Misunderstood Contexts: The True Life Setting of the Mystic Gospel of Mark

Many scholars have fundamentally misconstrued the context of the Letter to Theodore, leading to interpretations that seem incongruous with the historical situation. A notable example is the recent work by Notre Dame musicologist Peter Jeffery, who interprets the letter as describing a gospel used for baptism. Jeffery argues that the gospel pericope quoted in the letter is incompatible with the known history of Alexandria's baptism liturgy and theology. This discrepancy led him to situate the mystic gospel in a different context—specifically, the intellectual milieus of twentieth-century Anglican scholarship on early Christian baptism and a homosexual academic subculture, where he also places the text’s discoverer, Morton Smith.

Scott Brown, in his essay review of Jeffery's book, argued that "the great mysteries" mentioned in the Letter to Theodore do not refer to baptism and that the gospel pericope does not depict a baptismal scene. Brown's insights prompted further reflection and led him to discover an additional, overlooked indication of the life setting of the mystic gospel within the letter itself.

The Letter to Theodore states that Mark created the mystic gospel by adding “certain traditions (λόγια) of which he knew the interpretation would, as a mystagogue, lead the hearers into the innermost sanctuary of the sevenfold veiled truth” (I.24–26). Examining what the imagery of entering the innermost sanctuary denotes in Clement's writings reveals that this space was inaccessible to catechumens and ordinary believers. Instead, like the great mysteries it contains, this sanctuary was accessible only to the Christian equivalent of the Jewish high priest, which Clement referred to as the true gnostic.

This evidence from Clement's writings, often overlooked, verifies the gnostic life setting of the mystic gospel and aligns perfectly with Clement's program of Christian education. The notion that the mystic gospel was part of a baptismal liturgy does not hold up against the textual evidence and Clement's broader theological framework. Instead, the mystic gospel is more accurately seen as a text intended for advanced initiates, those who had already progressed far beyond the preliminary stages of Christian instruction.

For a deeper exploration of these insights, Scott Brown's paper, Behind the Seven Veils, I: The Gnostic Life Setting of the Mystic Gospel of Mark, provides a comprehensive analysis. Brown delves into the nuances of the gnostic context and elucidates the misinterpretations that have pervaded scholarly discussions for decades.

By reexamining the evidence with a clear understanding of Clement’s writings and the intended audience of the mystic gospel, we can move beyond the baptismal misconception and appreciate the text’s true significance within the gnostic tradition. Brown’s work challenges long-held assumptions and opens new avenues for exploring the rich, complex history of early Christian texts and their interpretations.