Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
12 used & new from $15.32

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Tell a Friend
The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark
 
 
Are You an Author or Publisher?
Find out how to publish your own Kindle Books
 
  

The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark (Paperback)

by Stephen C. Carlson (Author) "Secret Mark first became known to modern scholarship in 1958 when a newly hired assistant professor at Columbia University by the name of Morton Smith..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mar Saba, Clement of Alexandria, Morton Smith (more...)
3.2 out of 5 stars  (14 customer reviews)

List Price: $24.95
Price: $22.46 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.49 (10%)
Upgrade this book for $2.49 more, and you can read, search, and annotate every page online. See details
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, July 8? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. See details

12 used & new available from $15.32

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Frequently Bought Together

Customers bought this item with:

The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark The Secret Gospel: The Discovery and Interpretation of the Secret Gospel According to Mark
The Secret Gospel: The Discovery and Interpretation of the Secret Gospel According to Mark by Morton Smith
3.2 out of 5 stars (4) $16.95
In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Price For Both: $39.41


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery

The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery by Peter Jeffery

3.0 out of 5 stars (6)  $33.10
Mark’s Other Gospel: Rethinking Morton Smith’s Controversial Discovery (Studies in Christianity and Judaism)

Mark’s Other Gospel: Rethinking Morton Smith’s Controversial Discovery (Studies in Christianity and Judaism) by Scott G. Brown

4.4 out of 5 stars (5)  $85.00
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels

Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels by Craig A. Evans

4.4 out of 5 stars (24)  $14.28
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham

4.3 out of 5 stars (20)  $21.12
Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew

Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart D. Ehrman

4.3 out of 5 stars (99)  $11.53
Explore similar items : Books (25)

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Secret Mark" is the name given to a portion of a document allegedly uncovered in 1958 on a trip to the monastery of Mar Saba, located near Jerusalem. Purportedly written by Clement of Alexandria to someone called Theodore in the late second or early third century, the document was discovered by Morton Smith, at the time assistant professor of history at Columbia University. Secret Mark caused a stir in the academic community, as it alludes to a homosexual relationship between Jesus and Mark, and casts doubt on the authenticity of portions of the canonized gospel of Mark. Carlson is interested, not just in the authenticity of Secret Mark, but in the issue of historical hoaxes in general. His task is made difficult in that the Mar Saba documents are no longer available for inspection, so he depends on the photographs supplied by Smith. Carlson concludes that Secret Mark is indeed a hoax, and contains clear signs of a 20th-century provenance. Moreover, he points directly at Smith as the perpetrator of the fraud. Utilizing sound historical and linguistic methods, Carlson presents a convincing case for Smith's authorship of Secret Mark. While readers unfamiliar with the critical apparatus scholars use to evaluate ancient texts will find the book challenging, Carlson's presentation of the evidence strongly supports his views. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Stephen Carlson's expose of the supposed letter of Clement of Alexandria and its reference to a lost "Secret" version of Mark's Gospel is a scholarly bombshell. Built on pains-taking research, without any shrillness in tone, Carlson's argument is clear and compelling. Scholars in the field of Christian Origins will have to reckon with it, and many will have to re-think some important matters about the Gospels and the historical Jesus. A wider public will find this a fascinating detective story. Far from being some lost version of the story of Jesus, Secret Mark is uncovered as a great practical joke--one that keeps Morton Smith laughing from his grave. --Larry W. Hurtado, Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, School of Divinity, New College, University of Edinburgh

Combining the sharp eye of a master sleuth and the erudition of an academic, Stephen Carlson tells the story of an extraordinary literary hoax, detailing with forensic skill how Morton Smith succeeded in fooling many Biblical scholars into believing that he had discovered a hitherto unknown fragment of a sensational early Christian Gospel. The Gospel Hoax uncovers the clues and unmasks the perpetrator of a remarkable feat of deception. Fascinating, compelling and utterly convincing. --Mark Goodacre, Associate Professor of New Testament, Department of Religion, Duke University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
  • Paperback: 151 pages
  • Publisher: Baylor University Press (November 30, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1932792481
  • ISBN-13: 978-1932792485
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: