Mark of Arethusa

Holy Hieromartyr Mark was bishop of Arethusa, in Syria, in the fourth century, and died in 363 (our record gives 364). He is honoured as a saint and martyr by both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. He is commemorated on 29 March.

He took part in the church disputes surrounding Arianism. At first he belonged to the moderate Arian current of the Homoiousians, who held that in the Nicene Creed the word "homoousios" ("of the same substance") should be replaced by "homoiousios" ("of like substance"). At first sight the dispute was about two words that differ by a single letter, the iota. In substance it concerned the nature of the person of Christ.

He was present at the Council of Serdica (343) and at the First Council of Sirmium (351). It seems that he sought reconciliation between the Homoiousians and the Orthodox and that in the end he joined those who upheld the teaching of "homoousios", the sameness of substance of the Son with the Father.

He helped the young Julian at the time when Julian's family was being persecuted. In the time of the emperor Constantius II he destroyed a pagan temple in Arethusa and raised a church in its place. He brought many pagans to Christ. Later, when Julian the Apostate became emperor, Julian persecuted him, and the bishop died as a martyr.

Of his suffering write Saint Gregory, in his first oration against the emperor Julian, and Blessed Theodoret. Their texts did not reach us in our record, so we do not retell them here. One source calls this Gregory of Nyssa, and another points to the work of Gregory of Nazianzus; we cannot resolve the difference.