Could Not Answer

THE GOSPEL OF MARK
All historians agree that Mark was not one of the Apostles.
Perhaps he was an interpreter to the Apostle Peter.
Papias states, “Mark was an interpreter to Peter. Mark wrote
the words and acts of Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ as correctly as he could
recollect them. But he did not write the words and acts of Îsâ
‘alaihis-salâm’ in a regular order. For he had not heard them from
Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, nor had he ever been with him. As I have said,
Mark was only a friend of Peter’s. In order to have a book
containing his conversations with Peter and the words of Îsâ
‘alaihis-salâm’, he related the events in a haphazard way, choosing
the right time and the appropriate gathering for each event he was
to tell about. For this reason, Mark should not be blamed for
having written some parts of his book in a manner as if he had
learned them from his master, Peter. For Mark did not consider it
important to write what he had heard without forgetting or
changing any parts.”
The early Christian scholars wrote explanations to the Gospel
of Mark daily. Iren, one of them, states: “After the deaths of Peter
and Paul, Mark wrote what he had memorized before.” Calman
of Alexandria says: “As Peter was in Rome yet, Peter’s pupils
asked Mark to write his Gospel. He did so. Peter heard of the
writing of the book. But he did not say whether he should write it
or not.” Eusebius, a historian, says: “Upon hearing of this, Peter
was pleased about this effort of his pupils. He ordered that it be
read in the church.” Nevertheless, the Gospel of Mark appears to
be an imitation of the Gospel of Matthew, rather than the epistles
of Peter. Accordingly, the book that Papias says was written by
Mark must be another one, other than the existing second
Gospel. The seventeenth and eighteenth verses of the sixth
chapter of the Gospel of Mark read: “For Herod himself had sent
forth and laid hold upon John, [1] and bound him in prison for Hero’di-as’
sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.”
(Mark: 6-17) “For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for
[1] Christians call this exalted Prophet John the Baptist.
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