ark was a sister's son to Barnabas, (Col 4:10); and (Ac
12:12) shows that he was the son of Mary, a pious woman of
Jerusalem, at whose house the apostles and first Christians
assembled. From Peter's styling him his son, (1Pe 5:13), the
evangelist is supposed to have been converted by that apostle.
Thus Mark was closely united with the followers of our Lord, if
not himself one of the number. Mark wrote at Rome; some suppose
that Peter dictated to him, though the general testimony is,
that the apostle having preached at Rome, Mark, who was the
apostle's companion, and had a clear understanding of what Peter
delivered, was desired to commit the particulars to writing. And
we may remark, that the great humility of Peter is very plain
where any thing is said about himself. Scarcely an action or a
work of Christ is mentioned, at which this apostle was not
present, and the minuteness shows that the facts were related by
an eye-witness. This Gospel records more of the miracles than of
the discourses of our Lord, and though in many things it relates
the same things as the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we may
reap advantages from reviewing the same events, placed by each
of the evangelists in that point of view which most affected his
own mind.