Though he is not named in the text itself, the author of this gospel is without question John Mark, who was a companion of Paul with Barnabas early in their missionary journeys. Mark was fired by the Apostle Paul and then went on with Barnabas, as Paul went with Silas (Acts 13:5, 13; 15:36–41). Later, Mark was reconciled to Paul and became a valuable comrade to him in the later days of Paul’s apostolic ministry (2 Tim. 4:11). However, men of great importance in the second-century