Slide 1

Secret Gospel of Mark

nMorton Smith discovered letter (1958) of Clement (150? – between 211&216) to Theodore

nContained fragments of Secret Mark

nSupported Smith’s controversial ideas

nJesus as homosexual

nChurch rewrote scripture to suit own purposes

nLetter was conveniently lost and not found

nPhotographed by Smith

nWriting similar to Smith’s

nIndications of forgery


	The reported discovery by Morton Smith, in 1958 (at the ancient monastery of Mar Saba) of a fragment of an unknown *Secret Gospel of Mark* provoked much debate. This Secret Gospel of Mark was quoted in a previously unknown letter of Clement of Alexandria, which had supposedly been transcribed into the endpapers of a 17th century printed book in the monastery of Mar Saba, twelve miles south of Jerusalem. This letter is consequently often called the "Mar Saba letter".
	When found, the letter was photographed by Morton Smith, and the monks at the monastery separated it from the book, for conservation and separate storage. However, the letter quickly became lost and its whereabouts unknown, prompting accusations of both a cover-up by the monks and fraud by Morton Smith. More recently, black and white photographs of the text, created by the monastery's earlier curator, have come to light. Also, its removal to another Greek Orthodox library has been attested, but it still has not been produced for examination by scholars.