Evangelist
The Gospel of Mark is the earliest of the four canonical Gospels, almost certainly composed between 65 and 70 CE, either just before or during the Jewish War that culminated in the destruction of the Temple. Early Church tradition, again going back to Papias, identifies the author as John Mark, a companion of Peter who wrote down the apostle's recollections "accurately but not in order."
The identification is plausible but unprovable. What is certain is that the author was a skilled storyteller who invented the Gospel as a literary form. Before Mark, there was no precedent for this kind of narrative — not quite biography, not quite history, but a theological drama structured around a journey to Jerusalem and a cross.
Mark's Greek is rough but effective. The text moves at pace, driven by the word εὐθύς ("immediately"), which appears over forty times. Jesus is a figure of action and mystery — performing miracles, silencing demons, and repeatedly commanding secrecy about his identity. The ending, in which the women flee the empty tomb in fear and say nothing to anyone (16:8), is one of the most startling conclusions in ancient literature. Later scribes found it so unsatisfying that they added alternative endings, but the abrupt original is almost certainly authentic.