What is known about the author of Mark's Gospel?

Answer 1

Mark's Gospel was originally anonymous, but in the second century was attributed by Papias to the apostle Mark. Mark was a companion of the Apostle Paul, supposedly a relative of Barnabas and, according to the pseudepigraphical epistle 1 Peter, the son of Peter. However, biblical scholars say it is unlikely that Mark was the author of the Gospel that now bears his name.

Mark's Gospel was written in Greek Koine, suggesting that he was a native of the Middle East, in spite of traditions that he was Libyan or even Jewish. He wrote the Gospel in a poor grammatical style, which on the face of it would suggest that he was not well educated, but there are good grounds for believing that this was a pretence and that he was, in fact, a master of Greek rhetoric. He seems to have known at least some Latin, but appears to have been out of his depth on Palestinian geography and Jewish culture. The parallel and chiastic structures in Mark and the use of mimesis and other devices suggest a writer of considerable genius.

Scholars say that Mark's Gospel was written approximately 70 CE, so all we can say in terms of the author's birth and death is that he was alive around that year.