“Secret Mark”: Introduction

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In 1973, when Morton Smith presented to the world the Clement letter and an unknown “secret” gospel of Mark, was he revealing an amazing Biblical manuscript discovery or attempting a risky scholarly stunt? With the help of the experts, our four-part treatment sets the scene of the find at Mar Saba monastery in the Judean Desert (“Secret Mark”: An Amazing Discovery), presents the case for forgery (“Secret Mark”: Morton Smith—Forger), examines the textual tradition that could indicate authenticity (“Secret Mark”: Was Morton Smith a Great Thespian and I a Complete Fool?) and offers BAR’s unique editorial assessment to sum up the evidence (“Secret Mark”: Restoring a Dead Scholar’s Reputation.)