herwin's Journal: Secret Mark

The following extract
needs some background. The current consensus of
the New Testament research community is that the pre-Easter Church had its
roots in the syncretic Graeco-Jewish communities of inter-testamental
Galilee. John Dominic Crossan, in particular, places Jesus squarely in
the Greek cynic tradition. The point that goes unsaid in this discussion
is that Classical and Hellenistic Greeks believed that sexual intercourse
between a teacher and a younger student was one method for passing on
gnosis (knowledge). Consequently, it would not be totally surprising to
historians if they encountered evidence for homosexual practices in the
pre-Easter church. That evidence exists.

In 1974, Morton Smith published an old manuscript he had photographed
in 1958 at the ancient monastery of Mar Saba in the Judean wilderness,
preserving a letter from Clement of Alexandria (150-215 CE). That letter
contains what appears to be an original sequence from the story of the
rich young man in Mark that describes Jesus indulging in homosexual
practices as part of a nude baptismal ritual. Clement regarded the
material as belonging to an authentic version of Mark's gospel that had
been enlarged by Mark for use by initiates. Crossan's position is that it
was more likely part of the first edition of Mark, possibly quickly
excised by Mark but preserved for some reason after misuse by members of
the community.

My point here is not that this is a correct reading of the evidence (I
have my doubts), but rather that the introduction of this material into a
discussion on the pre-Easter Church would be likely to generate massive
controversy. If that happens when scholars find their faith challenged,
consider how outsiders are likely to react. And if that outsider was in a
position to press charges, the poster could find himself or herself
extradited to stand trial for indecent speech in a town 3000 miles away
from his or her campus. The following is John Allegro's translation of
this passage:

And Jesus, being angered, went off with her into the garden
where the tomb was. And straightaway, a great cry was heard from the tomb.
And going near, Jesus rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb. And
straightaway, going in where the youth was, he stretched forth his hand.
But the youth, looking upon him, loved him, and began to beseech him that
he might continue with him. And going out of the tomb, they came into the
youth's house, for he was rich. And after six days, Jesus told him what to
do. In the evening, the youth came to him, wearing a linen robe over his
naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the
mystery of the Kingdom of God....

Smith, Morton, the Secret Gospel, Harper and Row, 1973, as
quoted in Allegro, John, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian
Myth, Prometheus Books, 1984, p. 242.