• Who was Mark?
Many Christians said that Mark was originally from Jerusalem, and thay suggested that he could have known Peter and the other apostles in his youth!! thay maybe not sure because they said: 'could have known....'!
Christian traditions tell us that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. So, he must was like his uncle; a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, (Act 4:36). So, he must a Jew. He also, according to Acts, had campaigned Barnabas & Paul during their journey, then he campaigned Paul as a translator in many journeys till he arrived Rome to be the companion of the Apostle Peter. Papias, as a collector of Christian traditions, had said that Marks wrote down which that Peter told him about the life & oracles of The Christ.
So, we must conclude that Mark was not eye-witness; he did not meet The Christ (pbuh), and he did not watch the evangels events himself! He's only, like Luke, a qualified collector, his evangel, or Gospel, was written by a human effort not by the leading of the Holy Spirit! Human effort means to be right or to be wrong, not an impeccable!!
You may not agree that conclusion, but I'll present the proof now!
• When Mark wrote down his evangel?
Christians traditions tell us that Mark had written down his evangel on 60 AD in Greek language. And you did not know when Matthew writing down his evangel! And which language he used to write.
An old Coptic friend told me before about the writing of the four Gospels; he told me that Matthew wrote down his evangel for the Jews , Mark wrote down his evangel for the Romans , Luke wrote down his evangel for the Greeks and John wrote his evangel in his old age at Ephesus for the Church. So, when Matthew wrote his evangel to the Jews, he must use Hebrew. But the Gospel of Matthew was found, like all New Testament Books, in Greek not in Hebrew! Here, we've a question: where is Hebrew origin of Matthew Gospel? Or maybe he used Greek?! Is Matthew, the Jewish tax-collector, wrote his evangel to the Jewish people in Greek?!
• Errors in Mark's Gospel:
When you study the texts of the two Gospels, Matthew & Mark, you'll find 706 common verses in both Gospels! That means one of them had read the other Gospel and quoted these verses when he wrote his evangel. Here, we ask: who wrote his Gospel first, and who quoted the verses from him?!
You'd said before that Mark was a Jew living in Jerusalem, like Matthew. But when you read the Gospel of Mark you know that he, or the writer of the Gospel was neither a Jewish one, nor he lived in all Palestine land!! You see that Mark was writing his evangel with a heathen background not a Jewish one! Because, he had get some errors when he wrote down his Gospel. Reflects clearly his non-Jewish identify. Let's consider these errors:
1. In Mark Gospel we read: (And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples say unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that thou mayest eat the Passover?)- Mar 14:12-ASV1901.
Here, we have a problem because Jews are not sacrificed the Passover on the first day of unleavened bread! The writer has no good knowledge about the ceremonies of the Passover because he maybe not a Jewish one. Matthew had corrects that error when he wrote: (Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the Passover?) Mat 26:17-ASV1901.
Consider that Matthew had deleted (sacrificed the Passover) because it's wrong!
2. Also we read: (And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet ( Mar 5:22-ASV1901.
Another problem here we've, because the synagogue must has ONE ruler not many rulers and Jairus was one of them!! When you consider another text in Matthew Gospel, you find the right!
(While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a ruler, and worshipped him, saying, my daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.) Mat 9:18-ASV1901.
Matthew, the Jewish, spoke about ONE ruler, not more.
3. Another text we read: (For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death.) Mar 7:10-ASV1901.
Consider the parallel text in Matthew's: (For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death. ( Mat 15:4-ASV1901.
He said that God said that commands not Moses; because there's no Jewish said that Moses who said the commands mentioned in Exo 20.
4. Another mistake in commands we find if in Mark's: (Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother.) Mar 10:19-ASV1901.
Let's study the parallel text in Matthew's: (He saith unto him, which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honor thy father and mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.) Mat 19:18-19 ASV1901.
He deleted: (Do not defraud…) because it's not from the commands. Every Jews knows that will.
5. Consider also this verse, pls.: (And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ( Mar 15:42-ASV1901.
The writer maybe forgotten that Sabbath (or Saturday) starts on the evening. Not on the day to mention that these preparations were in the day before the Sabbath!
6. Another mistake we have here: (And he bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.) Mar 15:42-ASV1901.
When you study the parallel text in Matthew's you did not find any thing about that linen cloth! Do you know why? Because, there's no Jewish do anything in Sabbath (or Saturday), neither selling not buying! Of course Matthew knows that; so, he deleted all these critical sentences in his Gospel!!
7. Here we've a quoting mistake: (Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way.) Mar 1:2-ASV1901. Translated from the original Greek Codex.
You may find that text had changed in KJV: (As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.) Mar 1:2-KJV. Because that text said by Malachi not Isaiah: (Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me :...) Mal 3:1-ASV1901.
When Matthew had found this error, he correct it like that: (For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. ( Mat 3:3-ASV1901. He solved that problem by changing all the text quoted from Malachi book to Isaiah book to be acceptable for the Jews!!
8. Another mistake: (And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all? (29) Jesus answered, the first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: (30) and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. (31) The second is this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (32) And the scribe said unto him, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he: (33) and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. (34) And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.( Mar 12:28-34 ASV1901.
Here, we've another mistake in explaining the commands; he added loving neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. It was not from the Jewish mind. When Matthew wrote down that he deleted this sentence to be reasonable for Jews. Consider Mat 22:36-40.
9. Also: (and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.) Mar 10:12-ASV1901. Divorce is not from women rights in Jewish law, it's for men only not allowed to women.
10. Another text we have here: (And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?) Mar 15:34-ASV1901.
When you consider the parallel text in Matthew's you read: (And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ( Mat 27:43-ASV1901. Now I Ask: what is the difference between (Eloi) and (Eli)?! You may answer that (Eloi) in Aramaic and (Eli) in Hebrew?! I ask again: if The Christ said that sentence in Aramaic, why Matthew wrote it in Hebrew?!... I'm sure that one of the two evangelists is wrong!!
11. More & More errors in Mark's: (And King Herod heard thereof ;...) Mar 6:14-ASV1901. He described Herod as a king! Consider also; Mar6:26-27. Was Herod a king?
When you read in Matthew's you'll find the correct answer; (At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,) Mat 14:1-ASV1901.
Herod was only a Tetrarch not a king. Adam Clarke says that the word (tetrarch) properly signifies a person who rules over the fourth part of a country.
12. Another comment I have; (And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.) Mar 9:4-ASV1901.
When you consider Matthew's you'll read: (And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.) Mat 14:3-ASV1901.
Matthew had re-arranged the prophets according to the Jewish opinion, they consider Moses more than any another prophet! Isn't it?
13. Continue our comments on the Evangelist Mark, you'd said in your book that he wrote down which he'd heard from the apostle Peter. So, consider pls., this following text: (And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. (30) And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.) Mar 8:29-30 ASV-ASV1901.
If we studied the parallel texts in: Mat 16:15-17, Luk 9:18-21 and Joh21:15-22. You may find additional events had not written by Mark whom heard from Peter itself! What you can call that?!... The other evangelists had written other events, which not said by Peter... where they get it?!!
• Conclusions:
Here we conclude that the writer of Mark's Gospel was not a Jewish man, or living in all Palestine. He did not know anything about Jews traditions, laws and books. But the writer of Matthew Gospel had more experience with Jews than Mark's writer. He was correct him errors and delete it or add the correct. Mark's writer maybe read some notes from the apostles or previous evangels then he wrote down his Gospel.
This reason made me assures that Mark's Gospels had written by a pure human effort, to be right or to be wrong, not by the leading of the Holy Spirit!
Allah had told us that in Qur'an: {Then Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say: "This is from Allah" to traffic with it for a miserable price! Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby.} – Surat Al_Baqara: 79
I've more and more errors I found it when I studded Matthew's & Mark's Gospel, but I'll not tell you more because I'm afraid of prolongation till anyone replies this article!
Written by: Tarek
