| Clement passage | Greek cited by Clement | Synoptic locus | Markan corridor location (Mark 8:34–10:52) | Gospel profile | Effect on Secret Mark / Canon thesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strom. 3.6.55.2 | εἰ θέλεις τέλειος γενέσθαι, πωλήσας τὰ ὑπάρχοντα δὸς πτωχοῖς | Matt 19:21 (par. Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22) | Inside corridor (Mark 10:17–31) | Matthean wording; Markan narrative location | Moderately supportive |
| Strom. 3.6.55.2–56.1 | οὐ γὰρ πεπληρώκει τὸ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν | Matt 19:19 (Lev 19:18) | Implicit in Mark 10:19–21 | Matthean citation integrated into Markan pericope | Neutral–compatible |
Accordingly, this passage does more than merely confirm Clement’s knowledge of Markan material. It shows him interpreting a key saying as a corridor-defining test of discipleship, exactly as Mark frames it. At the same time, Clement still cites the logion aphoristically rather than narratively; he does not reproduce the surrounding sequence of encounter, sorrow, camel saying, or promise of recompense. For that reason, the passage does not by itself demonstrate reliance on a fully harmonized or sequential “Secret Mark.”
The result is therefore moderately supportive. Stromateis 3.6.55.2 aligns firmly with the Markan discipleship corridor in conceptual architecture and theological emphasis, even while drawing on Matthean diction. It strengthens the claim that Clement’s ethical and ascetical reading of Jesus’ teaching is anchored in a Mark-shaped framework, but—unlike Quis Dives Salvetur—it stops short of providing structural evidence for a continuous Alexandrian Markan gospel underlying the text.
If you want, the next step would be to juxtapose this directly with QDS 11–13 and show that Clement there does exactly what he refrains from doing here: reassemble the entire Mark 10 complex as a continuous instructional unit. That contrast is where the real force of your argument lies.
