| Clement passage | Greek cited / alluded to | Synoptic / NT locus | Markan corridor location | Gospel profile | Effect on Secret Mark / Canon thesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strom. 6.14.112.3–4 | τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον κερδήσῃς, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ἀπολέσῃς; | Mark 8:36; Matt 16:26; Luke 9:25 | Inside corridor (Mark 8) | Markan saying shared with Matt/Luke | Mildly supportive (corridor compatibility, non-structural) |
In Stromateis 6.14.112.3–4 Clement explicitly cites the dominical saying, “τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον κερδήσῃς, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ἀπολέσῃς;,” a formulation that is textually closest to Mark 8:36 and belongs to the opening section of the Markan discipleship corridor (Mark 8:34–38). In Mark, the saying functions as part of a tightly linked sequence on self-denial, loss of life, and eschatological reckoning, immediately following the call to take up the cross.
Clement, however, abstracts the saying from its narrative and exhortative setting and redeploys it within a philosophical–ethical critique of πάθη such as pleasure, pain, desire, and fear. The logion is treated as a universal axiom concerning the irrationality of valuing transient gain over the soul, rather than as a climactic warning embedded in Jesus’ redefinition of discipleship. No adjacent Markan material—such as the call to follow, the shame saying, or the Son of Man’s coming in glory—is invoked or implied.
The wording itself is compatible with Mark and lacks distinctive Matthean redactional features, which supports the conclusion that Clement is drawing on a shared synoptic tradition whose Markan form lies squarely within the corridor. At the same time, Clement gives no indication that the saying is being cited as part of a continuous gospel narrative or that Mark provides a governing sequence for interpretation here.
Accordingly, Stromateis 6.14.112.3–4 is best classified as corridor-compatible but non-structural. It confirms Clement’s access to and use of Markan discipleship material, but it does not advance the stronger claim that Stromateis presupposes a Mark-shaped or harmonized gospel comparable to what is demonstrable in Quis Dives Salvetur. The passage supports compatibility with the Markan axis while remaining evidentially modest with respect to the Secret Mark and Eusebian Canon thesis.
