morton smith

By: James Tabor

James Tabor suggests that in the same way the basic apocalyptic texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls have as their historical reference points the parties and politics of the mid-1st century BCE, the Ur-text of revelation is most likely composed against the backdrop of local events in Judea in the 40s and 50s CE–and has little to do with Rome and its emperors.

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

In part one of a two-part series, Douglas Boin presents new archaeological and historical research in the study of early Christianity.

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Bruce Chilton reviews "Jesus and Magic: Freeing the Gospel Stories from Modern Misconceptions" by Richard A. Horsley.

By: Reviewed by James D.G. Dunn

James D.G. Dunn reviews "Ancient Gospel or Modern Forgery: The Secret Gospel of Mark in Debate" edited by Tony Burke.

By: Peter Jeffery

Back to Did Morton Smith Forge “Secret Mark”?   The Mar Saba text has been regarded with suspicion ever since its discovery. The reason is […]

By: Scott Brown

Back to Did Morton Smith Forge “Secret Mark”?   In the following 14-page essay, Scott G. Brown responds to Venetia Anastasopoulou’s handwriting analysis of Secret […]

By: Venetia Anastasopoulou

Back to Did Morton Smith Forge “Secret Mark”?   In the question: “can a document in itself reveal a forgery or not,” we have a […]

By: Peter Jeffery

Back to Did Morton Smith Forge “Secret Mark”?   I think BAR did the right thing in seeking the opinions of Greek experts, which is […]

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Back to Did Morton Smith Forge “Secret Mark”?   Despite the scores of articles and books that have been written on the question of forgery […]

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

While looking for ancient documents in the Mar Saba monastery library in the Judean Desert, scholar Morton Smith made a discovery that rocked the academic world: Copied onto the end-pages of a 17th-century book was a previously unknown letter from Clement of Alexandria, a second-century church father, which contained passages of a lost “secret” gospel of Mark.