Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement over taking John Mark with them as they departed from Antioch in Acts 15. Let’s learn some more about this young man. Who was his mother? Who was his cousin? What was his Jewish name and his Roman name? What book of the Bible did he write? How did Peter refer to him in I Peter 5:13?
Answer: We read in Acts 12:12 that Mary was the mother of John Mark and Colossians 4:10 tells us that Barnabas was his cousin. His Jewish name was John and his Roman, or Latin, name was Mark (Marcus) and he is referred to each name separately (Acts 13:5,13; 15:39) as well as together. John Mark is referred to as “my son” by Peter in I Peter 5:13 probably meaning that Peter was responsible for his conversion and looked at him as a son in the faith much like Paul looked at young Timothy. John Mark was the author of the gospel of Mark in the New Testament.