Given that the ability to write was an unusual skill in the time of the composition of the Gospels, would Mark have been likely to have been a scribe? I mean if the tradition of Peter dictating to Mark is true, would Mark have had professional training in acting as an amanuensis?
asked May 3, 2013 at 16:51
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1That's a good, but difficult question. Note that even the best answer will amount to informed speculation, however.– Jon 'links in bio' EricsonMay 3, 2013 at 18:09
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I am having trouble finding citations for this, so maybe some of the more erudite members of this list can help me out, but: I have read from a few sources that Mark's spelling, grammar, and overall Greek style are just about at the bottom of the barrel of the New Testament, a spot probably shared by Revelation. This being the case (and I'm assuming it is, based on my memory, not on any citations I can find readily available), I doubt that Mark had any professional training at all. I would guess that he was someone who had to have to some kind of minimal literacy in order to fulfill whatever professional role he may have had -- some kind of business proprietor, or a low-level government functionary, or ...