
MANual Lessons from Mark
The second book in chronological order in the New Testament is the Gospel of Mark. As you read in my posts with an Introduction to The Gospels and the MANual Lessons in Matthew, many scholars believe that Mark was the first Gospel written since Matthew and Luke both used it as one of their sources. The three Synoptic Gospels tell many of the same stories, often in the same words, and frequently follow the same order of events. But Mark is different since it begins with Jesus as an adult and with a different theme than Matthew and Luke. About Mark Early Christian authors, including Papias of Hierapolis (60-130 A.D.), Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 A.D.), Tertullian, Origen, and Jerome, all were unanimous in attributing this gospel to a “Mark” who was a close associate of the Apostle Peter. It’s generally agreed today that this person