Gospel itself affords us no information. The most direct testimony is that of Irenaeus, who says it was after the death of the apostles Peter and Paul. We may conclude, therefore, that this Gospel was not written before A.D. 63. Again we may as certainly conclude that it was not written af”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Mark, Gospel according to — It is the current and apparently well-founded tradition that Mark derived his information mainly from the discourses of Peter. In his mother's house he would have abundant opportunities of obtaining information from the other apostles and their coadjutors, yet he was "the disciple and interpreter of Peter" specially. As to the time when it was written, the Gospel furnishes us with no definite information. Mark makes no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, hence it must have been written before that event, and probably about A.D. 63. Th”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Mark — one of the evangelists, and probable author of the Gospel bearing his name. (Marcus was his Latin surname. His Jewish name was John, which is the same as Johanan (the grace of God). We can almost trace the steps whereby the former became his prevalent name in the Church. "John, whose surname was Mark" in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) becomes "John" alone in (Acts 13:5,13) "Mark" in (Acts 15:39) and thenceforward there is no change. (Colossians 4:10); Phlm 1:24; 2Tim 4:11 The evangelist was the son of a certain Mary, a Jewish matron of some position who dwelt in Jerusa”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Gospels — The name Gospel (from god and spell, Ang. Sax. good message or news, which is a translation of the Greek euaggelion) is applied to the four inspired histories of the life and teaching of Christ contained in the New Testament, of which separate accounts are given in their place. They were all composed during the latter half of the first century: those of St. Matthew and St. Mark some years before the destruction of Jerusalem; that of St. Luke probably about A.D. 64; and that of St. John towards the close of the century. Before the end of the second century, t”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Gospels — The central fact of Christian preaching was the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Matt. 4:23; Rom. 10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person and mission of Christ by the term evangelion_ (= good message) were called _evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph. 4:11; Acts 21:8). There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of God; the second by Mark, declaring him a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; th”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Mark — The evangelist; "John whose surname was Mark" (Acts 12:12, 25). Mark (Marcus, Col. 4:10, etc.) was his Roman name, which gradually came to supersede his Jewish name John. He is called John in Acts 13:5, 13, and Mark in 15:39, 2 Tim. 4:11, etc. He was the son of Mary, a woman apparently of some means and influence, and was probably born in Jerusalem, where his mother resided (Acts 12:12). Of his father we know nothing. He was cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10). It was in his mother's house that Peter found "many gathered together praying" when he was released from ”
King James Version “[KJV] Mark 1:1 — The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;”
Mark (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Mark 1:1: We may observe here, I. What the New Testament is - the divine testament, to which we adhere above all that is human; the new testament, which we advance above that which was old. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, Mar 1:1. 1. It is gospel; it is God's word, and is faithful and true; see Rev 19:9; Rev 21:5; Rev 22:6. It is a good word, and well worthy of all acceptation; it brings us glad tidings. 2. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the anointed Saviour, the Messiah promised and expected. The foregoing gospel began with the generation of Jesus Christ -”
Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 9:15: In these verses the apostle considers the gospel under the notion of a will or testament, the new or last will and testament of Christ, and shows the necessity and efficacy of the blood of Christ to make this testament valid and effectual. I. The gospel is here considered as a testament, the new and last will and testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is observable that the solemn transactions that pass between God and man are sometimes called a covenant, here a testament. A covenant is an agreement between two or more parties about things that are in”
Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 1:2: 1:2-8 This account is not primarily about John the Baptist, the messenger, but about the one he announces as “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1). 1:2-3 Mark includes Old Testament prophecies to support his account of the Good News about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s role as the prophetic messenger reveals that Jesus is the promised Lord—Christ, the Son of God. • Isaiah: Mark follows the Jewish practice of mentioning only the most prominent of the sources that make up the quotation (Mal 3:1; Isa 40:3).”
Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 1:1: 1:1 Mark opens with an introduction. This Gospel is about Jesus. With every account in Mark, one should ask, “What is Mark teaching about Jesus in this passage?” • Good News, a frequent term in Mark (see 1:14-15; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9), is frequently translated gospel. See study note on Mark 1:15. • The Hebrew word mashiakh (Messiah) is equivalent to the Greek term christos (Christ). Both words mean “anointed.” In the Old Testament, priests (Exod 28:41; Lev 16:32; 21:10), kings (2 Sam 1:14, 16; 19:21; Ps 2), and prophets (1 Kgs 19:16) were anointed with oil to ind”
Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 16:9: 16:9-20 Nearly all scholars agree that Mark did not write the “shorter” and “longer” endings. There are clear differences in their style, vocabulary, and theology. Also, the best two available Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus) lack these endings. However, there is reason to doubt that Mark intended to end his Gospel at 16:8: (1) Mark emphasizes the fulfillment of Jesus’ predictions throughout his Gospel, and if the Gospel ended with 16:8, there would be no reference to the resurrection appearance(s) of Jesus; (2) all the other Gospels contain ”

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