The Secret Gospel: The Discovery And Interpretation Of The Secret Gospel According To Mark
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
In one of the twentieth century's most electrifying scholarly controversies, Morton Smith recounts his 1958 discovery at the ancient Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem — a handwritten letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria that referenced a previously unknown, secret version of the Gospel of Mark. The Secret Gospel chronicles Smith's painstaking investigation into this extraordinary manuscript, presenting the historical, theological, and textual evidence that would ignite fierce debate across biblical scholarship for decades to come. Smith guides the reader through the labyrinthine world of early Christianity, arguing that this hidden gospel reveals an esoteric tradition of initiation rites deliberately suppressed by the orthodox Church. Beyond its archaeological and theological implications, the work stands as a landmark in New Testament studies, illustrating how a single document can destabilise centuries of received religious history. Smith writes with the precision of a seasoned classicist and the urgency of a detective, drawing readers into questions of authenticity, faith, and institutional power that remain unresolved to this day. Whether the letter is genuine or an elaborate forgery — a question scholars still passionately contest — The Secret Gospel remains an indispensable, provocative challenge to everything we thought we knew about the origins of Christianity.
Author: Morton Smith
Format: Hardback
Genre: Religion
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
In one of the twentieth century's most electrifying scholarly controversies, Morton Smith recounts his 1958 discovery at the ancient Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem — a handwritten letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria that referenced a previously unknown, secret version of the Gospel of Mark. The Secret Gospel chronicles Smith's painstaking investigation into this extraordinary manuscript, presenting the historical, theological, and textual evidence that would ignite fierce debate across biblical scholarship for decades to come. Smith guides the reader through the labyrinthine world of early Christianity, arguing that this hidden gospel reveals an esoteric tradition of initiation rites deliberately suppressed by the orthodox Church. Beyond its archaeological and theological implications, the work stands as a landmark in New Testament studies, illustrating how a single document can destabilise centuries of received religious history. Smith writes with the precision of a seasoned classicist and the urgency of a detective, drawing readers into questions of authenticity, faith, and institutional power that remain unresolved to this day. Whether the letter is genuine or an elaborate forgery — a question scholars still passionately contest — The Secret Gospel remains an indispensable, provocative challenge to everything we thought we knew about the origins of Christianity.