Question: Which one of the other apostles was an uncle of John Mark?
Answer: Barnabas. (Colossians 4:10)
Comments: At the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Colossians, he notes a familial connection between Barnabas and John Mark. The King James Version renders the relation as "sister's son." The KJV is in the minority on this interpretation.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas's cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); (Colossians 4:10, NASB)
John Mark and Barnabas probbably were cousins. The King James Version and Young's Literal Translation are two of the few translations that present Barnabas as the uncle. The ASV, CEV, Darby, ESV, The Message, NASB, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NLV, NRSV, RSV all render anepsios as "cousin."
The Greek anepsios is used only here in the New Testament. The word is a compound of a (as a particle of union) and an obsolete nepos (a brood). While it is rare in the canon, it appears frequently in extant literature. From its apperance in Homer's Iliad (9.464, 15.554), Herodotus & Aeschylus, the Septuagint (Number 36:11, Tobit 7:2), Josephus (Jewish Wars 1.662, Antiquities of the Jews 1.290, 15.250), Philo (On the Embassy to Gaius 67), etc. the interpreter can conclude that it consistently carried the connotation of cousin. Virtually all modern translations reflect this view.
In her unrelated article, "Greek Kinship Terminology", Molly Miller acknowledges that there is some grounds for the KJV interpretation. "Anepsios varies between cousin-german and nephew." (The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 73, (1953), p. 46.)
The Amplified Bible avoids the debate by translating with the simple "relative." That John Mark was some relation to Barnabas is clear, even if we do not know the exact relationship. This fact illuminates Barnabas' defense of Mark in Acts 15:37-38.
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