New "Deep Dive" Podcast Episode 20: Smith and Landau's The Secret Gospel of Mark: A Controversial Scholar, a Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, and the Fierce Debate over Its Authenticity (Part Two)

Podcast 20 

Summary 

The text describes the life and work of Morton Smith, a controversial scholar who discovered a manuscript at the Mar Saba monastery in Jerusalem in 1958. The manuscript, known as the "Secret Gospel of Mark," contained a letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria and included a passage that seemingly contradicted traditional Christian teachings. The text discusses Smith's background, his experiences at Mar Saba, and the subsequent debate surrounding the authenticity of the manuscript. It also provides evidence suggesting Smith may have visited Mar Saba earlier than previously thought, and that his discovery may have been a carefully orchestrated hoax. 

Smith's Path to Discovery Morton Smith's discovery of the Secret Gospel of Mark was shaped both by his personal experiences and academic training. 

● Smith’s early religious upbringing in the New Church, a Christian denomination based on the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, fostered his intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. 

● While at Harvard, Smith’s academic interests shifted and he embraced a more skeptical stance toward religious beliefs. 

● He developed a reputation for challenging conventional thinking and was drawn to uncovering hidden or overlooked aspects of religious history. This inclination is evident in his doctoral dissertation at Harvard, where he argued – against the prevailing scholarly opinion at the time – that monotheism was not a core belief of ancient Israelites. 

● Smith's wartime stranding in Jerusalem from 1940 to 1945 proved to be a pivotal period. 

● It was during this time that Smith first visited Mar Saba, a remote monastery in the Judean Desert. 

● His initial two-month stay at the monastery in 1942 immersed him in monastic life and exposed him to the rich history and traditions of the Orthodox Church. 

● He was particularly fascinated by the monastery's unique architecture and the profound silence of the desert surroundings. 

● The sources also indicate that Smith likely returned to Mar Saba in February of 1944, evidenced by sketches in his personal sketchbook. 

● After the war, Smith pursued a second doctorate at Harvard, where he honed his skills in manuscript studies under the guidance of Professor Werner Jaeger. 

● This training equipped him with the expertise to identify and analyze ancient texts, which would prove invaluable in his later discovery. 

● By 1958, Smith was an established scholar with a passion for uncovering hidden manuscripts. 

● He returned to Mar Saba specifically to catalogue its manuscript collection. 

● While he initially had low expectations, given the monastery's diminished holdings, he was driven by the hope of finding overlooked treasures. 

Smith's discovery of the Secret Gospel of Mark in 1958 was the culmination of a long personal and academic journey. His early religious background, skeptical turn of mind, wartime experiences at Mar Saba, and scholarly training in manuscript studies all converged to make this momentous find possible.