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Was the ending to the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark added? Father Matta the Poor mentions that the ending of this gospel, from verses 9-20, is added. Other books like by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty’s commentary does not mention the issue and ends with the ascension. H.H. Pope Shenouda III answered these claims in his book by saying that everything mentioned from verses 9-20 was a factual truth that happened and was mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. However, Father Matta does not say that the verses are not stating facts but that they were simply not written by St. Mark, therefore, they were added later to this account of the Holy Gospel and should have ended at verse 8.

There have been some disputes amongst biblical scholars regarding the ending of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, verses 9-20. Some of the disputes mention that the style is different than the account stated up to verse 8. Others claim that verse 8 ends abruptly and no sequential transition common in St. Mark's writing style is made to verse 9. Though some Church Fathers, such as St. Iraenaeus, quoted from these disputed verses, others such as St. Jerome and St. Eusebius, acknowledged that these verses were not in the original Greek manuscript. This does not indicate that these verses are not factual though some doubt is cast on the authorship of these passages to be St. Mark himself. Thus, the commentary by Fr. Matthew the Poor does not rise to heretic teaching nor do any of these verses currently in their place in this account of the Holy Gospel.