Uwe Karsten Plisch

The Secret Gospel of Mark is a purported longer and mystical version of the canonical Gospel of Mark. Its existence is exclusively referenced in the Mar Saba letter, a document of uncertain authenticity attributed to Clement of Alexandria. This letter, allegedly transcribed in the 18th century into the endpapers of an older book, was discovered in 1958 by historian Morton Smith at the Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem. Smith announced his find in 1960, publishing his research in 1973. The letter describes Mark the Evangelist bringing Peter's notes to Alexandria and expanding his Gospel with material suitable for spiritual advancement, leaving this secret version for initiates. Clement's letter includes two passages from this text, detailing Jesus raising a young man from the dead. The discovery sparked debate regarding the letter's authenticity, with no scholarly consensus. Some interpret the text as suggesting homosexual activity by Jesus, though this is contested. The original manuscript has since been lost, with research relying on photographs and copies.

In 1958, while researching manuscripts at the Mar Saba monastery, historian Morton Smith discovered a letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria. This letter, seemingly written into the endpapers of an 18th-century copy of Ignatius of Antioch's works, quoted passages from a longer, secret version of the Gospel of Mark. Smith announced this finding in 1960, and his comprehensive study, including photographs of the text, was published in 1973. The discovery generated significant controversy, with accusations of forgery arising almost immediately. The authenticity of the Mar Saba letter remains a subject of intense scholarly debate. Scholars are divided on whether the letter, its quoted gospel excerpts, or both, are genuine, with some suggesting a modern forgery, possibly by Smith himself. Others propose it's a genuine, albeit potentially misinterpreted, 2nd-century Gnostic text or even an earlier version of Mark's Gospel.

The Mar Saba letter, also known by various other names like the Clement letter or the Letter to Theodore, details Clement of Alexandria's account of the Gospel of Mark's development. According to the letter, Mark the Evangelist, after Peter's martyrdom, arrived in Alexandria with his own notes and Peter's, expanding his Gospel with teachings intended for those progressing in spiritual knowledge. This expanded version, termed the Secret Gospel of Mark, was allegedly kept guarded and revealed only to initiates. Clement quotes two passages, one describing Jesus raising a rich young man from the dead, a narrative bearing similarities to the Gospel of John's account of Lazarus. The letter's content has led to interpretations suggesting homosexual themes involving Jesus, though this remains a point of contention.

Following Morton Smith's discovery and initial documentation, the manuscript's fate became complex. While initially believed to be seen only by Smith, other scholars later confirmed its presence. The pages containing Clement's letter were eventually moved from Mar Saba to the Patriarchate library in Jerusalem. Around 1977, the pages were removed for photographing and re-cataloguing but subsequently went missing after 1990. Various attempts to locate them have been unsuccessful, with speculation that they may have been deliberately hidden or destroyed due to controversial interpretations, or simply misplaced. Despite the manuscript's disappearance, photographs and transcriptions, including high-quality color images made in the 1980s, continue to be the basis for scholarly analysis and the ongoing debate surrounding the Secret Gospel of Mark.