Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
fulfillment of our Lord’s predictions. Hence A.D. 63-70 becomes our limit, but nearer than this
we cannot go.—Farrar.
•Where it was written .—As to the place, the weight of testimony is uniformly in favor of the belief
that the Gospel was written and published at Rome. In this Clement, Eusebius, Jerome, Epiphanius,
all agree. Chrysostom, indeed, asserts that it was published at Alexandria; but his statement receives
no confirmation, as otherwise it could not fail to have done, from any Alexandrine writer.—Farrar.
•In what language.—As to the language in which it was written, there never has been any reasonable
doubt that it was written in Greek.
•Sources of information .—Mark was not one of the twelve; and there is no reason to believe that
he was an eye and ear witness of the events which he has recorded but an almost unanimous
testimony of the early fathers indicates Peter as the source of his information. The most important
of these testimonies is that of Papias, who says, “He, the Presbyter (John), said, Mark, being the
Interpreter of Peter, wrote exactly whatever he remembered but he did not write in order the things
which were spoken or done by Christ. For he was neither a hearer nor a follower of the Lord, but,
as I said, afterward followed Peter, who made his discourses to suit what was required, without
the view of giving a connected digest of the discourses of our Lord. Mark, therefore, made no
mistakes when he wrote down circumstances as he recollected them; for he was very careful of
one thing, to omit nothing of what he heard, and to say nothing false in what he related.” Thus
Papias writes of Mark. This testimony is confirmed by other witnesses.—Abbott.
•For whom it was written.—The traditional statement is that it was intended primarily for Gentiles,
and especially for those at Rome. A review of the Gospel itself confirms this view.
•Characteristics .— (1) Mark’s Gospel is occupied almost entirely with the ministry in Galilee and
the events of the passion week. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, and contains almost no incident
or teaching which is not contained in one of the other two synoptists; but (2) it is by far the most
vivid and dramatic in its narratives, and their pictorial character indicates not only that they were
derived from an eye and ear witness, but also from one who possessed the observation and the
graphic artistic power of a natural orator such as Peter emphatically was. (3) One peculiarity strikes
us the moment we open it,—the absence of any genealogy of our Lord. This is the key to much
that follows. It is not the design of the evangelist to present our Lord to us, like St. Matthew as
the Messiah, “the son of David and Abraham,” ch. 1:1, or, like St. Luke, as the universal Redeemer,
“the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” ch. 3:38. (4) His design is to present him to us as
the incarnate and wonder-working Son of God, living and acting among men; to portray him in
the fullness of his living energy.—Cambridge Bible for Schools.
Market Of Appius
(Acts 28:15) In the Revised Version for Appii Forum of the Authorized Version, which see.
Marketplaces
(Matthew 20:3; Mark 12:38; Luke 7:35; Acts 16:19) (any open place of public resort in cities
or towns where public trials and assemblies were held and goods were exposed for sale. “The
market-places or bazaars of the East were, and are at this day, the constant resort of unoccupied
people, the idle, the news-mongers.”—Hackett s Ill. S.S.—ED.)
Maroth
(bitterness), one of the towns of the western lowland of Judah. (Micah 1:12)
Marriage
424
William Smith