Selection from Thomas Oden, African Memory of Mark: Reassessing Early Church Tradition
Date
2024-01
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OA Version
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Abstract
[Around the beginning of the new millennium (early first century a.d.) a boy was born to a Jewish family of Cyrene. His father’s name was Aristopolus (or variously Aristobulus, Aristobolus, Aristo-Paulus), and his mother’s name was Mary. They were of the tribe of Levi. Closely adherent to Jewish customs, they returned to Jerusalem, if possible, several times a year for seasonal feasts. The boy’s name signaled his multicultural family background. It was John Mark. That name brought together a
Hebrew name (John) with a Latin name (Mark, variously Marcus, Marcos). When wars, pillaging and civil disturbances came to Cyrene early in the first century, this boy’s family was forced by encroaching marauders to move from Africa to Palestine.]
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