The Lost Gospel Of Mark
...there is a canonized set of books that serves as historical evidence of its development and a basis for observance. In Judaism, the Old Testament is its canon, whereas in Christianity, the New Testament was added to create the Bible in its entirety. This collection of books was chosen by the early creators of the religion in order to establish an image of the early religion in the minds of followers for generations to come. The works chosen are supposed to be believed to be the only evidence of early Christianity. However, there are opinions that those responsible for collecting texts for the New Testament excluded other historical works that interfered with the preconceived notions of the religion. Those who support this idea might cite the discoveries of Morton Smith, which he documented in Clement of Alexandria and a Secret Gospel of Mark . Smith later wrote another version of the book called The Secret Gospel in order to present his findings in a manner that is more understandable for the average reader. By examining the latter of these books, one can many interesting points about early Christianity. However, during this examination, it is necessary to realize that the conclusion of these books should not be taken at face value just because they are published. There are certain procedures which must be followed to validate these works. First, what exactly was found, and how was it found? Secondly, how were these findings authenticated? Lastly, if these findings were proven authentic, what can they reveal about early and modern Christianity? After these steps are taken, there is much information that can be learned.
In The Secret Gospel, Smith maps outs the details of his journey, what he found, and how he examined the findings. He begins telling about his first visit to Jerusalem at the age of 26 in 1941 (p.1). Smith was staying in Jerusalem as...
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