| Clement passage | Greek cited / alluded to | Synoptic / NT locus | Markan corridor location | Gospel profile | Effect on Secret Mark / Canon thesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strom. 6.16.140.4–141.1 | τέταρτος ἀναβὰς εἰς τὸ ὄρος … φωτὶ περιλάμπεται … υἱὸς εἶναι θεοῦ | Mark 9:2–8; Matt 17:1–8; Luke 9:28–36 (Transfiguration) | Inside corridor (Mark 9) | Markan Transfiguration refracted through allegorical numerology | Moderately supportive (corridor anchoring, symbolic expansion) |
In Stromateis 6.16.140.4–141.1 Clement alludes unmistakably to the Transfiguration narrative: Jesus ascends the mountain, is enveloped in divine light, and is proclaimed Son of God by the heavenly voice. In the synoptic tradition this episode occupies a central position within the Markan discipleship corridor (Mark 9:2–8), immediately following the first passion prediction and functioning as a revelatory confirmation of Jesus’ identity for the inner circle.
Clement, however, does not reproduce the narrative form of the Transfiguration. Instead, he dissolves the episode into a symbolic and arithmological exposition, mapping the ascent, illumination, and divine proclamation onto a sequence of numerical significations (fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth). The Transfiguration becomes a metaphysical disclosure of Christ’s δύναμις, partially unveiled to the elect and fully intelligible only through gnosis. The emphasis lies not on Peter, James, and John, nor on narrative progression, but on the ontological tension between Christ’s counted humanity and concealed divinity.
Despite this heavy allegorical reframing, the underlying gospel reference remains Markan in placement and function. The mountain ascent, the radiant transformation, and the divine voice correspond most naturally to Mark’s account, which foregrounds revelation to chosen witnesses and places the event squarely within the pedagogical arc of discipleship and misunderstanding. Clement’s language shows no distinctly Matthean redactional features (such as Moses–Elijah dialogue elaboration) nor Lukan temporal expansions.
From the standpoint of the Secret Mark and Canon thesis, this passage is more than neutral. Although Clement abandons narrative sequence, he presupposes a Markan structural location for a climactic revelatory episode within the corridor. The transformation functions as a disclosure reserved for the initiated, a pattern that coheres closely with Clement’s own claims elsewhere about Mark transmitting deeper material for advanced hearers.
Accordingly, Stromateis 6.16.140.4–141.1 should be classified as corridor-anchored but symbolically intensified. It does not prove the existence of a distinct Secret Gospel, but it strengthens the cumulative case that Clement conceptualized Mark—not Matthew—as the primary carrier of progressive revelation, capable of being expanded through esoteric interpretation. This aligns coherently with the hypothesis that Eusebius later inherited a Mark-centered framework already operative in Alexandrian exegesis, even when refracted through philosophical and numerological lenses.
