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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1889.
The site of his tomb is known and venerated by the Christians; but others say that he died in the country of Dakuka, Khânîjâr and Karkh Hudân, on the confines of 'Irak. The place of his sepulture is known.
"Mark died at Alexandria, in Egypt, where is his tomb. He is one of the four disciples who have composed the Gospel. Strange particulars are related of that which passed between him and the Egyptians at the moment when he was put to death. We have already stated on what occasion that took place, in our Middle History, to which work the present is a sequel. There we have related in detail how Mark, when on the point of starting for the land of the West,' charged them, saying: Whosoever shall present himself to you in my likeness, kill him; for you will see, coming after me, men who will resemble me; but hasten to put them to death, and do not accept their teaching.' Then he left them. After having been absent a long time, being unable to reach the place where he wished to go, he returned to the Egyptians. When he saw that they were about to kill him, he said to them: Woe unto you! I am Mark. No,' replied they; 'verily our father, Mark, told us to kill whoever should come to us in his likeness. But it is I myself who am Mark.'-'We cannot let you go, and it is absolutely necessary that we put you to death.' So they killed him.
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"Formerly they had demanded of him some proofs in support of his statements, and had begged of him to work some miracles. Some among them had said to him:-If that which you affirm to us is true, ascend to heaven before our eyes.' Then they stripped him of his pontifical robe (j), and clothed him in a dress of camel's hair, so that he might ascend to heaven. But many of his disciples attached themselves to him, saying:- If thou departest, what will remain to us after thee, for thou art our father ?' Then happened to him that which we have related above.
"The disciples of the Messiah are seventy-two in number, besides whom twelve more have to be counted. Those who have transmitted the Gospel are:-Lake, Mark, John, and Matthew. Luke and Matthew are ranked among the seventy-two; the latter is also classed among the twelve, but I know not the reason of it.' The two who make part of the twelve are :-John, son of Zebedee, and Mark, patriarch of Alexandria. The third, who arrived at Antioch, where he had been preceded by Peter and Thomas, is Paul. He is the person alluded to in the Kur'an under the title of the third,' when God says:- Wherefore we strengthened them with a third.'s
"Of all the Christian Monks, those of Egypt are the only ones who eat meat; because Mark permitted them to do so."
MISCELLANEA.
CALCULATIONS OF HINDU DATES. No. 30.
In the stone inscription of the manta Bappuvarasa, on a pillar inside a temple at Mahakata, Makata, or Makuta, near Bâdâmi, in the Kaladgi District, Bombay Presidency,
published by me, with a lithograph, in this jour nal, Vol. X. p. 104 f., No. 96, the date (line 6 ff) is Mahasa-Saka-nripa-k&l-&tita-samvatsara-satamgal entunûra ayivatta Araneya Jaya-samvatsarada Karttika-suddha-pañchamiyum Budhavarad-andum,
"the fifth tithi of the bright fortnight of (the
mentioned in the
ارض المغرب
The work here referred to is probably Mas'udi's "History of Time," ( opening of the first chapter.
The word & of the text has no apparent meaning; it is probably a misprint either for the Persian gold-embroidered,' or the Arabic a la robe of office.'
There has always been a tradition that St. Luke was one of the seventy; and this is mentioned as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries by Origen and Epiphanius: so Mas'udi may be right in his case, but from what he says regarding Matthew (ze) it seems likely that he confounded him with Matthias. Eusebius, as well as Epiphanius, says that the latter was one of the seventy; and we know that he became one of the twelve after the Ascension. The "Gospel of Matthias" is one of the thirty-four Gospels rejected by the Christian Church as being uncanonical.
Vide Kur'an, Sale, Chap. xxxvi. page 361-62, notes. It is necessary to read this in order to understand the
allusion.
