Is St. Mark in Venice . . . or is it Alexander the Great?

Venice, Italy.  One of the great cities in Italy,  supposedly holds the remains of one of the apostles of Christ or possibly Alexander the Great.   Let us see how the two stories coincide with each other.

Saint Mark, Apostle of Christ

St. Mark is one of the pillars of the early Christian community, and is referred as the founder of the Coptic Church.  His primary reach after the transfiguration of Christ, was in Egypt, Asia Minor, and Africa.   He even established the “School of Alexandria” which defended Christians against other philosophical schools.    He was truly the founding father of apologists.

St Mark was led to martyrdom in Alexandria, and his body secretly buried under the altar of the church in Alexandria.  Of course being a “secret” it would not be widely known that it actually happened.

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great, a Greek king living in the 4th century BC, had conquered an empire stretching 3,000 miles from Greece to India.   He was considered the greatest conqueror of his time, and possibly the world has ever known.   The tactic that grew his fame and army was the idea of integrating the conquered nations into his.   He authored the first multi-national empire that found favor in the eyes of the conquered.

When Alexander died his body was stolen by Ptolemy to Alexandria and was held there during the late antiquity period.

Why the Switch

Both bodies were said to be mummified in in linen, and located in Alexandria.   The timing of when Alexander’s body disappears and St. Mark’s body appears is the same time in history, in the 4th century.

It is conceivable that Alexanders body was taken as St. Mark’s to protect Alexander’s body from the religious zealots of the time.   Also the need to discover the body of St. Mark as a holy relic pushed for the discovery of a body wrapped in linen.

DNA Testing Needed

In 1970 the remains of Philip, the father of Alexander was discovered in Greek Macedonia.   DNA testing today can determine if the body in Venice is related to the body in Greek Macedonia.    St. Mark and Alexander are from different regions, and a quick DNA testing of the body will determine who it could be.

The church authorities have not granted a DNA testing of the remains in Venice.

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