Charles W Hedrick

Charles W. Hedrick is known for his involvement in the study of the "Secret Gospel of Mark," a purported longer and mystical version of the Gospel of Mark. This text is exclusively referenced in the "Mar Saba letter," a document of contested authenticity attributed to Clement of Alexandria. The letter itself is preserved only through photographs of an 18th-century transcription found within a 17th-century book.

The discovery of the Mar Saba letter is credited to Morton Smith in 1958 at the Mar Saba monastery. Smith announced his findings in 1960 and published his research in 1973. The original manuscript has since been lost. Hedrick, along with Nikolaos Olympiou, published color photographs of the manuscript in 2000, which were made in 1983. The authenticity of the Mar Saba letter and, by extension, the Secret Gospel of Mark, remains a subject of significant scholarly debate, with various theories regarding its origin and potential forgeries.

The "Secret Gospel of Mark," also referred to as the "Mystic Gospel of Mark" or "Longer Gospel of Mark," is a hypothesized expanded version of the canonical Gospel of Mark. Its existence is solely indicated by the "Mar Saba letter," a document whose authenticity is disputed. This letter, purportedly written by Clement of Alexandria (circa 150–215 AD), is preserved only in photographic copies of an 18th-century handwritten transcription found in the endpapers of an early printed edition of Ignatius of Antioch's works. Some interpretations of the letter suggest it implies homosexual activity involving Jesus, though this interpretation is contested.

In 1958, Morton Smith, an ancient history professor, located a previously unknown letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria at the Mar Saba monastery. He formally announced this discovery in 1960 and published his findings in 1973. The original manuscript was later transferred to the Greek Orthodox Church library in Jerusalem and was lost sometime after 1990. Subsequent research relies on photographs and copies, including those made by Smith and later scholars. Charles W. Hedrick, in collaboration with Nikolaos Olympiou, published color photographs of the manuscript in 2000, which were originally taken in 1983.

The revelation of the Mar Saba letter generated considerable attention but also faced accusations of forgery. The scholarly community remains divided on the letter's authenticity, with no consensus among patristic or biblical scholars. Various theories exist: the letter could be entirely authentic or forged, or one part authentic and the other forged. Many who consider it a forgery believe it to be a modern creation, often implicating Morton Smith. Others accept the letter as genuine but question Clement's account, proposing a 2nd-century Gnostic origin. Alternative views suggest Clement's information is accurate, that the Secret Gospel is a later edition by Mark, or even that it represents the original gospel from which the canonical version was derived through omissions.