Mark the Deacon was a Christian author of the 5th century CE. He is known only as the writer of the Life of Porphyry of Gaza, a biography of the bishop who led the Christianization of that city. The text presents Mark as a deacon from Macedonia who was Porphyry’s close companion and assistant. According to the narrative, he witnessed the bishop’s campaigns against pagan worship in Gaza, including the destruction of the major temple of Zeus Marnas in 402 CE.

The historical accuracy of the Life as Mark’s own eyewitness account is debated by scholars. Some consider it a genuine contemporary record, while others suggest it may be a later work of pious fiction, possibly written in the late 5th or early 6th century. Regardless of its authorship, the text demonstrates detailed knowledge of Gaza’s geography and the events of the period.

Mark’s significance lies entirely in this single work. The Life of Porphyry of Gaza is a crucial source for understanding the forceful conversion of pagan urban centers in the late Roman Empire. It provides a vivid, partisan narrative of the conflict between a rising Christian authority and a resilient pagan community, detailing temple destruction, imperial support, and social tension. As a piece of hagiography, it promotes the ideal of the bishop as a militant defender of the faith. Modern scholars treat it as an indispensable, though critically scrutinized, document for the study of the end of public paganism in late antiquity.