who wrote the book of mark

The book of Mark is traditionally attributed to John Mark, who is considered to be the author of this Gospel. Christian tradition, supported by early church figures like Eusebius, Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement, and Tertullian, holds that John Mark wrote the Gospel based on the preaching and testimony of the Apostle Peter. Mark is believed to have acted as Peter's interpreter, writing down his accounts of Jesus' life and ministry, though not necessarily in chronological order. John Mark was a companion of Paul and Barnabas and was involved in the early church in Jerusalem. The Gospel of Mark is thought to have been composed in Rome before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, targeting a primarily non-Jewish audience and offering a succinct, action-focused narrative of Jesus' life. While modern scholarship debates the exact authorship and some argue it was written anonymously, the traditional view identifying John Mark as the author remains the most widely accepted.