Mark, also known as John Mark, is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark and a companion of the Apostles Peter and Paul. The name derives from the Latin Marcus, itself from the god Mars, and is associated with the Greek Μᾶρκος. In the Christian canon he is the second evangelist, and his symbol is the winged lion, drawn from the four living creatures of Ezekiel and Revelation.

Position on the Tree of Life

Mark is assigned to Path 31, the 31st step of the Tree of Life. This path stands between Hod and Netzach on the middle pillar and is associated with the letter Shin, the element of Fire, and the Hebrew word for “tooth” or “fire.” The placement of an apostle on a path rather than a sephirah indicates a transitive energetic role: Mark is not a static attribute but a conduit of spiritual force.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Path 31 is governed by the element of Fire and by the letter Shin, which relates to the Astral Light and the Holy Spirit. The winged lion (Mark’s symbol) connects him to the fixed sign Leo, the sun’s own house, and to the fire signs generally. In traditional Christian iconography the lion represents the royal, active, and resurrecting aspect of Christ, which Mark’s Gospel emphasizes through rapid action and the triumph over death.

Historical context

Mark is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as the son of a Mary who owned a house in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). He accompanied Paul and Barnabas (his cousin) on the first missionary journey but left them in Pamphylia, causing a later rift (Acts 15:36-39). He was subsequently reconciled with Paul and served as an interpreter for Peter in Rome, according to Papias of Hierapolis (c. 125 C.E.). Papias reports that Mark wrote down Peter’s teaching “accurately, though not in order,” which became the basis of the second Gospel.

The lion symbol was widely used in early Christian art and was formalized by Jerome in the 4th century. It derives from the opening of Mark’s Gospel, which features John the Baptist “a voice crying in the wilderness”—a stark figure like a lion roaring in the desert. Some traditions also link the lion to Mark’s association with Venice, where his relics were taken in the 9th century; the winged lion became the city’s emblem.

In Liber 777, Mark appears at step 31 among the “Selection of Christian Gods (10); Apostles (12); Evangelists (4) and Churches of Asia (7).” His placement on the same step as The Holy Ghost (cell 31 bis) is theologically significant: it implies that his testimony and the Spirit’s inspiration are co‑active. Where the Holy Ghost is the unmanifest fire, Mark is the shaped expression—the voice that turns flame into narrative.

Closing

In the table of 777, Mark at Path 31 stands as the winged lion himself, a fiery messenger whose Gospel burns with the intensity of Peter’s recollections. He is the apostle of the Spirit, the scribe of the voice in the desert, and a fixed point through which the fire of Shin enters the world of Christian revelation.