And my soul is free from care, For her thoughts from all things cease And my soul despaireth not, Grief that wrings and breaks the heart, Only they who hate Him know; They who love him still possess Comfort in their worst distress. And my soul complaineth not, For she knows not pain or fear, Clinging to her God in faith, Trusting though Hc slay her here. "Tis when flesh and blood repine, Sun of joy, Thou canst not shine. Thus my soul before her God Lieth still, nor speaketh more, Conqueror thus o'er pain and wrong, That once smote her to the core; Like a silent ocean, bright With her God's great praise and light. St. Mark's Day. APRIL 25. HREE persons bearing the name of Mark or Marcus are mentioned in Holy Scripture; and this circumstance has given rise to so much con fusion, that it is necessary at once to difference the Evangelist from John, who was surnamed Mark, and Mark who was sister's son to Barnabas. Throughout the New Testament there occurs only a single allusion to the Evangelist (1 St. Peter v. 13.); and that is of such a nature as to invite the inference that he was a convert of the Apostle Peter, of whom also he was probably the nephew, and certainly the companion, interpreter, and amanuensis. St. Mark is believed to have been born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Levi, and the line of the priesthood. His Hebrew name has not been clearly ascertained; the one by which he is venerated throughout Christendom being one assumed, in accordance with a custom very prevalent amongst the Jews of his time, for the convenience of intercourse with the Latinspeaking Gentiles. The time of the first institution of a festival in his honour cannot be precisely determined. In a MS. note to Wheatly's Introduction, Dr. Waterland has remarked that "St. Mark's festival is certainly as old as the ninth century. It appears not in the Calendar of Athelstan's Psalter; but is found (April 25) in the Calendar of C.C.C., Wanl., p. 107, and in Ado, and in Bede's genuine Martyrology, p. 360. It is, therefore, as old as 730.” * Earlier than this it cannot be traced; and on the whole, it may be concluded, that there was no observance of the day, in the Western Church, at least, before the end of the seventh century. And its absence from the legislative decrees of the earlier Councils is conspicious; the first enactment for the observance of a day in commemoration of the Evangelist, being that found in the 21st Canon of the Council of Cognac (A.D. 1254), which enjoins its celebration" cum omni reverentia et honore." Brady arbitrarily fixes the institution of the festival to the year 1090. † What the festival of St. Mark seems to lack in the way of antiquity, may be thought to be compensated by the universality of its observance. The Latin, Greek, and Coptic Churches are at one in their reverence for it; and there is little or no divergence from the uniformity as to the day of its celebration; with the exception of a local one, at Alexandria, where it was observed on the 23rd of September. Alternative reasons are offered for the general celebration of the festival of St. Mark on the 25th of April; one of which is to the effect that on this day the Evangelist attained the crown of martyrdom, at Alexandria, and the other, that on this day the translation of his relics from Alexandria to Venice was completed-the date of the translation itself being doubtfully claimed for the fifth century and the ninth. The circumstances which led to the composition of the Gospel of St. Mark are collected by Eusebius from Clement of Alexandria and other ancient writers to the effect, that, when Peter was teaching at Rome, his hearers were so * Riddle's Manual of Christian Antiquities. t Clavis Calendaria. ORIGIN OF ST. MARK'S GOSPEL. 375 interested in the discourses he delivered, that they begged of Mark, the companion of the Apostle, to reduce to writing the doctrines enunciated by the latter; and Mark, in accordance with their entreaties, compiled his Gospel. The Gospel so written, having been seen by St. Peter, was, with commendations of the hearers to whose devotion it had been indebted for its existence, confirmed by the Apostle, and ordered to be read publicly in their religious assemblies.* It is for this reason that Tertullian calls the Gospel according to St. Mark, the "Gospel of St. Peter; " and that St. Athanasius says of it, that "the Gospel of Mark was dictated by Peter, although published by Mark." To give consistency and completeness to the theory of the Gospel of St. Mark having been compiled under the circumstances just mentioned, it was natural and almost necessary to hold that it first appeared in the vernacular of the people to whom it was primarily addressed. Accordingly some have maintained that the Gospel of St. Mark was originally written in Latin; an opinion to which it may be said, however, that several distinguished authorities are adverse. The dutiful impartiality of Mark, and the fine candour of Peter, appear in this that the Gospel named after the former, and dictated by the latter, relates with no less particularity and aggravation of detail than any of the others, the facts. of Peter's shameful fall and apostasy. The Epistle for St. Mark's Day is taken from the fourth chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, which sets forth the unity of the Spirit, and the diversity of the gifts and graces bestowed by Christ upon His Church. The special text of the following hymn by Dr. Doddridge is the eleventh verse of the same chapter:"He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." *Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History; lib. ii., c. 16; iii., c. 39; &c., and St. Jerome: De Viris Illustribus. century. It appears not in the Calendar of Athelstan's Psalter; but is found (April 25) in the Calendar of C.C.C., Wanl., p. 107, and in Ado, and in Bede's genuine Martyrology, p. 360. It is, therefore, as old as 730."* Earlier than this it cannot be traced; and on the whole, it may be concluded, that there was no observance of the day, in the Western Church, at least, before the end of the seventh century. And its absence from the legislative decrees of the earlier Councils is conspicious; the first enactment for the observance of a day in commemoration of the Evangelist, being that found in the 21st Canon of the Council of Cognac (A.D. 1254), which enjoins its celebration" cum omni reverentia et honore." Brady arbitrarily fixes the institution of the festival to the year 1090. † What the festival of St. Mark seems to lack in the way of antiquity, may be thought to be compensated by the universality of its observance. The Latin, Greek, and Coptic Churches are at one in their reverence for it; and there is little or no divergence from the uniformity as to the day of its celebration; with the exception of a local one, at Alexandria, where it was observed on the 23rd of September. Alternative reasons are offered for the general celebration of the festival of St. Mark on the 25th of April; one of which is to the effect that on this day the Evangelist attained the crown of martyrdom, at Alexandria, and the other, that on this day the translation of his relics from Alexandria to Venice was completed-the date of the translation itself being doubtfully claimed for the fifth century and the ninth. The circumstances which led to the composition of the Gospel of St. Mark are collected by Eusebius from Clement of Alexandria and other ancient writers to the effect, that, when Peter was teaching at Rome, his hearers were so * Riddle's Manual of Christian Antiquities. +Clavis Calendaria. |