John Mark was a first-century apostle and assistant to the missionaries Paul and Barnabas. Mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, he accompanied these figures on their travels through places like Cyprus and Pamphylia. His involvement in early missionary work was marked by a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, which resulted in the two leaders parting ways and Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus. While ancient traditions sometimes distinguished him from other biblical figures, he is frequently identified with Mark the Evangelist, the traditional author of the second Gospel.