Marcus of Gaza

Marcus Of Gaza, the biographer of St. Porphyry of Gaza, lived in the 4th and 5th centuries; was probably a native of Proconsular Asia, whence he traveled to Palestine, there became acquainted with Porphyry, and then lived at Jerusalem some time before A.D. 393. Porphyry sent him to Thessalonica to dispose of his property in those parts, and after his return Marcus appears to have been the almost inseparable companion of Porphyry, by whom he was ordained deacon, and sent (A.D. 398) to Constantinople to obtain of the emperor Arcadius an edict for destroying the heathen temples at Gaza. He obtained an edict to close, but not to destroy them. This, however, was not effectual for putting down heathenism; and Porphyry went in person to Constantinople, taking Marcus with him, and they obtained an imperial edict for the destruction both of the idols and the temples of the heathen. Marcus afterwards returned with Porphyry to Gaza, where he probably remained till his death, of which we have no account. He wrote the life of Porphyry, the original Greek text of which is said to be extant in MS. at Vienna; it has never been published. A Latin version, Vita St. Porphyrii Episcopi Gazensis, was published by Lipomanus in his Vitae Sanctorum; by Surius, in his De Probatis Sanctorume Vitis; and by the Bollandists, in the Acta Sanctorume Februar. 3:643 sq., with a Commentarius Praevius and notes by Henschenius. It is given also in the Bibliotheca Patrum of Galland, 9:259 sq. See Fabricius, Biblioth. Graeca, 10:316; Cave, Hist. Litt. ad ann. 421, 1:403; Oudin, De Scriptor. Eccles. i, col. 999; Galland, Bibl. Patrum, Proleg. ad ix, c. 7; Smith, Dict. of Gr. land Romans Biog. and Mythol. s.v.