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The Secret Gospel of Mark? |
On fake works |
The Greek manuscript referred to as the "Secret Gospel of Mark" is actually
an 18th century Greek minuscule letter reporting to be from Clement of
Alexandria someone named Theodore. While discussing how to debate with the
heretical sect called the Carpocratians, he mentions a second gospel written by
the apostle Mark. It was supposed to be hidden from the public because of the
information it contained.
The manuscript was discovered by Morton Smith in 1958 when he, as a graduate
student of Columbia University, was cataloguing the manuscript collection of the
Mar Saba Monastery south of Jerusalem.
(Carpocratians were a Gnostic sect known for their belief in 30 gods, that fornication was no longer wrong and that man was imprisoned in an endless cycle of reincarnation by those evil creator angels.)
Most scholars think this document is a forgery since no copies have been
found dating before the 18th century.
Clement Of Alexandria in his
Stromata 2.4 (which dates about 177 AD) states there never was any secret doctrine handed down by the
apostles, just the scriptures. Only the heretics say there is secret doctrine
from the apostles which you must know to correctly understand the scripture.
So if we believe this document, we would have to believe Clement not only lied
about the gospels but in page two verse 10-12 he teaches us to lie about the
things of God.
Since this document simply talks about a secret gospel of Mark we will not know for sure until the actual document in question is found.
The following is a translation of the letter by Andrew Bernhard:
Page 1
01 From the letters of the most holy
Clement of the Stomateis. To Theodore:
02 You did well silencing the
unspeakable teachings of the Carpocratians.
03 For they are the prophesied
wandering stars. From the narrow road of the commandments
04 they are
wandering into a boundless abyss of carnal and bodily sins.
05 For having
been puffed up in knowledge - as they call it - of the depths of Satan, they
fail to notice
06 that they are throwing themselves down into the darkness of
dark lies. And having boasted
07 that they are free, they have become slaves
of servile desires. With these people, then, it is
08 necessary to check them
constantly and in everything. For even if they say something true, still
09
the lover of the truth should not agree with them. For not all true things are
truth.
10 One must not value what human opinion considers truth more than
the
11 true truth, which is recognized through faith. Now, concerning their
babblings about the divinely
12 inspired Gospel according to Mark: some are
wholly false while others, even if partly true,
13 are still not completely
true. The true parts, because they have been mixed
14 with invented stories
are debased so that, as the saying goes, even the
15 salt loses its flavor.
As for Mark then, during the time when Peter was in Rome,
16 he wrote up the
deeds of the Lord, not actually recording everything, nor
17 hinting at the
mysteries, but instead picking out the things he thought would
18 increase
the faith of those being taught. Then, when Peter was martyred, Mark went
19
to Alexandria, bringing both his knowledge and the things he remembered hearing
from Peter.
20 From what he brought, he supplemented his first book with the
appropriate items
21 about knowledge for those who are making progress. He
arranged a more spiritual
22 gospel for the use of those being perfected.
Nevertheless, he did not reveal the things
23 which are not to be discussed.
He did not write out the hierophantic instruction of the
24 Lord, but added
other deeds to the ones he had already written. Then, he
25 added certain
sayings, the interpretation of which he knew would initiate the hearers
26
into the innermost sanctuary of the truth which has been hidden seven times.
This is the way
27 he prepared them, in my opinion, not ungrudgingly or
unguardedly. And
28 when he died, he left his writing to the church
in
Page 2
01 Alexandria,
where it is even now still extremely carefully guarded, being read
02 only to
those who have been initiated into the greatest mysteries. The miserable
03
demons, however, are always devising destruction for the human race.
04 After
being taught by them and using their deceptive arts, Carpocrates
05 was able
to enslave some elder from the church in Alexandria
06 and get the written
part of the secret gospel from him. And he
07 interpreted it according to his
blasphemous and carnal opinion. Still
08 he defiles it, mixing with the most
undefiled and holy narratives the most
09 shameless lies. The teaching of the
Carpocratians is derived from this mixture.
10 Therefore, one must never
yield to them, just as I said before. Also, one must not concede
11 to them
that the secret gospel is from Mark, when they put forth their lies.
12
Rather one must deny it, even with an oath. For one does not have to speak
13
the whole truth to everyone. For this reason the wisdom of God declares through
Solomon,
14 "Answer the fool from his folly," teaching that, from people
whose minds are blinded,
15 the light of the truth must be concealed. At
once, she (Wisdom)
16 says, "From the one who has not, it will be taken,"
and, "Let the fool go in darkness."
17 But we are the children of light, who
have been illuminated in the rising of the heights of the
18 spirit of the
Lord. "Where the spirit of the Lord is," she says, "there is freedom." For
all
19 things are pure to those who are pure. So I will not hesitate to
answer the questions for you,
20 exposing their lies from the actual words of
the gospel.
21 At any rate, after the part, "They were going up on the road
to Jerusalem" and the following things
22 until, "after three days he will
arise," it takes up according to the text:
23 "And they
went to Bethany and there was a woman whose brother had died.
24 And coming
up to him, she prostrated herself before Jesus and said to him, 'Son of
David,
25 have mercy on me.' But the disciples rebuked her. And becoming
angry,
26 Jesus went with her to the garden where the tomb was.
And
Page 3
01 immediately a great sound was heard from the tomb, and Jesus,
going toward it
02 rolled away the stone from the entrance to the tomb. And
going in immediately where
03 the young man was, he stretched out a hand and
raised him up, holding
04 his hand. Then, the man looked at him and loved him
and
05 he began to call him to his side, that he might be with him. And going
from
06 the tomb, they went to the house of the young man. For he was rich.
And after
07 six days, Jesus instructed him. And when it was late, the young
man went
08 to him. He had put a linen around his naked body, and
09 he
remained with him through that night. For Jesus taught him
10 the mystery of
the kingdom of God. After he got up from there,
11 he turned to the region of
the Jordan." And after these things, this follows:
12 "James and John
go to him," and that whole section.
13 But the "naked man with naked man" and
the other things you wrote about are
14 not found. After, "and he goes to
Jericho," it adds only, "And the
15 brother of the young
man whom Jesus loved was there, as well as
16 his mother and Salome. And
Jesus did not welcome them."
17 But the many other things which you
wrote both seem, and are, most false. So,
18 the truth according to the right
interpretation. . .