http://www.terra.es/personal2/samidas/cap1.

htm En el siglo II los carpocracianos, secta gnstica cuyas doctrinas nos transmiti Clemente de Alejandr a, preanuncian el comunismo y el inmoralismo de los !hermanos del Esp ritu li"re#$ practica"an en %oma y en Alejandr a un comunismo crudo y radical incluyendo, como &latn, la comunidad de mujeres. Epi'anio, hijo de Carpcrates, ense(a un igualitarismo a"soluto. )ontano 'und una especie de *erusal+n terrena comunista. En el siglo III otro grupo denominado !apostlicos# optaron por el comunismo. http://www.eco,isiones.cl/diccionario/C/CA%&-C%ACIA.-/.htm CA%&-C%ACIA.-/ / m"olos o conceptos sim"licos utili0ado en esoterismo o religiones. )o,imiento cristiano del siglo II 1ue pro'esa"a las doctrinas de Carpcrates de Alejandria, gnstico 1ue recha0a"a el Antiguo 2estamento, de'end a la pre e3istencia de las almas para e3plicar las imper'ecciones del hom"re y sosten an 1ue /an *os+ engendr carnalmente a *esucristo. El 'in supremo 1ue todo hom"re religioso de"e tener, seg4n los carpocracianos, es la unin con lo 5i,ino, lo 1ue lograron &it6goras, &latn, Aristteles y *es4s. 7ajo el ponti'icado de Aniceto, un hijo de Carpcrates, Epi'anes y su mujer, )arcelina, se esta"lecieron en %oma y organi0aron un centro de la secta, pero /an Irineo les acus de practicar la magia y de negar la distincin entre el "ien y el mal, por lo 1ue su'rieron una dura represin. http://es.wi8ipedia.org/wi8i/E,angelio9secreto9de9)arcos El e,angelio secreto de )arcos es un e,angelio apcri'o perdido del 1ue se citan dos "re,es 'ragmentos en una carta atri"uida a Clemente de Alejandr a 1ue 'ue descu"ierta en 1:;<, y so"re cuya autenticidad e3isten serias dudas.

/eg4n a'irma el autor de la carta, durante el siglo II circularon al menos dos ,ersiones di'erentes del e,angelio de )arcos en la ciudad de Alejandr a. =na de ellas, redactada primero, corresponder a al actual e,angelio cannico de )arcos$ la siguiente, escrita despu+s y dirigida a un grupo de iniciados, ser a el e,angelio secreto de )arcos, al 1ue corresponden los 'ragmentos citados en la carta.

.o e3iste ninguna otra re'erencia a un e,angelio secreto de )arcos en la literatura cristiana conocida. /e sa"e, sin em"argo, 1ue e3isti un e,angelio de )ateo alternati,o, 1ue Ireneo, *ernimo y otros autores denominan E,angelio de los >e"reos. &or otra parte, los manuscritos 1ue se conocen del e,angelio de )arcos no son e3actamente iguales entre s , por lo 1ue la idea de 1ue un mismo e,angelio circulase en ,arias ,ersiones di'erentes no es en a"soluto e3tra(a.

/e han puesto en cuestin tanto la autenticidad de la carta como la e3istencia del e,angelio secreto. &or una parte, este e,angelio resulta enormemente pol+mico, ya 1ue contiene posi"les implicaciones so"re la se3ualidad de *es4s 1ue muchos cristianos pueden encontrar gra,emente o'ensi,as. &or otro lado, las anmalas circunstancias en 1ue la carta 'ue descu"ierta hacen sospechar 1ue pudiera tratarse de una 'alsi'icacin. 5escu"rimiento y desaparicin ?editar@

En 1:;<, )orton /mith, pro'esor de historia antigua en la =ni,ersidad de Colum"ia, descu"ri en la "i"lioteca del antiguo monasterio ortodo3o de )ar /a"a, a unos 2A 8ilmetros de *erusal+n, una carta copiada a mano en las p6ginas en "lanco de un li"ro impreso en el siglo BCII. Da carta esta"a escrita en griego, con una caligra' a caracter stica del siglo BCIII. El autor se identi'ica"a al comien0o del te3to como EClemente, autor del /tromataE, es decir, el conocido telogo y moralista cristiano Clemente de Alejandr a, 1ue ,i,i hacia el a(o 2AA.

/mith 'otogra'i las tres p6ginas del li"ro 1ue conten an la carta. )6s adelante, al traducirla, hi0o algunos descu"rimientos sorprendentes. Da carta esta"a dirigida a un tal 2eodoro, personaje completamente desconocido, y en ella Clemente respond a a una serie de preguntas so"re una secta del cristianismo primiti,o de la 1ue s hay noticias, los carpocracianos, as llamados por el nom"re de su 'undador, Carpcrates. En este conte3to se encontra"an las re'erencias al e,angelio secreto de )arcos, utili0ado por los carpocracianos, del 1ue la carta cita"a dos "re,es 'ragmentos.

2ras su descu"rimiento por /mith, el li"ro 1ue conten a la carta 'ue archi,ado por los monjes de )ar /a"a. /in em"argo, ning4n otro especialista ha logrado e3aminar la supuesta carta de Clemente de Alejandr a. )6s recientemente han salido a la lu0 nue,as 'otogra' as del te3to, tomadas por el antiguo "i"liotecario

del monasterio. 2am"i+n est6 documentado su traslado a otra "i"lioteca griega ortodo3a. Da cuestin de la autenticidad ?editar@

5e"ido tanto a la naturale0a pol+mica de los contenidos de la carta y la implicacin de la e3istencia de un e,angelio secreto como al hecho de 1ue el original no puede ya ser e3aminado Fni datadoF por los estudiosos, la autenticidad del descu"rimiento de /mith es o"jeto toda, a de un encendido de"ate, sin 1ue pueda en la actualidad a'irmarse si se trata o no de un te3to aut+ntico.

Algunos hechos son induda"les: el li"ro e3iste, y en +l hay una carta escrita con caligra' a del siglo BCIII 1ue /mith 'otogra'i. El estilo del te3to es el de otras o"ras de Clemente de Alejandr a, y las citas del e,angelio secreto utili0an un lenguaje muy similar al del E,angelio cannico de )arcos.

Das ra0ones a 'a,or y en contra de la autenticidad pueden resumirse como sigue:

A 'a,or ?editar@ El e3amen de la caligra' a de la carta, tal y como aparece en las 'otogra' as 1ue tom /mith, arroja la conclusin de 1ue corresponde al siglo BCIII. /i de ,erdad 'ue escrito en esta +poca, una 'alsi'icacin tan per'ecta no ha"r a sido posi"le, pues implica un conocimiento e3hausti,o de la literatura cristiana primiti,a 1ue esta"a lejos de ha"erse alcan0ado por entonces. Da carta es per'ectamente coherente con lo 1ue se conoce del cristianismo primiti,o, incluyendo la re'erencia a los carpocracianos, secta de la 1ue hay numerosas menciones de otros autores. Da moderna cr tica literaria ha ,isto en la carta numerosos rasgos estil sticos y de ,oca"ulario estad sticamente 'recuentes en la o"ra de Alejandr a, lo 1ue parece apuntar 1ue la carta es aut+ntica. 2am"i+n las "re,es citas de )arco utili0an el lenguaje propio del e,angelista )arcos, lo 1ue parece indicar 1ue proceden del mismo autor.

En contra ?editar@ Da desaparicin del manuscrito impide 1ue pueda reali0arse un an6lisis 1u mico de la tinta utili0ada, lo 1ue permitir a sa"er con certe0a si 'ue e'ecti,amente escrito en el siglo BCIII. .ada prue"a 1ue no sea una 'alsi'icacin del siglo BB. En la literatura de los primeros tiempos del cristianismo no hay ni una sola alusin ni a un e,angelio secreto de )arcos, ni a la supuesta carta de Clemente a 2eodoro acerca de los carpocratianos. El propio Clemente, 1ue menciona a los carpocratianos en otros lugares de su o"ra, no hace jam6s re'erencia a esta carta. E3isten algunas contradicciones entre lo 1ue Clemente a'irma en esta carta y lo 1ue dice en la mayor a de sus o"ras. Das similitudes de ,oca"ulario y estilo tanto con )arcos, en los 'ragmentos citados, como con Clemente, en el resto de la carta, son tantas 1ue parecen producto de una imitacin deli"erada 1ue hu"iese concentrado en estos "re,es te3tos muchos de los elementos caracter sticos de am"os. Como demuestra en un sorprendente art culo A.>. Criddle GCriddle:1::;H, es estad sticamente impro"a"le la coincidencia en un te3to tan pe1ue(o de tantas pala"ras caracter sticas del ,oca"ulario de Clemente.

Da carta de )ar /a"a ?editar@

Da supuesta carta de Clemente est6 dirigida a un seguidor suyo llamado 2eodoro. Este 4ltimo le ha"r a interrogado acerca de los carpocracianos. Clemente asegura 1ue el e,angelio secreto de )arcos 1ue utili0a esta secta ha sido 'alsi'icado por ellos, y para demostrarlo aduce dos pasajes del ,erdadero e,angelio secreto de )arcos, 1ue +l a'irma conocer. E3plica 1ue )arcos escri"i dos e,angelios: uno, el cannico, dirigido al com4n de los 'ieles, y otro, el secreto, escrito en Alejandr a tras el martirio de &edro y dirigido a a1uellos espiritualmente m6s a,an0ados, conteniendo ense(an0as secretas. Iste ser a el e,angelio secreto de )arcos, seg4n Clemente manipulado por los carpocracianos. A continuacin Clemente cita dos pasajes de este e,angelio, anotando 1ue el primer 'ragmento citado se sit4a inmediatamente despu+s de )arcos 1A:JK, y el segundo en 1A:KL. Contin4a se(alando 1ue otros pasajes so"re los 1ue 2eodoro ha preguntado son 'alsi'icaciones, aun1ue no los cita. Da carta se interrumpe a"ruptamente, en medio de la 'rase EAhora, la ,erdadera interpretacin con'orme a la ,erdadera 'iloso' a...E

El te3to del e,angelio secreto ?editar@

Clemente cita 4nicamente dos 'ragmentos del e,angelio secreto de )arcos, de los 1ue indica su u"icacin en relacin con el )arcos cannico.

&rimer 'ragmento ?editar@

/eg4n Clemente este 'ragmento de"e situarse entre )arcos 1A:JK y )arcos 1A:J;. EM llegaron a 7etania, y ha" a all una mujer cuyo hermano ha" a muerto. Dleg, se postr de rodillas ante *es4s y le dijo: N>ijo de 5a,id, ten piedad de m N. &ero los disc pulos la reprend an. *es4s se en'ad y se 'ue con la mujer hacia el jard n donde esta"a la tum"a. M al instante se oy desde el sepulcro una gran ,o0$ y acerc6ndose *es4s hi0o rodar la piedra de la puerta de la tum"a. M en seguida entr donde esta"a el jo,en, e3tendi su mano y lo resucit. M el jo,en, mirando a *es4s, sinti amor por +l y comen0 a suplicarle 1ue se 1uedara con +l. M saliendo de la tum"a, se 'ueron a la casa del jo,en, pues era rico. M despu+s de seis d as le dio *es4s una orden$ y cuando cay la tarde ,ino el jo,en a *es4s, ,estido con una t4nica so"re el cuerpo desnudo. M permaneci con +l a1uella noche, pues *es4s le ense(a"a el misterio del reino de 5ios. M saliendo de all se ,ol,i a la otra ri"era del *ord6n.E.

El a(adido 1ue los carpocracianos hac a a este 'ragmento era el siguiente: Eestando desnudo con Gel otro tam"i+nH desnudoE Ggriego: gymnOs gymnPH. .o indica dnde se situa"a este a(adido, pero el 4nico lugar lgico donde puede colocarse es despu+s de Ey permaneci con +l a1uella nocheE. El a(adido de los carpocracianos parece entonces insinuar cierta pr6ctica homose3ual de *es4s mientras ense(a al jo,en el misterio del reino de 5ios. Clemente recha0a esta interpretacin. &or otro lado, numerosos autores han se(alado las analog as de este 'ragmento con el episodio de la resurreccin de D60aro G*uan 11:K1FKKH.

/egundo 'ragmento ?editar@

Este segundo te3to est6 situado en medio de un ,ers culo G1A:KLH del )arcos cannico en 1ue realmente parece 1ue 'alta algo. )arcos 1A:KL dice: EEntonces ,inieron a *ericE e, inmediatamente despu+s, Eal salir de *eric +l, sus disc pulos y una gran multitud ?...@E. Esta discontinuidad narrati,a ha hecho pensar a autores como >elmut Qoester y *. 5. Crossan 1ue el e,angelio cannico de )arcos es en realidad una ,ersin a"re,iada Fo e3purgadaF del e,angelio secreto. El te3to es el siguiente: EM esta"an all la hermana del jo,en a 1uien ama"a *es4s, y la madre de +ste y /alom+$ pero *es4s no las reci"i.E.

Interpretaciones ?editar@

/mith de'endi 1ue el e,angelio secreto era el e,angelio original de )arcos, en tanto 1ue el cannico ha sido e3purgado de algunos pasajes. Como ejemplo aduce el segundo 'ragmento 1ue, al situarse entre las dos 'rases de )arcos 1A:KL )arcos 1A:KL, EEntonces ,inieron a *ericE y Ey al salir de *ericE dota de mayor coherencia a la narracin.

En cuanto al jo,en citado en el primer 'ragmento, /mith cree 1ue se trata del mismo personaje 1ue sigue a *es4s Ecu"ierto con una s6"anaE G)arcos 1K:;1H, y huye cuando *es4s es arrestado en el huerto de Retseman .

En un li"ro pu"licado en 1:S< G*esus the )agicianH, /mith desarrolla una teor a so"re *es4s 1ue tiene su "ase en el segundo 'ragmento del e,angelio secreto. El encuentro entre *es4s y el jo,en es para /mith una iniciacin secreta, reser,ada slo a un grupo selecto de seguidores, similar a la de las religiones mist+ricas. En concreto, /mith sugiere una pr6ctica "autismal de car6cter m6gico. >ay 1ue tener en cuenta 1ue la idea de 1ue *es4s "auti0ara a sus seguidores no aparece en los e,angelios sinpticos, aun1ue s en el E,angelio de *uan.

Este ritual secreto de iniciacin implica"a, seg4n /mith, una unin espiritual con *es4s en la 1ue el iniciado reali0a"a una especie de ,iaje m6gico al %eino de 5ios. /mith especula so"re 1u+ tipo de ritos ten an lugar en esta iniciacin, pero da por sentado 1ue ten an un importante componente ' sico. Dlega incluso

a a'irmar 1ue Eel li"erarse de las leyes puede ha"er lle,ado a 1ue se completara la unin espiritual con la unin ' sicaE.

&ara /mith, *es4s 'ue "6sicamente un mago, e incluso llega a pensar 1ue 'ue condenado a muerte acusado de "rujer a, y 1ue ciertas pr6cticas li"ertinas reali0adas por algunas primeras sectas cristianas, como los carpocracianos mencionados por Clemente, tiene su origen en las ense(an0as de *es4s mismo.

Da interpretacin de /mith ha sido recha0ada por casi todos los estudiosos. %eginald Tuller considera 1ue estas supuestas ense(an0as secretas y rituales de iniciacin son sospechosos de anacronismo para la +poca histrica de *es4s, y tienen en cam"io muchos puntos de contacto con lel gnosticismo 1ue se desarroll en Alejandr a en el siglo II.

El tema del secreto en el e,angelio cannico de )arcos ?editar@

En el e,angelio cannico de )arcos hay muchas re'erencias a ense(an0as secretas 1ue eran impartidas por *es4s 4nicamente a su c rculo m6s allegado. Da idea de di'erentes ni,eles de iniciacin es com4n a todas las religiones mist+ricas, muchas de las cuales eran contempor6neas del cristianismo. UE3ist an tam"i+n en el cristianismo, seg4n parece indicar la carta de Clemente, di,ersos ni,eles de iniciacinV

En )arcos, el tema del secreto es "astante complejo, y ha" a llamado la atencin de los estudiosos mucho tiempo antes de 1ue 'uera descu"ierta la carta de )ar /a"a. /eg4n %o"ert ). Rrant GRrant 1:LJH, la idea del secreto est6 presente en el te3to e,ang+lico tanto a tra,+s del 'recuente tema del silencio como del de las Eense(an0as secretasE de *es4s.

Das re'erencias al silencio son muy 'recuentes. *es4s ordena silencio a los demonios en el momento del e3orcismo, para 1ue no ha"len acerca de +l G)arcos 1:2;$ )arcos 1:JK$ )arcos J:12HH, y tam"i+n a sus seguidores o a los 1ue han sido curados por +l G)arcos 1:KJFK;, )arcos ;:KJ. )arcos S:JL, )arcos <:2LH. A sus disc pulos les pide 1ue mantengan en secreto 1ue es el )es as G )arcos <:JA, la trans'iguracin G)arcos :::H, o incluso su estancia en 2iro G)arcos S:2KH, o sus ,iajes por Ralilea G)arcos ::JAHH.

En cuanto a las ense(an0as secretas, en )arcos K:1AF12, *es4s dice 1ue el secreto del %eino de 5ios slo ser6 re,elado a sus allegados, en tanto 1ue a los de 'uera, Etodo les resulta enigm6ticoE G)arcos K:1AF12H. )uchas de las ense(an0as de *es4s ,an dirigidas a un grupo escogido de disc pulos G)arcos ;:JS, )arcos 1J:JH, y todas las re'erencias a la pasin y la resurreccin tienen lugar en el camino, lejos de las multitudes G)arcos 1A:J2H

2odas estas re'erencias al secreto parecen a,alar la re'erencia de Clemente en la carta a un e,angelio secreto, dirigido a una minor a escogida, de mayor per'eccin espiritual. http://wwwFuser.uniF"remen.de/Wwie//ecret/secmar89home.html 2he letter o' Clement o' Ale3andria to 2heodore 2ranscription o' the Rree8 te3t

"y )orton /mith GInternet ,ersion "y *ac8 Qilmon and Xieland Xill8erH 2his page contains gree8 letters. 2he pages are designed 'or XindowsF:;. 2o see the gree8 letters you need the 'ont EERree8E, which can "e downloaded here: ER%EEQ.0ip GInstallation: =n0ip, then open the EControlEFpanel, then ETontsE, then Eadd new TontEH. -therwise you see the gree8 te3t in latin letters in the standard transliteration with E1EY2>E2A and E,EYendF/IR)A. 2est: a"gde0h1i8lmn3oprstu'cyw GERree8H 1. Ze8 twn epistolwn tou agiwtatou 8lhmento, tou strwmatew,V 1eodwrwV 2. 8alw, epoihsa, epistomisa, ta, arrhtou, didas8alia, twn 8arpo8ratianwnV J. outoi gar oi pro'hteu1ente, astere, planhtaiV oi apo th, stenh, twn entolwn o K. dou ei, aperaton a"usson planwmenoi twn sar8i8wn 8ai enswmatwn amartiwnV ;. pe'usiwmenoi gar ei, gnwsinV w, legousiV twn "a1ewn tou satanaV lan1anousin ei,

L. ton 0o'on tou s8otou, tou yeudou, eautou, aporriptonte,V 8ai 8aucwmenoi S. eleu1erou, einaiV douloi gegonasin andrapodwdwn epi1umiwnV toutoi, oun an <. tistateon panth te 8ai pantw,V ei gar 8ai ti alh1e, legoienV oud outw sum :. 'wnoih an autoi, o th, alh1eia, erasth,V oude gar panta talh1h alh1eiaV oude 1A.thn 8ata ta, an1rwpina, do3a, 'ainomenhn alh1eian pro8riteon th, alh 11.1ou, alh1eia, th, 8ata thn pistinV twn toinun 1ruloumenwn peri tou 1eopneustou 8a 12.ta mar8on euaggeliouV ta men yeudetai pantelw,V ta deV ei 8ai alh1h tinaF 1J.periecei oud outw, alh1w, paradidotaiV sug8e8ramena gar talh1h 1K.toi, plasmasi paracarassetai wsteV touto dh to legomenonV 8ai to a 1;.la, mwran1hnaiV o goun mar8o,V 8ata thn tou petrou en rwmh diatri"hnV 1L.anegraye ta, pra3ei, tou 8uriouV ou mentoi pasa, e3aggellwnV oude mhn ta, 1S.musti8a, uposhmainwnV all e8legomeno, a, crhsimwtata, enomise pro, au 1<.3hsin th, twn 8athcoumenwn pistew,V tou de petrou marturhsanto,V parhl1en 1:.ei, ale3andreian o mar8o,V 8omi0wn 8ai tatautou 8ai ta tou petrou upo 2A.mnhmataV e3 wn meta'erwn ei, to prwton autou "i"lion ta toi, pro8op 21.tousi peri thn gnwsin 8atallhlaV suneta3e pneumati8wteron euF 22.aggelion ei, thn twn teleioumenwn crhsinV oudepw omw, auta ta aporrhF 2J.ta e3wrchsatoV oude 8ategraye thn iero'anti8hn didas8alian tou 2K.8uriouV alla tai, progegrammenai, pra3esin epi1ei, 8ai alla,V eti prose 2;.phgage logia tina wn hpistato thn e3hghsin mustagwghsein tou, a8roa

2L.ta, ei, to aduton th, epta8i, 8e8alummenh, alh1eia,V outw, ounF 2S.propares8euasenV ou '1onerw, oud apro'ula8tw,V w, egw oimaiV 8ai 2<.apo1nhs8wn 8atelipe to autou suggramma th e88lhsia th enF 2:.ale3andreiaV opou eiseti nun as'alw, eu mala threitaiV anaginw, JA.8omenon pro, autou, monou, tou, muoumenou, ta megala musthriaV twn de mi J1.arwn daimonwn ole1ron tw twn an1rwpwn genei pantote mhcanwntwnV o 8ar J2.po8rath,V up autwn didac1ei,V 8ai apathloi, tecnai, crhsameno,V JJ.outw pres"uteron tina th, en ale3andreia e88lhsia, 8atedoulwsen JK.wste par autou e8omisen apogra'on tou musti8ou euaggeliouV o 8ai J;.e3hghsato 8ata thn "las'hmon 8ai sar8i8hn autou do3anV etiF JL.de 8ai emianeV tai, acrantoi, 8ai agiai, le3esin anamignu, anaide JS.stata yeusmataV tou de 8ramato, toutou e3antlhtai to twn 8arpo8rati J<.anwn dogmaV toutoi, ounV 8a1w, 8ai proeirh8aV oudepote ei8teonV ou J:.de proteinousin autoi, ta 8ateyeusmena sugcwrhteon tou mar8ou ei KA.nai to musti8on euaggelionV alla 8ai me1 or8ou arnhteonV ou gar apasi pan K1.ta alh1h le8teonV dia touto h so'ia tou 1eou dia solomwnto, parag K2.gelleiV apo8rinou tw mwrw e8 th, mwria, autouV pro, tou, tu'lou, ton KJ.noun to 'w, th, alh1eia, dein epi8ruptes1ai didas8ousaV auti8a 'h KK.siV tou de mh econto, ar1hsetaiV 8aiV o mwro, en s8otei poreues1wV hmei, K;.de uioi 'wto, esmenV pe'wtismenoi th e3 uyou, anatolh tou pneumato, KL.tou 8uriouV ou de to pneuma tou 8uriouV 'hsinV e8ei eleu1eriaV panta gar 8a KS.1ara toi, 8a1aroi,V soi toinun ou8 o8nhsw ta hrwthmena apo8riF K<.nas1aiV di autwn tou euaggeliou le3ewn ta 8ateyeusmena elegcwnV a

K:.melei meta toV hsan de en th odw ana"ainonte, ei, ierosolumaV 8ai ta ;A.e3h, ew,V meta trei, hmera, anasthsetaiV wde epi'erei 8ata le3inV ;1.8ai ercontai ei, "h1anian 8ai hn e8ei mia gunh h, o adel'o, auth, apeF ;2.1anenV 8ai el1ousa prose8unhse ton ihsoun 8ai legei autwV uie da ;J."id elehson meV oi de ma1htai epetimhsan authV 8ai orgis1ei, o ;K.ihsou, aphl1en met auth, ei, ton 8hpon opou hn to mnhmeionV 8ai ;;.eu1u, h8ous1h e8 tou mnhmeiou 'wnh megalhV 8ai prosel1wn o ihsou, ap ;L.e8ulise ton li1on apo th, 1ura, tou mnhmeiouV 8ai eisel1wn eu1u, opou ;S.hn o neanis8o, e3eteinen thn ceira 8ai hgeiren autonV 8rathsa,F ;<.th, ceiro,V o de neanis8o, em"leya, autw hgaphsen auton 8aiF ;:.hr3ato para8alein auton ina met autou hV 8ai e3el1onte, e8 LA.tou mnhmeiou hl1on ei, thn oi8ian tou neanis8ouV hn gar plousio,V 8ai me1 L1.hmera, e3 epeta3en autw o ihsou,V 8ai oyia, genomenh, ercetai o L2.neanis8o, pro, autonV peri"e"lhmeno, sindona epi gumnouV 8ai LJ.emeine sun autw thn nu8ta e8einhnV edidas8e gar auton o LK.ihsou, to musthrion th, "asileia, tou 1eouV e8ei1en de anasta,F L;.epestreyen ei, to peran tou iordanouV epi men toutoi, epetai toV 8ai LL.prosporeuontai autw ia8w"o, 8ai iwannh,V 8ai pasa h peri LS.8ophV to de gumno, gumnw 8ai talla peri wn egraya, ou8 euF L<.ris8etaiV meta de toV 8ai ercetai ei, iericw epagei mononV 8ai h L:.san e8ei h adel'h tou neanis8ou on hgapa auton o ihsou,V 8ai SA.h mhthr autou 8ai salwmhV 8ai ou8 apede3ato auta, o ihsou,V S1.ta de alla ta polla a egraya, yeusmata 8ai 'ainetai 8ai estinV h S2.men oun alh1h, 8ai 8ata thn alh1h 'iloso'ian e3hghsi, ... ?>ere the te3t a"ruptly stops in the middle o' the page@

http://wwwFuser.uniF"remen.de/Wwie//ecret/letterFengl.html

2ranslation "y )orton /mith:

Trom the letters o' the most holy Clement, the author o' the /tromateis. 2o 2heodore.

Mou did well in silencing the unspea8a"le teachings o' the Carpocratians. Tor these are the Ewandering starsE re'erred to in the prophecy, who wander 'rom the narrow road o' the commandments into a "oundless a"yss o' the carnal and "odily sins. Tor, priding themsel,es in 8nowledge, as they say, Eo' the deep things o' /atan,E they do not 8now that they are casting themsel,es away into Ethe nether world o' the dar8nessE o' 'alsity, and, "oasting that they are 'ree, they ha,e "ecome sla,es o' ser,ile desires. /uch men are to "e opposed in all ways and altogether. Tor, e,en i' they should say something true, one who lo,es the truth should not, e,en so, agree with them. Tor not all true things are the truth, nor should that truth which merely seems true according to human opinions "e pre'erred to the true truth, that according to the 'aith.

.ow o' the things they 8eep saying a"out the di,inely inspired Rospel according to )ar8, some are altogether 'alsi'ications, and others, e,en i' they do contain some true elements, ne,ertheless are not reported truly. Tor the true things "eing mi3ed with in,entions, are 'alsi'ied, so that, as the saying goes, e,en the salt loses its sa,or.

As 'or )ar8, then, during &eterNs stay in %ome he wrote an account o' the DordNs doings, not, howe,er, declaring all o' them, nor yet hinting at the secret ones, "ut selecting what he thought most use'ul 'or increasing the 'aith o' those who were "eing instructed. 7ut when &eter died a martyr, )ar8 came o,er to Ale3andria, "ringing "oth his own notes and those o' &eter, 'rom which he trans'erred to his 'ormer "oo8 the things suita"le to whate,er ma8es 'or progress toward 8nowledge. 2hus he composed a more spiritual Rospel 'or the use o' those who were "eing per'ected. .e,ertheless, he yet did not di,ulge the things not to "e uttered, nor did he write down the hierophantic teaching o'

the Dord, "ut to the stories already written he added yet others and, moreo,er, "rought in certain sayings o' which he 8new the interpretation would, as a mystagogue, lead the hearers into the innermost sanctuary o' that truth hidden "y se,en ,eils. 2hus, in sum, he prepared matters, neither grudgingly nor incautiously, in my opinion, and, dying, he le't his composition to the church in Ale3andria, where it e,en yet is most care'ully guarded, "eing read only to those who are "eing initiated into the great mysteries.

7ut since the 'oul demons are always de,ising destruction 'or the race o' men, Carpocrates, instructed "y them and using deceit'ul arts, so ensla,ed a certain pres"yter o' the church in Ale3andria that he got 'rom him a copy o' the secret Rospel, which he "oth interpreted according to his "lasphemous and carnal doctrine and, moreo,er, polluted, mi3ing with the spotless and holy words utterly shameless lies. Trom this mi3ture is drawn o'' the teaching o' the Carpocratians.

2o them, there'ore, as I said a"o,e, one must ne,er gi,e way$ nor, when they put 'orward their 'alsi'ications, should one concede that the secret Rospel is "y )ar8, "ut should e,en deny it on oath. Tor, E.ot all true things are to "e said to all men.E Tor this reason the Xisdom o' Rod, through /olomon, ad,ises, EAnswer the 'ool 'rom his 'olly,E teaching that the light o' the truth should "e hidden 'rom those who are mentally "lind. Again it says, ETrom him who has not shall "e ta8en away,E and, EDet the 'ool wal8 in dar8ness.E 7ut we are Echildren o' light,E ha,ing "een illuminated "y Ethe dayspringE o' the spirit o' the Dord E'rom on high,E and EXhere the /pirit o' the Dord is,E it says, Ethere is li"erty,E 'or EAll things are pure to the pure.E

2o you, there'ore, I shall not hesitate to answer the 1uestions you ha,e as8ed, re'uting the 'alsi'ications "y the ,ery words o' the Rospel. Tor e3ample, a'ter ,EAnd they were in the road going up to *erusalem,E and what 'ollows, until EA'ter three days he shall arise,E the secret Rospel "rings the 'ollowing material word 'or word:

EAnd they come into 7ethany. And a certain woman whose "rother had died was there. And, coming, she prostrated hersel' "e'ore *esus and says to him, N/on o' 5a,id, ha,e mercy on me.N 7ut the disciples re"u8ed her. And *esus, "eing angered, went o'' with her into the garden where the tom" was, and straightway a great cry was heard 'rom the tom". And going near *esus rolled

away the stone 'rom the door o' the tom". And straightway, going in where the youth was, he stretched 'orth his hand and raised him, sei0ing his hand. 7ut the youth, loo8ing upon him, lo,ed him and "egan to "eseech him that he might "e with him. And going out o' the tom" they came into the house o' the youth, 'or he was rich. And a'ter si3 days *esus told him what to do and in the e,ening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth o,er his na8ed "ody. And he remained with him that night, 'or *esus taught him the mystery o' the 8ingdom o' Rod. And thence, arising, he returned to the other side o' the *ordan.E

A'ter these words 'ollows the te3t, EAnd *ames and *ohn come to him,E and all that section. 7ut Ena8ed man with na8ed man,E and the other things a"out which you wrote, are not 'ound.

And a'ter the words, EAnd he comes into *ericho,E the secret Rospel adds only,

EAnd the sister o' the youth whom *esus lo,ed and his mother and /alome were there, and *esus did not recei,e them.E

7ut the many other things a"out which you wrote "oth seem to "e and are 'alsi'ications.

.ow the true e3planation and that which accords with the true philosophy...

?>ere the te3t a"ruptly stops in the middle o' the page@

http://wwwFuser.uniF"remen.de/Wwie//ecret/CriddleFTe"::.html

/ecret )ar8 F Turther Comments

"y Andrew Criddle. Te". 1:::

In recent discussions on Crosstal8 there ha,e "een se,eral mentions o' my paper in the *ournal o' Early Christian /tudies concerning the letter attri"uted to Clement concerning /ecret )ar8. It might "e help'ul 'or me to ma8e a 'ew comments.

2he paper claims that the letter is an imitation o' ClementNs style dating 'rom a much later period, it does not ma8e a de'inite claim as to e3actly when the letter was written or "y whom. Although some aspects o' )orton /mithNs conduct may arouse suspicion, I do not "elie,e that a se,enteenth or eighteenth century 'orgery can "e ruled out.

2he paper argues that the 'ragment is too good to "e true. It shows more Clementine traits and less di,ergence 'rom the ,oca"ulary o' ClementNs pre,iously 8nown wor8s than a typical passage o' similar length 'rom ClementNs undisputed wor8s.

2he precise le,el o' statistical signi'icance claimed 'or my results does, I agree, depend upon argua"le decisions as to how to analy0e the statistics, "ut this wor8s "oth ways, there are more or less plausi"le ways o' presenting the data which would produce a higher nominal le,el o' signi'icance than I claimed in my paper. )orton /mithNs own analysis o' the ,oca"ulary, Gse,en nonF Clementine words, 1; used once only "y ClementH, which I did not 'ollow in detail 'or reasons mentioned in my paper, would "y my methods produce a higher le,el o' signi'icance than I claimed 'or my analysis, G"ased on 'our nonF Clementine words, and nine used once only "y ClementH.

I agree that one should use this type o' statistical argument with caution, "ut the particular circumstances increase oneNs unease a"out the Clementine origin o' this 'ragment. It is a letter allegedly "y Clement, no other sur,i,ing letters "y Clement "eing a,aila"le 'or comparison. GA 'ew isolated sentences 1uoted "y other writers as 'rom letters "y Clement do sur,i,e, "ut are too "rie' to pro,ide any "asis 'or comparison with anything.H 2he 'ragment draws on

pagan mystery religions to descri"e Christian "elie' and practice to an e3tent much greater than anything 'ound in ClementNs undisputed wor8s. It is di''icult to "elie,e that a passage di''ering su"stantially in 'orm and content 'rom anything in ClementNs pre,iously 8nown opus would "e more Clementine in style than most passages 'rom ClementNs pre,iously 8nown wor8s.

It would "e help'ul i' de'enders o' the authenticity o' the letter would relate it more closely to their ,iew o' ClementNs own li'e situation rather than merely ma8ing claims as to its general acceptance "y Clementine scholars, claims that are in any case e3aggerated. G/ee the article "y -s"orn in /econd Century 1:<J.H I ha,e great di''iculties in 'inding a plausi"le conte3t 'or the letter and I suspect that this di''iculty is general i' not generally ac8nowledged. )orton /mith himsel' sometimes seems to "e suggesting that the /ecret Rospel was not a,aila"le 'or catechumens "ut was used in "aptism "y the Ale3andrian church, i.e. its e3istence and nature was more or less 8nown to "apti0ed Ale3andrian Christians, at other times he seems to suggest that it was re,ealed only to those who had undergone some su"se1uent initiation. 2he 'act that the letter admits more than one interpretation is not in itsel' a pro"lem.

2he di''iculty is that any interpretation 'ails to meet all the 'acts. At one e3treme, i' the Rospel was more or less 8nown a"out "y all Ale3andrian Christians in 'ull 'ellowship, then the letterNs injunction to preser,e secrecy a"out it e,en i' this in,ol,es lying on oath is di''icult to ta8e seriously.

At the other e3treme, i' the Rospel was a,aila"le only to those who had undergone some su"se1uent secret initiation, then it is most unli8ely that Clement would "e prepared to di,ulge in'ormation a"out it in a letter to a correspondent who, on this interpretation, would not "e entitled to 8now a"out it.

Although the 'ollowing points are matters o' legitimate dispute, I also 'ind it hard to "elie,e either that a ,ersion o' )ar8 a,aila"le to a large segment o' the Ale3andrian church would ha,e le't no clear trace on the su"se1uent tradition, or that Clement would ha,e supported secret initiation ceremonies su"se1uent to "aptism. 2hose who di''er on the second point, are, I "elie,e, ta8ing language in Clement a"out initiation, which is in'luenced "y &hilo and common in )iddle &latonism, more literally than is appropriate.

I agree that in late .eoF&latonism and later Christian writers such as &seudoF 5ionysius such language may "e meant literally, "ut that is another story.

I hope these comments clari'y some o' the issues in,ol,ed.

Andrew Criddle

andrewc[wro3.com http://www.gnosis.org/li"rary/grsFmead/'ragments9'aith9'orgotten/'''JJ.htm Tragments o' a Taith Torgotten "y R.%./. )ead G7uy this "oo8 at Ama0on.comH

2>E CA%&-C%A2IA./.

-=% main source o' in'ormation is Iren\us$ 2ertullian, >ippolytus and Epiphanius simply copy their predecessor. Carpocrates, or Carpocras, was Gaccording to Euse"iusH a &latonic philosopher who taught at Ale3andria in the reign o' >adrian GA.5. 11SF1J<H$ he was also the head o' a Rnostic circle, whom the Church 'athers call Carpocratians, "ut who called themsel,es simply Rnostics. Xith regard to the charge which Epiphanius "rings against them two hundred and 'i'ty years a'terwards, it is e,idently 'ounded on a complete misunderstanding o' the jum"led account o' Iren\us, i' not o' malice prepense$ 'or the 7ishop o' Dyons distinctly says, that he "y no means "elie,es that they did the things which he thin8s they ought to ha,e done, i' they had consistently carried out their teachings] As a matter o' 'act, the whole con'usion arises through

p. 2JA

the incapacity o' the latter Church Tather to understand the elements o' the doctrine o' re"irth. 2he main tenets o' the school were as 'ollows.

2heir Idea o' *esus.

2he sensi"le world was made "y the 'a"ricating powers, or "uilders, 'ar in'erior to the ine''a"le power o' the un8nown ingenera"le Tather. *esus was the son o' *oseph and )ary, and was "orn li8e all other men$ he di''ered 'rom the rest in that his soul, "eing strong and pure, remem"ered what it saw in its or"it round Gor con,ersation withH the ine''a"le Tather. 2his is also the idea Glying "ehind the &ythagorean, &latonic and >ermetic traditionsH o' the orderly course o' the soul in harmonious circuit round the /piritual /un, in the &lain o' 2ruth, when it is in its own nature. In conse1uence o' this reminiscence Gwhich is the source o' all wisdom and ,irtueH the Tather clothed him with powers, where"y he might escape 'rom the dominion o' the rulers o' the world, and passing through all their spheres, and "eing 'reed 'rom each, 'inally ascend to the Tather. In li8e manner all souls o' a li8e nature who put 'orth similar e''orts, shall ascend to the Tather. 2hough the soul o' *esus was "rought up in the ordinary *ewish ,iews, he soared a"o,e them, and thus "y the powers he recei,ed 'rom a"o,e, he triumphed o,er human passions.

7elie,ing, then, that all souls which rise a"o,e the constraints o' the worldF "uilding rulers, will recei,e similar powers and per'orm li8e wonders, these Rnostics still 'urther claimed that some o' their num"er had actually attained to the same degree o' per'ection as *esus, i' not to a higher

p. 2J1

degree, and were stronger than &eter and &aul, and the other Apostles who had attained similar powers.

In 'act they "oldly taught that men could reach higher degrees o' illumination than *esus$ it is not, howe,er, clear whether they made the usual distinction "etween *esus and the Christ. 2hese powers were o' a EmagicalE nature, and the ne3t paragraph o' Iren\us puts us strongly in mind o' the tenets o' the E/imonianE school. /uch ideas seem to ha,e "een ,ery pre,alent, so much so that Iren\us complains that outsiders were induced to thin8 that such ,iews were the common "elie' o' Christianity.

2he ne3t paragraph deals with the doctrine that there is no essential e,il in the uni,erse, %eincarnation."ut that things are "ad and good in manNs opinion only. Det us, there'ore, see

how Iren\us, 'rom his summary o' their doctrine o' re"irth, arri,es at this generalisation.

2he soul has to pass through e,ery 8ind o' e3istence and acti,ity in its cycle o' re"irth. Iren\us is apparently drawing his in'ormation 'rom a )/. which asserted that this could "e done in one li'e$ that is to say, apparently, that some souls then e3isting in the world could pay their 8^rmic de"t in one li'e. Tor the )/. 1uotes the saying, EAgree with thine ad,ersary 1uic8ly whiles thou art in the way with him, lest at any time thine ad,ersary deli,er thee to the judge, and the judge deli,er thee to his o''icer, and thou "e cast into prison. Amen, I say unto thee, thou shalt not come 'orth thence till thou has paid the uttermost

p. 2J2

'arthing.E .ow, the ad,ersary is the accuser Gdia"olusH, that is to say the 8armic record in the manNs own nature$ the judge is the chie' o' the worldF "uilding powers$ the o''icer is the "uilder o' the new "ody$ the prison is the "ody. 2hus the )/. e3plains the te3tFFprecisely the same e3egesis as is gi,en to it in the &istis /ophia treatise, which e3plains all in the 'ullest manner on the lines o' reincarnation and what Indian philosophers call 8arma.

7ut not so will Iren\us ha,e it. >e asserts that the doctrine means that the soul must pass through all e3perience good and "ad, and until e,ery e3perience has "een learned, no one can "e set 'ree. 2hat some souls can do all this in one li'e] 2hat the Carpocratians, there'ore, must ha,e indulged in the most unmentiona"le crimes "ecause they wished to 'ill 'ull the tale o' all e3perience good and "ad, and so come to an end o' the necessity o' e3perience.

Iren\us, howe,er, immediately a'terwards adds that he does not "elie,e the Carpocratians actually do such things, although he is 'orced to deduce such a logical conse1uence 'rom their "oo8s. It is, howe,er, e,ident that the whole a"surd conclusion is entirely due to the stupidity o' the 7ishop o' Dyons, who, owing to his ina"ility to understand the most elementary 'acts o' the doctrine o' reincarnation, has started with entirely erroneous premises, although the matter was as clear as daylight to a "eginner in Rnosticism.

2he circle o' the Carpocratians is said to ha,e esta"lished a "ranch at %ome, a"out 1;A, under a

p. 2JJ

certain )arcellina. 2hey had pictures and statues o' many great teachers who were held in honour "y their school, such as &ythagoras, &lato, and Aristotle, and also a portrait o' *esus.

It is curious to remar8 that Celsus, as 1uoted "y -rigen Gc. L2H, in re'erring to these )arcellians, also mentions the >arpocratians who deri,ed their tenets 'rom /al_m`. Is it possi"le that this is the correct 'orm o' the name, and not CarpocratiansV >arpocrates was the Rr\cised 'orm o' >orus, the )ysteryFRod o' the Egyptians$ and /al_m`, we 8now, was a prominent 'igure in the lost Rospel according to the Egyptians. Tragments o' a Taith Torgotten "y R.%./. )ead G7uy this "oo8 at Ama0on.comH

EE&I&>A.E/.E

XE ne3t pass on to the contradictory and mani'estly a"surd legends, which &atristic writers ha,e wo,en round the second "estF8nown name o' the Carpocratian circle. Xe ha,e already re'erred to the e3traordinary "lunder o' Epiphanius, who has ascri"ed a whole system o' the Rnosis, which he 'ound in Iren\us assigned simply to a Edistinguished teacherE Gpro"a"ly the Calentinian )arcusH, to this Epiphanes$ the Rree8 'or EdistinguishedE "eing also Eeiphanes.E

2his is e3cusa"le in a certain measure, seeing that Epiphanius wrote at the end o' the 'ourth century Gat least 2;A years a'ter the time o' the actual EpiphanesH when any means o' discrediting a heretic were considered justi'ia"le$ "ut what shall we say o' Clement

p. 2JK

o' Ale3andria, who is generally 'air, and who li,ed in the same century as EpiphanesV >is "lunder is e,en more e3traordinary. 2his is his legend. Epiphanes was the son o' Carpocrates and Ale3andria, a lady o' Cephallenia. >e died at the early age o' se,enteen, and was worshipped as a god with the most ela"orate and lasci,ious rites "y the Cephallenians, in the great temple o' /am`, on the day o' the new moon.

/uch an e3traordinary legend could not long escape the penetrating criticism o' modern scholarship, and as early as )osheim the 8ey was 'ound to the mystery. Col8mar has wor8ed this out in detail, showing that the 'esti,al at /am` was in honour o' the moonFgod, and accompanied with licentious rites. It was called the Epiphany Gab cdefgheiH in honour o' Epiphanes Gj cdefihklH, the EnewlyFappearing one,E the new moon. 2his moon lasted some se,enteen days. 2hus Clement o' Ale3andria, decei,ed "y the similarity o' the names and also "y the story o' licentious rites, "e1ueathed to posterity a scandalous li"el. It is almost to "e dou"ted whether any Epiphanes e3isted. Clement 'urther asserts that among the Carpocratians one o' their most circulated "oo8s was a treatise -n *ustice, o' which he had seen a copy. >e ascri"es this to Epiphanes, "ut it is scarcely possi"le to "elie,e that a "oy o' se,enteen or less could ha,e composed an a"stract dissertation on justice.

Communism. Xe thus come to the conclusion that the Carpocratians, or >arpocratians, were a Rnostic circle in Ale3andria at the "eginning o' the second century, and that some o' their ideas were

p. 2J;

set 'orth in a "oo8 concerning justice, a copy o' which had come into the hands o' Clement. 2his Rnostic community was much e3ercised with the idea o' communism as practised "y the early Christian circles$ "eing also students o' &lato, they wished to reduce the idea to the 'orm o' a philosophical principle and carry it out to its logical conclusion. 2he 'alse ideas o' meum and tuum were no longer to e3ist$ pri,ate property was the origin o' all human miseries and the departure 'rom the happy days o' early 'reedom. 2here was, there'ore, to "e community o' e,erything, wi,es and hus"ands includedFFthus carrying

out in some 'ashion that most curious idea, o' &latoNs as set 'orth in 2he %epu"lic. Xe ha,e, howe,er, no relia"le e,idence that our Rnostics carried these ideas into practice$ it is also highly impro"a"le that men o' education and re'inement, as the Rnostics usually were, who came to such ,iews through the &ythagorean and &latonic discipline, and through the teachings o' *esusFFthe sine 1um non condition o' such ideal communities "eing that they should consist o' EgnosticsE and "e ruled "y EphilosophersEFFshould ha,e turned their meetings into orgies o' lasci,iousness. /uch, howe,er, is the accusation "rought against them "y Clement. 2his has already "een in part re'uted "y what has "een said a"o,e$ "ut it is not impro"a"le that there were communities at Ale3andria and elsewhere, calling themsel,es Christian, who did con'use the Agap\ or Do,eF'easts o' the early times with the orgies and 'easts o' the ignorant populace. 2he &agans "rought such accusations against the Christians indiscriminately,

p. 2JL

and the Christian sects against one another$ and it is 1uite credi"le that such a"uses did creep in among the ignorant and ,icious.

2he )onadic Rnosis. 2he Carpocratian school has "een sometimes claimed, though I thin8 improperly, as the originator o' the soFcalled )onadic Rnosis. 2his idea has "een wor8ed out in much detail "y .eander. 2he 'ollowing summary "y /almon will, howe,er, "e su''icient 'or the general reader to 'orm an idea o' the theory.

ETrom one eternal )onad all e3istence has 'lowed, and to this it stri,es to return. 7ut the 'inite spirits who rule o,er se,eral portions o' the world counteract this uni,ersal stri,ing a'ter unity. Trom them the di''erent popular religions, and in particular the *ewish, ha,e proceeded. &er'ection is attained "y those souls who, led on "y reminiscences o' their 'ormer conditions, soar a"o,e all limitation and di,ersity to the contemplation o' the higher unity. 2hey despise the restriction imposed "y the mundane spirits$ they regard e3ternals as o' no importance, and 'aith and lo,e as the only essentials$ meaning "y 'aith, mystical "rooding o' the mind a"sor"ed in the original unity. In this way they escape the dominion o' the 'inite mundane spirits$ their souls are 'reed 'rom imprisonment in matter, and they o"tain a state o' per'ect repose

Gcorresponding to the 7uddhist .ir,^naH when they ha,e completely ascended a"o,e the world o' appearance.E