Mark the Ascetic
A V Century monk about whom little is known, St. Mark the Ascetic (or Hermit) is the author of works of a practical character, including 200 Texts on the Spiritual Law and treatises on baptism and repentance. He may have been the abbot of a community at Ancyra before becoming a solitary in Palestine or Egypt. Some believe that both Mark and St. Nilus the Ascetic were disciples of John Chrysostom; the evidence of this is sketchy and doubtful. Mark emphasizes baptismal grace in refutation of the Messalians, who taught that each person has a personal demon that even baptism cannot conquer. Mark also wrote against the Nestorians. He is said to have known the Scriptures by heart and to have cured a hyena that was born blind.
Karen Rae Keck
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