St Michael, Archangel

Biography of ARCHANGEL St MICHAEL – THE ULTIMATE Guide:

Early life

St Mark was of Jewish descent of the priestly Tribe of Levi¹Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910 (https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09672c.htm).  He was born in Cyrene, North Africa which is modern day Libya.  His Jewish name was John to which the Latin Marcus was added (Greek Markos), and he was therefore called both John and Mark.  This is most explicitly evident in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12:12; 25; 15:37). It is believed that this person is also identical to the Mark mentioned by St Paul in his epistles (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24) and by St Peter (1 Peter 5:13).

This John or Mark is also reported to be the cousin of Barnabus – the great helper of St Paul (Colossians 4:10), to whom Mark seemed to be bound to (Acts 14:37, 39), and also who St Peter affectionately terms his “son” (1 Peter 5:13) either by virtue of Peter’s role as “Papa” or Head of the Church, or due to the close friendship Peter shared with Mark’s mother – Mary.

Jerusalem

Mary, Mark’s mother had moved her family to Jerusalem, probably to escape the barbarian tribes ravaging Cyrene during the reign of Emperor Augustus, and is a prominent figure in the early Catholic community there at the time of Jesus and the Apostles.  Indeed, it is believed that St Mark was the disciple that fled naked from the Garden of Gethsemane, at the time of Christ’s arrest (Mark 14:51).

Mark’s mother, Mary, was believed to be the owner of the Cenacle – the place of the Last Supper, the place of Jesus’ first appearance of the Resurrection, the upper room of Pentecost, and also of the house that formed a focal point of early Catholic congregation and prayer at the arrest of St Peter (Acts 12:12-13).  It was there that Peter went after his miraculous escape.

Although continuing in Jerusalem for a period after Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, it is possible that Mark visited Alexandria (where he would later become Bishop and be martyred) in around the year 41-44 according to the Chronicle of Eusebius²https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05616a.htm during the first years of Emperor Claudius³https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09672c.htm.  However, it is probably more likely that Mark was helping Peter with the Jewish community in Rome from 41-44, acting as Peter’s interpreter ⁴Eusebius, Church History III:39 – https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm.

Nevertheless, it appears though that by the famine in Jerusalem around 46 AD, he was back in Jerusalem because Barnabus and Paul took him from there (Acts 12:25) when their work in Jerusalem was complete.

Journey to Antioch

In the company of Paul & Barnabus, Mark is also mentioned to be in Antioch in 46AD, Salamis in 47AD (Acts 13:5) and back in Antioch again around 49-50AD (Acts 15:37-39).  It is during this last journey to Antioch that Mark appears to have turned back at Pamphylia to which St Paul seems unimpressed (Acts 15:37-38) and resulted in Barnabus leaving Paul, and taking Mark to Cyprus (Acts 15:39).  Paul then took Silus as his helper instead (Acts 15:40).   This again shows the strong ties between Barnabus and Mark and it is unclear why St Mark did not continue on past Pamphylia.

CYPRUS & ALEXANDRIA

From the year 50 to around 60 AD there is then not a lot of information about the movements of St Mark from Cyprus.  What we do know however is that St Mark became Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, and was succeeded as Bishop in 62AD by St Anianus⁵Chronicle of Eusebius.  It is most likely therefore that after arriving in Cyprus with Barnabus, during that decade, St Mark wrote his Gospel (whether in Rome in accord with the reports of Cyril of Alexandria in 200, or later in Alexandria in accord with St John Chrysostom) and journeyed on to Alexandria to become the city’s bishop.  The Acts of Peter of Alexandria⁶https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0619.htm also go into detail about the See being founded by St Mark.

The Gospel of St Mark

Thought to have been written within the years from 50 – 67 AD ⁷https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09674b.htm in the 1st century, the Synoptic Gospel of St Mark is the shortest of the 4 Gospels.  Said to be formulated by St Mark from the accounts and discourses of St Peter to the Christians in Rome, it sets out the status of Jesus as the Son of God, not according to Jewish prophesy, but by His creative power, which makes sense considering Peter’s Roman audience.

The Divine Liturgy of St Mark

In addition to the Gospel of St Mark we also have the Liturgical practice of Holy Mass of St Mark practiced in Alexandria.  This fascinating and important text can be read here.

Leaving Alexandria

Following this decade long absence, St Mark then appears again in the letters of St Paul to the Colossians, to Philemon and to Timothy.  It is clear from Paul’s letters to the Colossians (Colossians 4:10) & Philemon (24) that Mark is helping Paul in Rome at the time of Paul’s imprisonment (59-61 AD).  Then it appears that Mark had business to deal with in Asia Minor and/or Alexandria as Paul specifically requests for Mark via Timothy in around 62AD (2 Tim 4:11).

This would then explain why St Mark retires his See and passes it to St Anianus to become the 2nd Bishop of Alexandria as detailed in the Chronicle of Eusebius.

Rome

St Mark thus returned to Rome and was probably there at the time of St Paul’s martyrdom.  Indeed he is mentioned explicitly by St Peter “The Church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you, and (so doth) Mark my son” (1 Peter 5:13).  It is unclear whether this was the time that St Mark wrote his Gospel to enshrine the teaching of Peter to the Romans or whether he had accomplished this earlier.

Alexandria & MARTYRDOM

Following the brutal persecution by Emperor Nero in Rome and the martyrdoms of Sts Peter & Paul, pillars of the Church, St Mark is reported as returning to Alexandria. At the time of the Easter celebrations in the Boucolis district of Alexandria, he was arrested whilst saying Mass, a noose tied around his neck and then dragged through the streets.  He died on 25 April.  Reportedly his body was then thrown on a fire to destroy all relics of his existence, but a great storm blew up and his body was rescued and venerated.

Venice

A sanctuary was built for the relics of the Evangelist St Mark, and was spared during the Persian invasion of Egypt in 620.  However, it was partially burnt during the Arab invasion of 644-646 and the relics were temporarily removed to allow repair & rebuilding of the Sanctuary.

Following the growth of the Muslim heresy, Muslims were pillaging Catholic churches in the region during the 9th Century.  Around the year 828 AD, two merchants named Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello, learned from the monk Staurazio and the priest Theophilus – custodians of the Sanctuary, that there was a likelihood that the relics would be profaned by the advancing Muslims.  Reportedly, the two merchants therefore transported (or stole) the relics across the sea and presented them to the Doge Guistiniano Patriach, who immediately ordered a church to be built as a sepulchre.

This magnificent sepulchre became known as the Basilica of St Mark, or Basilica di San Marco (in Italian) in St Mark’s square in Venice.

The “Recovery” of the Relics

According to Venetian legend, as the Basilica was enlarged successively in 1063 to deal with the number of pilgrims venerating the relics, the actual location of the relics became lost in all of the building.  Reportedly following intense prayer by the Doge Vitale Falier and all the people, the relics miraculously reappeared within a pillar in the south transept (where a mosaic now commemorates the story).

The relics were then said to be placed in a purpose build sarcophagus in the crypt by the Doge on 8th October 1094 before being moved to the High Altar in 1835.

Rome

When Italy was a group of kingdoms before the unification under the revolutionary Garibaldi, the Venetian and Roman kingdoms wanted to have closer political and commercial ties.  Rome therefore built the world famous square “Piazza Venezia”, home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Palace of St Mark and the Church of St Mark.  The Winged Lion – the symbol of St Mark – can be seen in the prominent architecture of the square.  The Church of St Mark (a minor Basilica) was build by Pope Mark, who was a Venetian and had taken Mark as his namesake.  He had ordered this minor Basilica to be built off Piazza Venezia to honour his home city’s namesake, and on his death Pope Mark was buried in an urn under the high altar.  It is sometimes mistaken that the relics below the altar are of St Mark the Evangelist, but they are actually Pope Mark.  It is an often overlooked but beautiful church.

Nevertheless, some relics of St Mark were brought to Rome in order to presented to the Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch in Alexandria – Cyril VI of Alexandria – on 22nd June 1968 by Pope Paul VI.  The small piece of bone was given to Rome by by Cardinal Giovanni Urbani, Patriarch of Venice, before being presented to the eminent delegation from Alexandria.

The Coptic Orthodox church also have a tradition that they have the head of St Mark in the Basilica of St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt.