Prologue

My God has been my strength. He says: It is too little for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of the earth. (Is 49:5-6)

Gloss: Isaiah foretold the calling of the gentiles and the cause of their salvation, saying: my God has been my strength etc.

Jerome on Isaiah: These words show that Christ is called a servant, in that he was formed from a womb. For, before these words, it is said: Thus says the Lord, forming me from the womb as his servant. It was the will of the Father that the very wicked vine dressers should receive the son who was sent. So Christ is telling his disciples about them: Do not go the way of the gentiles; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Because Israel was not subject to God, therefore, the Son of God speaks to the unbelieving Jews, saying that My God has been my strength, and he consoled me over my people's rejecting me. He said: It is not so important for you to serve me in resuscitating the tribes of Jacob who crashed by their wickedness, and to convert the remnant of Israel. In their place, I set you as a light for all nations, to enlighten the whole world, and make my salvation, which is for humanity's salvation, reach the ends of the earth.

Gloss: We can make two conclusions from the preceding words: The first is that the divine power, which was in Christ, was capable of enlightening the nations —where it is said: My God is my strength. For God, as the Apostle said, was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Therefore, the Gospel, by which believers are saved, is the power of God for the salvation of every believer, as the same Apostle says. The second is the enlightenment of the nations and the salvation of the world effected, by the disposition of the Father, through Christ —where it is said: I placed you as a light for the nations. Thus after his resurrection, to fulfil the disposition of the Father, the Lord sent the disciples to preach, saying: Teach all nations. Some of them took the ministry of preaching to the Jews, others that of preaching to the gentiles. Because the Gospel had not only to be preached to those of that time, but also to be written for future generations, the same distinction is found in the writers of the Gospel. For Matthew wrote in Hebrew for the Jews, Mark was the first to write the Gospel for the gentiles.

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History: Since the clear light of the word of God rose on the city of Rome, the story of truth and light, which was preached by Peter, instructed the minds of all by its pleasing sound. Thus every day those who heard it never heard enough. It was not enough just to hear it, but they begged the disciple Mark to put into writing what Peter preached orally, to have a perpetual record of it, which they could always meditate both at home and outside. They did not give up pressing him, until they got what they asked for. This was what led to the writing of the Gospel according to Mark. Peter, who by the Holy Spirit found himself subjected to a religious theft, was delighted, considering their faith and devotion. So he ratified what was done, and bequeathed this to the churches as Scripture to be read forever.

Jerome on Mark: The Gospel begins from the preaching of Christ as an adult. It does not concern itself with the birth of the little chile, since it speaks of the perfection of the Son of God.

Chrysostom: His narration is a short summary, wherein he imitates his master, Peter, who always tried to be brief.

Augustine, Consistency of the Gospels: Matthew, who described the royal person of Christ, had Mark as an associate and summarizer. In this respect he followed his example, for kings are never without assistants who wait on them. But since a priest enters the Holy of Holies alone, Luke, who was concerned with the priesthood of Christ, did not have an assistant to summarize his narration.

Bede: Note that the Holy Evangelists had different beginnings of their story, and different endings. Matthew started from the birth of the Lord and continued until the resurrection. Mark started with the beginning of the evangelical preaching and reached the ascension of the Lord and the preaching of the disciples to all nations of the world. Luke began from the birth of the Precursor, and ended with the Lord's ascension. John began with the eternity of the Word of God, and continued his preaching up to the time of the Lord's resurrection.

Ambrose, on Luke: Because Mark began with the manifestation of divine power, he is rightly depicted as a lion.

Remigius, on Mark: The lion designates Mark, because, as the lion lets out a terrible cry in the desert, so Mark began with a voice in the desert, saying: the voice of one crying in the desert.

Augustine, on the Consistency of the Gospels: Yet another explanation is possible. For Mark, unlike Matthew who gave a royal genealogy, is depicted as a lion. Nor did he describe his priesthood, as Luke did, who is depicted as a bull. Nor did he narrate his relatives or consecration, but was concerned with what Christ did as a man; therefore he seems to deserve the figure of a man, among those four animals.

Theophylactus, on Mark: Or the eagle fits the Gospel according to Mark , because it begins with the prophecy of John. But prophecy sees sharply what is far away, like an eagle.