Mark’s Other Gospel: Rethinking Morton Smith’s Controversial Discovery (Studies in Christianity and Judaism)

361 Pages·2005·1.58 MB·English

by  Scott G. Brown

Mark’s Other Gospel
Rethinking Morton Smith’s Controversial Discovery
Scott G. Brown
ESCJ
Studies in Christianity and Judaism/Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page i
(cid:1) (cid:2)
MARK’S OTHER GOSPEL
Rethinking Morton Smith’s
Controversial Discovery
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page ii
Studies in Christianity and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme :15
Studies in Christianity and Judaism / Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme
publishes monographs on Christianity and Judaism in the last two centuries before
the common era and the first six centuries of the common era, with a special inter-
est in studies of their interrelationship or the cultural and social context in which
they developed.
GENERALEDITOR: Peter Richardson University of Toronto
EDITORIALBOARD: Paula Fredrickson Boston University
John Gager Princeton University
Olivette Genest Université de Montréal
Paul-Hubert Poirier Université Laval
Adele Reinhartz Wilfrid Laurier University
Stephen G. Wilson Carleton University
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page iii
Studies in Christianity and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme : 15
(cid:1) (cid:2)
MARK’S OTHER GOSPEL
Rethinking Morton Smith’s
Controversial Discovery
Scott G. Brown
Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion/
Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses
by Wilfrid Laurier University Press
2005
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page iv
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for
the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme,
using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book
Publishing Industry Development Program for our publishing activities. We acknowledge
the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Ontario
Book Initiative.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Brown, Scott G. (Scott Gregory), 1966–
Mark’s other gospel : rethinking Morton Smith’s controversial discovery /
Scott G. Brown.
(Studies in Christianity and Judaism = Études sur le christianisme
et le judaïsm ESCJ ; 15).
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-88920-461-6
1. Secret Gospel according to Mark. I. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion
II. Title. III. Series: Studies in Christianity and Judaism ; 15.
BS2860.S42B76 2005 229´.8 C2005-901621-3
© 2005 Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion /
Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses
Cover design by Leslie Macredie. Cover image: St. Mark at his desk, from the Gospel of
St.Mark (vellum) by French School (9th century), Ebbo Gospels (816–35) Ms 1 fol. 60v.
Courtesy of Bibliotheque Municipale, Epernay, France/Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library.
Text design by Catharine Bonas-Taylor.
Excerpts from Clement of Alexandria and a Secret Gospel of Markby Morton Smith reprinted
by permission of the publisher from CLEMENTOFALEXANDRIAANDASECRETGOSPELOFMARK
by Morton Smith, pp. 446–48, 450, 452. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Copy-
right ©1973 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Printed in Canada
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in
this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called
to the publisher’s attention will be corrected in future printings.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from
The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright
licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
Order from:
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
www.wlupress.wlu.ca
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page v
For my parents,
Judy and Doug, Eric and Claire
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page vi
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page vii
(cid:1) (cid:2)
Contents
Acknowledgments / ix
Preface / xi
List of Abbreviations / xv
The Letter to Theodore / xvii
Clement’s Citations from the Longer Gospel / xxiii
Part One: Rethinking the Dominant Paradigms / 1
Chapter 1: A Longer, Esoteric Version of Mark’s Gospel / 3
Scholarly Assessments of the Longer Gospel / 6
A Literary Thesis / 19
Chapter 2: The Question of the Authenticity of the Letter to Theodore / 23
The Manuscript / 25
The Possibility of Modern Forgery / 28
The Possibility of Ancient Forgery / 59
Conclusions / 71
Chapter 3: Longer Mark’s Relation to Other Gospels / 75
Longer Mark’s Basis in Oral Tradition / 76
Longer Mark’s Relation to John / 85
Longer Mark’s Relation to Matthew and Luke / 98
Longer Mark’s Relation to Non-Canonical Gospels / 101
Longer Mark’s Relation to Canonical Mark / 105
Chapter 4: The Nature of the Longer Gospel / 121
Clement’s Conception of the Genre of the Longer Gospel / 121
The Reason for the Discretion Surrounding the Use
of the Longer Gospel / 135
Conclusions / 142
vii
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page viii
viii CONTENTS
Chapter 5: The Original Purpose and Later Use of the
Longer Gospel / 144
The Baptismal Reading of LGM 1b / 144
The Baptismal Reading of the Letter to Theodore / 147
Alternative Cultic Interpretations / 150
The Need for a Literary Perspective on LGM 1 and 2 / 153
The Original Purpose and Later Use of LGM 1 and 2 / 158
Conclusions / 162
Part Two: Analysis of Markan Literary Techniques / 163
Chapter 6: Longer Mark’s Use of Intercalation / 165
The Formal Characteristics of Intercalation / 166
The Hermeneutical Significance of Intercalation / 174
Excursus on the Relevance of Intercalation to the Question
of the Authenticity of the Letter to Theodore / 176
Chapter 7: Longer Mark’s Use of Framing Stories / 180
What Constitutes an Inclusio? / 181
Do Mark 10:32 and 16:7–8 Create an Inclusio? / 182
LGM 1 and 2 and Mark 16:1–8 as a Frame for the Passion / 195
Chapter 8: Longer Mark’s Use of Verbal Echoes / 198
Reminiscences of the Man with Many Possessions / 199
“And After Six Days” / 201
The “Great Cry” from the Tomb / 203
“The Mystery of the Kingdom of God” / 205
LGM 1:12 as an Elaboration of Themes Introduced
in Mark 4:11–12 / 207
The Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the Markan Gospel’s
Imperative of “Spiritual” Understanding / 210
Deeper Understanding as a Literary Agenda Shared by the
Longer and Shorter Gospels / 214
Chapter 9: Conclusions / 215
The Nature and Original Purpose of the Longer Gospel / 215
Who Wrote the Longer Gospel? / 220
How and When Was the Longer Gospel Composed? / 231
Longer Mark’s Relevance to Scholarship / 235
Notes / 239
Bibliography / 283
Modern Authors Index / 313
Ancient Sources Index / 318
Subject Index / 328
brown_00_fm.qxd 2005/04/26 12:22 PM Page ix
(cid:1) (cid:2)
Acknowledgments
Anumber of people contributed in important ways to the production of
this book. Above all, I want to thank my family for all the encourage-
ment and support they gave me. Without their patience and generosity, this
book would never have come about.
I am also indebted to numerous scholars and friends. When this book was
still a dissertation, my supervisor, Leif Vaage, read through the manuscript
three times, offering insightful feedback on practically every page; his thor-
oughness and high standards made this a much better work. Michel Des-
jardins read the dissertation manuscript twice and corrected more scribal
errors than I care to admit. Schuyler Brown and John Kloppenborg took
turns supervising me during the period before my general exams. I want to
thank the former for directing me to a form of biblical scholarship that is the-
oretically intelligible; the latter, for directing me away from thesis topics that
would never have been as interesting as this one.
I am likewise indebted to the series editor, Peter Richardson, under
whose guidance this book lost most of the trappings of a dissertation. Peter
and the staff at Wilfrid Laurier University Press were easy to work with and
very accommodating of my concerns. My work has also benefited greatly
from my ongoing correspondence with Charles W. Hedrick and from the
insightful comments of the two anonymous appraisers for the Aid to Schol-
arly Publications Programme.
Other scholars whom I have not yet had the pleasure to meet took the
time to reflect on my work or answer my inquiries and send me materials. I
will mention them in roughly the order in which I corresponded with them.
Quentin Quesnell amiably and generously assisted my investigation by clar-
ifying issues pertaining to his article on longer Mark and offering feedback
ix