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The Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist
This coming Tuesday, April 25th, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. Our Book of Common Prayer declares all feasts of Evangelists and Apostles as “major feast” days. These major feast days are wonderful opportunities for us to reflect on the importance of those whom they commemorate and their place in scripture and in the history of the Church.
Saint Mark is traditionally identified as the author of the earliest of the four canonical Gospel accounts, believed by scholars to be written during the first Jewish war with Rome between the years 66-70 AD. Saint Mark is identified several times in the Acts of the Apostles by the name “John Mark” and in other letters of the New Testament simply as “Mark.” What we know of Saint Mark from historical evidence dated from the second century is that he was an interpreter, scribe, and close friend of Saint Peter. He was also a trusted companion of Saint Paul in Rome (Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11).
Saint Mark has been commemorated across the centuries in many ways, but especially through the art and architecture of the Church across the world. In Christian art, he is commonly symbolized by the figure of a winged lion. Countless churches across the world fall under the patronage of Saint Mark and carry his name, perhaps most famously, Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, where the relics of the saint are kept under the high altar.
As you come to Trinity Cathedral this Sunday or in the future, look for these images of Saint Mark around the cathedral: 1) on the arch in front of the high altar, 2) on the capitals of the columns, and 3) on the pulpit.
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