| Clement passage | Greek cited by Clement | Synoptic locus | Markan corridor location | Gospel profile | Effect on Secret Mark / Canon thesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strom. 4.4.15.3–5 | ὃς ἂν καταλείψῃ πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ἢ ἀδελφούς… ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός μου | Mark 10:29–30; Matt 19:29; Luke 18:29–30 | Inside corridor (Mark 10) | Distinctively Markan formulation | Strongly supportive |
In Stromateis 4.4.15.3–5 Clement explicitly cites the dominical saying concerning the abandonment of family “for the sake of the gospel and my name.” The formulation he preserves is decisive. The explicit reference to τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός μου aligns precisely with Mark 10:29, where the gospel itself is named as the motivating cause of renunciation. Matthew’s parallel (19:29) lacks this emphasis and reframes the saying in terms of recompense “for my name,” while Luke similarly omits the gospel-centered phrasing.
The saying in Mark occurs squarely within the discipleship corridor (Mark 8:34–10:52), immediately following the rich man pericope and Jesus’ instruction on loss, reward, and the inversion of values. Clement’s use of the saying is fully consistent with this Markan context. He interprets the logion not as a minimal act of physical martyrdom but as a comprehensive μορφὴ μαρτυρίας enacted through an entire life ordered according to the gospel canon. His contrast between “simple” martyrdom and “gnostic” martyrdom presupposes sustained discipleship rather than episodic witness.
Crucially, Clement signals awareness of the κανὼν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, language that resonates strongly with a Markan conception of discipleship as a continuous rule of life rather than a single act. The abandonment of kin, reinterpreted as lifelong renunciation motivated by love for the Lord, mirrors the logic of the corridor in Mark, where following Jesus entails progressive dispossession, misunderstanding, and reorientation rather than immediate glory.
From the standpoint of the Secret Mark hypothesis, this passage is highly significant. Unlike many Stromateis citations that function as detached proof-texts, here Clement preserves a distinctively Markan wording that is difficult to explain as secondary Matthean borrowing. The presence of “for the sake of the gospel” strongly suggests dependence on a Mark-based textual tradition. Moreover, Clement’s ethical expansion of the saying coheres with what is already observable in Quis Dives Salvetur, where Mark 10:17–31 governs the entire argument.
Accordingly, Stromateis 4.4.15.3–5 constitutes positive evidence for Clement’s familiarity with and reliance upon a Mark-shaped gospel tradition that treats the discipleship corridor as normative. While the passage does not, by itself, demonstrate the existence of a fully harmonized “Secret Mark,” it substantially strengthens the case that Mark—rather than Matthew—functions as the conceptual and ethical backbone of Clement’s gospel usage in contexts concerned with renunciation, martyrdom, and the rule of Christian life.
