Now we get to:
7.) "The Secret Gospel of Mark"
In 1973 Morton Smith published a book on a previously unknown letter of Clement of Alexandria. He stated that, while cataloging documents at the
monastery of Mar Saba at the West Bank east of Bethlehem in the summer 1958, he discovered the text of the letter handwritten into the endpapers of Isaac Vossius’ 1646 printed edition of the works of St. Ignatius of Antioch. This letter is consequently referred to as the Mar Saba letter of Clement of Alexandria. Smith published a second book for the popular audience in 1981.
Smith’s books reproduced black-and-white photographs he claimed to have taken at the time of the discovery. In 1976 a group of four scholars visited the monastery, viewed the manuscript, and took color photographs of it. This visit remained unknown until 2003 when one of the party, G.A.G. Stroumsa, published an account of the visit.
In 1977 the volume containing the manuscript was taken to the library of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem. That same year, the manuscript pages were removed from the bound volume by the librarian Kallistos Dourvas, to be photographed and kept separately. These photographs were published in 2000. Subsequent attempts by scholars to view the manuscript have been unsuccessful. Paleographers, working from Smith’s photographs, have assigned dates from the late seventeenth to the early nineteenth centuries. Nevertheless, doubts have been expressed about its authenticity - with some claiming that it is a hoax by Smith himself or another person, or at least, that the author was not Clement himself but another pseudo-Clement.
- From the letters of the most holy Clement, of the Stromata.
To Theodoros.
You did well in silencing the unspeakable teachings of the
Carpocratians, for these are the “
wandering stars” (Jude 1:13) that had been prophesied, who wander from the narrow road of the commandments into an endless abyss, deceived by the fleshly and bodily sins. For having been puffed up of their knowledge - as they say - “
of the depths of Satan,” (Revelation 2:24) they do not know that they are throwing themselves down into “
the blackness of darkness” (Jude 1:13) of lies. And having boasted that they are free, they have become bondservants of base desires. Such are to be opposed in all ways and altogether. Because even if they say something true, still the lover of the truth should not agree with them, for not all true things are truth, nor should that truth which merely seems true according to human opinions be preferred to the true truth, that according to the faith.
Now, concerning their babblings about the “
God-breathed” (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16)
Gospel according to Mark, some are wholly lies, while others, even if partly true, nevertheless are not reported truly. For the true things being mixed with inventions are debased so that, as the saying goes, “
even the salt has become tasteless” (cf. Matthew 5:13).
As for Mark, then, during Peter’s stay in Rome he wrote an account of the acts of the Lord, not, however, declaring all of them, nor yet hinting at the mystical ones, but picking the things he thought most useful for increasing the faith of those who were being catechized. Then when Peter was martyred, Mark came to Alexandria, bringing both his own knowledge and those of Peter, from which he transferred to his first book the things suitable about knowledge for those who are making progress. Thus he arranged a more spiritual gospel for the use of those who were being perfected.
Nevertheless, he did not reveal the things which are not to be uttered. He did not write out the hierophantic teaching of the Lord, but to the stories already written he added yet others, and, moreover, brought in certain sayings of which he knew the interpretation would, as a mystagogue, lead the hearers into the
adyton of the truth which is veiled seven times. Thus he prepared them - in my opinion - not ungrudgingly or unguardedly. And dying, he left his writing to the church in Alexandria, where even now it is still extremely carefully guarded, being read only to those who are being initiated into the great mysteries.
However, since the polluted demons are always devising destruction for the race of man, Carpocrates, taught by them and using their deceptive arts, so enslaved a certain presbyter of the church in Alexandria that he got from him a copy of the mystical gospel, which he both interpreted according to his blasphemous and fleshly authority and, moreover, defiled, mixing with the most spotless and holy words the most shameless lies. From this mixture is derived the teaching of the Carpocratians.
To them, therefore - as I said above - one must never give way. Also, when they put forward their falsifications, one should not concede that the mystical gospel is by Mark, but should deny it even on oath, for not all truth are to be said to everyone. For this reason, the wisdom of God through Solomon gives a message, “
Answer a fool from his folly” (cf. Proverbs 26:5), teaching that from those whose minds are blinded the light of the truth should be concealed. Again it says, “
From him who has not, it will be taken away,” and, “
Let the fool go in darkness.”
(continued)
“When a husbandman has enclosed a small seed in a secret place, so that it is invisibly buried, how does its abundance become immeasurable?”
Oddly it seems to be written as a response to Gnosticism.