7 October 336 A.D. Mark, Bishop of Rome, Dies
7 October 336 A.D. Mark, Bishop of Rome, Dies
Brusher, J. Popes Through the Ages. Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand, 1964.
Keck, Karen Rae. "Mark." The Ecole Glossary. http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb/glossary/pmark.html
Kirsch, J. P. "Pope St. Mark." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
Various internet and encyclopedia articles.
Last updated June, 2007
Graves,
Dan. “Mysterious Pope St. Mark.” Christianity.com. Apr 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/mysterious-pope-st-mark-11629657.html. Accessed 30 May 2014.
Constantine
the Great was ruler of the Roman Empire. Persecution against the church had
ceased. In spite of this aura of peace, the life of the church was often poorly
recorded.
Take,
for example, the life of the bishop of Rome, Pope St. Mark. We think he was
born a Roman and that his Father's name was Priscus, but little more than that
is known about his personal life. We cannot even venture a reasonable guess as
to when he was born. But we know that he was consecrated pope on January 18,
336.
One
of Mark's undertakings was to compile stories of the lives of martyrs and
bishops before his time. It is too bad that someone didn't do the same for him,
because his activities as pope are cloudy. There is some reason to believe he
founded two churches in the area of Rome. One of them is still known to this
day as the Church of San Marco, although it is greatly changed since his time.
The other church was at the Catacomb of Balbina, a cemetery. Emperor
Constantine gave gifts of land and furnishing for both buildings.
Why
was Mark named a saint? We don't know, although his name was added to the list
quite early. There is a fragment of an old poem which some scholars think
refers to Mark. It says, "filled with the love of God, despised the world
. . . the guardian of justice, a true friend of Christ." If that is
speaking of him, it is high praise, indeed; but there is no real evidence that
he was the person meant.
St.
Mark left a lasting legacy on the ceremony of the Roman Church, however. It
seems that it was he who decreed that the Bishop of Ostia (a port near Rome)
should be the one to consecrate the Bishops of Rome (later known as Popes). Mark
is also said to be the one who declared that the Bishop of Ostia should wear a
pallium.
The
pallium is white wool sash that symbolizes the authority of the Pope which,
according to the Roman Church, came in a direct line from the apostles. Anyone
who is awarded a pallium shares in that power. However, it is unlikely St. Mark
is responsible for this, because it was almost two centuries later before there
is a reliable record of a pope bestowing it on someone else.
It
was said that St. Mark wrote a letter to Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria
who battled for the proper understanding of Christ's nature. However, this has
been shown to be a forgery. Mark may have been mentioned in one of
Constantine's letters, before he became pope, but again no one is sure.
Constantine may have been referring to another Mark who was associated with the
church in Rome.
St.
Mark died on this day, October 7, 336. That date is
well established. He had served as Bishop of Rome less than ten months. At his
own request, he was buried in the cemetery of Balbina, where one of his
churches was being built.
Bibliography:
Brusher, J. Popes Through the Ages. Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand, 1964.
Keck, Karen Rae. "Mark." The Ecole Glossary. http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb/glossary/pmark.html
Kirsch, J. P. "Pope St. Mark." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
Various internet and encyclopedia articles.
Last updated June, 2007
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