MARK. MABK. the invasion of the Wends, while Austria arose from the east mark, erected against the Hun- garians. Tile governor intrusted with the charge of one of these border districts was called mark- graf, or margrave (q.v.). There has been a long dispute among scholars as to the original mean- ing of mark. On this dispute, consult: F'ustel de Coulanges, Histoire des institutions politirjues de Vancioiiw Fniiicc (Paris, 1875-90); JIaurer, (le- schichte der ilarkcnverfassung in Deutschland (Erlangen, 1856). MABK (AS. man;, Ger. Mark; perhaps iden- tical originally with mark, token, boundary). Originally the term appears to have been used to designate a unit of weight, most commonly of gold or silver. It was about equal to eight ounces, but it varied from country to country. In 1524 the Cologne mark was made the standard weight for gold and silver throughout the Holy Roman Empire, but the standard was never properly enforced. In Anglo-Saxon times the term mark was used to designate a money of account, consisting of 100 pennies — in the twelfth century, 160 pennies. In 1663 a silver mark was issued in Scotland which was valued at 13s. Id. English money. In the nineteenth century the mark was a common small coin among the German States, varying considerably in the dif- ferent parts of Germany. In 1873 the gold mark of 100 pfennige was adopted as the monetary unit of the German Empire. It represents .3982 grammes of gold (900 fine) and is valued at $0.23821 in American money. MABK (Lat. Marcus, Gk. Udpms, Markos), or JoHNj with the surname JIakk (Acts xii. 12). The writer of the second Gospel. Tlie in- cidental notices in the Xew Testament give the following facts: Mark was the son of a certain Mary, a householder of Jerusalem, at whose home the early Christians held meetings in the days of persecution (Acts xii. 1-12). He was a cousin of Barnabas (Col. iv. 10), hence, possibly, in case the relationship was on the fathers' side, of Levitical descent. An old tradition says that he had his thumbs cut off so as to be unfit for the priesthood. Peter calls him his 'son' (1. Pet. V. 13), which means proliably that he was con- verted to Christianity under Peter's ministry in Jerusalem. He came to .^ntioch from Jerusalem with Barnabas and Paul (Acts xii. 25). and ac- companied them as an assistant on their first missionary journey (Acts xiii. 5). But he left them at Perga and returned to .Jerusalem (Acts xiii. 13; cf. xv. 37-39). Again at Antioch he ac- companied Barnabas to Cyprus, Paul being un- willing *to take him with liini on the second journey {Acts xv. 37-40). This was about A.D. .50. We hear nothing more of him until the time of Paul's first Roman captivity (c.60 a.d), when we learn (Col. iv. 10: Philem. 24) that he was then in Rome, reconciled to Paul and esteemed by him. and was about to visit Asia Minor. He may have come to Rome with Peter. who mentions him (I. Pet. v. 13) as with him in the city. The proposed journey to Asia was probably undertaken, as he was in the East when Paul wrote from Rome (c.65) to' Timothy at Ephesus (?), asking him to bring ilark with him (II. Tim. iv. 11). .t Rome, according to early tradition, he wrote his Gospel, not alto- gether as his own work, but as containing the svibstance of Peter's preaching. Another tradi- tion makes him the organizer and first Bishop of the Alexandrian Church. In the nature of the case, such traditions are dillieult of proof. Con- sult the commentaries on Mark, especially that of Swete; Zahn. Eiiileitung in das Seue Testa- ment, vol. ii. (Leipzig, 1900). See Mabk, Gos- pel OF. MABK, Go.sPEL OP. The second of the Xew Testament Gospels. Its first ver.se opens with a phrase ("The beginning of the Gospel of .Jesus Christ) that is evitlently intended to be a cap- tion for the narrative which follows. I'nlike Matthew, who.se tendency is to a topical treat- ment of his material, and Luke, who gives himself to rhetorical enrichment, Mark arranges his nar- rative siniplj' and in an order which shows itself to be, generally speaking, the normal chrono- logical order of the Gospel events. There is first the preliminary history reciting the ministry of John the Baptist and the entrance of .Jesus upon His work, through the symbolic act of the bap- tism and the personal experience of the tempta- tion (i. 2-13). There then follows the main portion of the narrative, which gives, fir.st, Jesus' popular work in Galilee (i. 14-vii. 23) and His similar work in the region north of Gali- lee (vii. 24-viii. 26 1 . and then breaks in upon this northern work with a presentation of it in the light rather of a work of instruction, chietty to His disciples, tlian a work of construction among the people (viii. 27-ix. 29). This new character of Jesus' work is carried on into what may be generally considered His journey toward Jerusalem { ix. 30-x. 52 ) . The event that marks this change is the disciples' confession of Je.sus' Messiahship given in the neighborhood of Cicsarea Philippi, which was followed by .Jesus' first clear declaration of His coming death (viii. 27- ix. 1 ) . This is evidently considered by the Evangelist as the turning point in .Jesus' work, leading Him to a change in its character and method. Chaps, xi.-xiii. are given to the final work in .Jerusalem, which Mark, in common with the other Evangelists, presents as a work in which .Jesus' Messianic claims are openly laid before the nation's religious leaders. The narrative closes, as in all the Gospels, with the Passion and Resurrection (xiv.-xvi.). It is generally admitted that verses 9-20 of the last chapter (xvi.) are a later addition to the Gospel, the original ending having been lost. .Just how much further the narrative went and whether it included, as Luke alone can be pos- sibly said to do, an account of the Ascension can only be conjectured. In comparison with the other Synoptists Mark is quite distinctly the shortest Gospel, consider- able portions of the history appearing in Mat- thew and Luke being absent from Mark — such as the Nativity, the Sermon on the Mount, and that part of Luke which is devoted apparently to a story of .Jesus' last journeyings to the Holy City; and yet where Mark gives the narrative in common with the other two, he gives it with a fullness of graphic detail which the others do not possess. It is also characteristic of Mark that, though he has an account of the parables by the Sea of Galilee, he does not give the dUcourses of Jesus in a measure equal to that of .Matthew and Luke. In the opinion of most critics this indicates that Mark had not access to. or. at least, did not make use of the Logia collection of Matthew. See Matthew, Go.spei. of.
