Subject: tc-list clement of alexandria

From: "Roderic L. Mullen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 22:08:45 -0400

Here's a query for the list, though somewhat vaguely related to tc.  Does
anyone know of recent bibliography (last 10 years, after the most recent
English edn of Schneemelcher's NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA) dealing with the
authenticity of the "Letter of Clement to Theodore" published by Morton
Smith in CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA AND A SECRET GOSPEL OF MARK.  
I'm primarily interested in the letter itself rather than the "Secret
Gospel."  Merckel, the editor in Schneemelcher, says that no one has seen
the manuscript of the letter at Mar Saba monastery since Smith published it.
Is that true?  I've seen Mar Saba from the outside but have never been
inside.  Thanks, Rod Mullen

---

From: "Mark Goodacre" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 10:51:07 GMT

On 30 Jul 98 at 22:08, Roderic L. Mullen wrote:

> authenticity of the "Letter of Clement to Theodore" published by Morton Smith
> in CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA AND A SECRET GOSPEL OF MARK.  I'm primarily
> interested in the letter itself rather than the "Secret Gospel."  Merckel, the
> editor in Schneemelcher, says that no one has seen the manuscript of the
> letter at Mar Saba monastery since Smith published it. Is that true?  I've
> seen Mar Saba from the outside but have never been inside.

One of the most recent pieces that I am aware of is Shawn Eyer, "The Strange 
Case of the Secret Gospel According to Mark", _Alexandria: The Journal for the 
Western Cosmological Traditions_, volume 3 (1995), pp. 103-129, reproduced on 
the web at:

http://www.globaltown.com/shawn/secmark.html

It includes a section on "Is the Ink Still Wet? The Question of a Forgery", 
mainly dealing with Quesnell's article.

There was some discussion of the matter on the Crosstalk list (Historical Jesus 
and Christian Origins) earlier this year.  One thing that emerged was that 
Charles Hedrick has been to Jerusalem and has seen the MS recently.  The source 
was given as "the Jesus Seminar grapevine".

Mark Goodacre
--------------------------------------
Dr Mark Goodacre       mailto:[email-masked]
  Dept of Theology                Tel: +44 (0)121 414 7512
  University of Birmingham      Fax: +44 (0)121 414 6866
  Birmingham  B15 2TT
  United Kingdom

Homepage: http://www.bham.ac.uk/theology/goodacre
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