Behind the Seven Veils, I: The Gnostic Life Setting of the Mystic Gospel of Mark

In 1960, Morton Smith made a groundbreaking announcement at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting: he had discovered a letter from Clement of Alexandria that described and excerpted a longer, "mystic" version of the Gospel of Mark, which Smith referred to as the secret gospel. This discovery would soon spark considerable scholarly debate and intrigue.

Two weeks after Smith's announcement, Cyril Richardson, a respected church historian present at the meeting, proposed an initial theory regarding the gospel pericope quoted in the letter. This brief, Markan variant of John 11 describes Jesus raising a dead man in Bethany and, six days later, teaching him the mystery of the kingdom of God. Richardson suggested that this narrative was part of a baptismal lection read during the Paschal vigil in Clement’s church. He interpreted Clement's reference to this "more spiritual" version of Mark's gospel being read "only to those who are being initiated into the great mysteries" as pertaining to baptism, which Clement often associated with mystery language.

Richardson's understanding evolved over time. In his 1974 review of Smith's two books on the "secret" Mark, he noted that Clement often viewed baptism as preliminary to the lesser and greater mysteries. Smith had argued that the letter from Clement described two levels of catechetical readers: the catechumens proper, who heard the canonical gospel written in Rome, and "those being baptized," who were exposed to the more spiritual gospel produced in Alexandria. However, Richardson proposed that the letter's contrast between katēchoumenoi (the instructed) and teleioumenoi (the perfected) actually referred to a distinction between simpliciores (the simple believers) and the true gnostics.

This reinterpretation implied that the actual audience of the mystic text was not new initiates but advanced students—individuals who had been baptized years before encountering this text. Consequently, the text could not be associated with a baptismal reading. Unfortunately, Smith had already embraced the baptismal thesis, basing his interpretation of the mystic gospel and the origins of Christian baptism on it. This misconception became a foundation for subsequent studies of "secret" Mark, influencing scholarship for the next fifty years.

For those interested in a deeper dive into this topic, Scott G. Brown's paper, Behind the Seven Veils, I: The Gnostic Life Setting of the Mystic Gospel of Mark, provides a comprehensive analysis of these enduring misconceptions and their implications.

Brown's work encourages a reevaluation of the baptismal context traditionally associated with the secret gospel, suggesting instead a more nuanced understanding aligned with gnostic teachings and practices. This shift in perspective not only challenges long-held assumptions but also opens new avenues for exploring the rich, complex history of early Christian texts and their interpretations.