Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-11-10
MARK, PATRON
SAINT OF VENICE
Second Book Of New Testament
Not Written BY One Of
Disciples
DIR. SMITHS LECTURE

What gives great Importance TO
the Book OF Mark" said DR.. c. Al
phonso Smith yesterday morning 10
the class in attendance upon his SER
les of lectures on the Bible. in the
Presbyterian Church. lis that is is I'M
questionaIly the first Book written of
the New Testament"
If we want to read the four Gospels
Of the New Testament as they are
written the lecturer said. we would
read Mark. first. then Matthew, and
Luke and John, the latter being writ
ten some 80 years after the others.
Mark contains but 16 chapters yet
in it is contained eleventh-twelfths of
the story OF the Life of Christ. If
Matthew. Luke and John were ex-
pugned from the Bible. only one
twelfth of the life of Christ would be
lost.
The lecturer said. Mark, like
Matthew had his credentials with him
when he wrote the Book that bears
his name He was not one of the
twelve disciples. He was a mere lad
when Christ was crucified, but he had
been associated with him inasumch
as Christ held many of his meetings
with the disciples in an upper room
in the house of Mary, the mother of
Mark
Almost all we know about Mark,
DR.. Smith said, is contained in the
Acts of the Apostles. St. Peter, who
loved Mark as a son. was not dealt
gently with when Mark wrote of him
that twice Peter had denied Christ. +"
We would think that Mark would have
touched upon this weakness Of Peters
lightly, but that is not the Bible way
Of doing things St Peter was trou-
bled with remorse for having denied
Christ, and must have talked of his
weakness to his beloved Mark who
tells of it in his Gospel, with more
emphasis than the other writer's of
the Gospels. For when Mark says that
Chris; said Go tell My Disciples .
Christ must have thought that Peter
would not be with the disciples, but
crouching somewhere repenting his
denial of Him.
1t is thu little things" in Mark
that stand out in his Gospel What
he said was logical, chronological,
clean cut, short life of Christ. Mark
had the same keynote for the begin
ming and end Of his Gospel. He did
not say Christ was the Son of Abra-
ham. or the Son of David, but the Son
of God.
There are four Gospels, each vindi-
Gates the other, and there are no con-
the same way They do not contra
dict. Mark does not put the story to-
gether in chronological order, but has
regard for essentials. Mark is not so
interested in whom Christ is descend
cd from, but he picks out things to
show He is the Son of God. Mark has
only 10 miracles and 4 parallels. Mark
is not a man of words, but of deeds.
If you want the supreme life of Christ
go to Mark.
Mark. the lecturer said, uses the
word "straightway." a word Of dyna-
mic force, a number of times; sort
of a "step-lively" word Every au-
thor has his mannerisms. Poe had
his, that repetition and melancholy
mannerism peculiarly his own; Ten
nyson his his mannerism; so had
Mark
DR.. Smith said were he editing the
Book of Mark, he would write head
over the first thirteen verses "Prepa-
ration, to the end of the 18th chap
ter, Ministry of Christ and the last
two chapters. the 18th and 18th, BE
trayal, Crucifxion, Resurrection
Matthew threw his pontoon, the
speaker said, from the New TO the Old
Testament, bridging them across. as il
were, while Mark threw his pontoon
from earth to heaven. a sort of lad
der The hook ends exactly on the
keynote with which it was begun.
Next Sunday DR.. Smith will take VI
Luke, which he asked the class tC
read as the work of a physician. a
man can't shake his profession wher
writing a hook, and Luke writes the
/ Life of Christ as a physician would.
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