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The Messianic Secret is a motif in the
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark), or simply Mark (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). is the second of the four canonical gospels and of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to h ...
, in which Jesus is portrayed as commanding his followers to maintain silence about his Messianic mission. Attention was first drawn to this motif in 1901 by
William Wrede
Georg Friedrich Eduard William Wrede (; 10 May 1859 – 23 November 1906) was a German Lutheran theologian.
Biography
Wrede was born at Bücken in the Kingdom of Hanover. He became an associate professor at University of Wrocław, Breslau in 1893 ...
.
Part of Wrede's theory involved statements in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
by
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
to demons who recognize his divine nature as well as to his followers not to reveal to others that he is the
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
.
William Wrede
Georg Friedrich Eduard William Wrede (; 10 May 1859 – 23 November 1906) was a German Lutheran theologian.
Biography
Wrede was born at Bücken in the Kingdom of Hanover. He became an associate professor at University of Wrocław, Breslau in 1893 ...
''Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien: Zugleich ein Beitrag zum Verständnis des Markusevangeliums''
(Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1901); English edition, William Wrede, ''The Messianic Secret'', trans. The Rev'd James C. G. Grieg (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 1971).[James L. Blevins. ''The Messianic Secret in Markan Research, 1901–1976''. Washington, D. C.: University Press of America, 1981. ] Wrede suggested that this theme was not historical but was an addition by the author of Mark. Wrede's broad concept of the Messianic Secret also involved the use of parables by Jesus.
Wrede's theory had an inherent inter-relationship with the hypothesis of
Markan priority
Marcan priority is the hypothesis that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the three synoptic gospels to be written, and was used as a source by the other two (Matthew and Luke). It is a central element in discussion of the synoptic problem; the q ...
, which Wrede eventually abandoned, but some of his followers accepted.
The theory of the Messianic secret was strongly criticized in the first years of the 20th century, then gained acceptance in the 1920s. It eventually began to lose support and by the 1970s it no longer existed as Wrede had proposed it.
Since Wrede, attempts to decipher Mark's characterization of the disciples and the "Messianic Secret" have been centerstage.
New Testament examples
In the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
, Jesus commands silence in many instances.
[W. R. Telford. ''The New Testament, a Short Introduction'', pp. 139. Oneworld. Oxford. 2002. ] An example is
Mark 8:29–30:
And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus also issues commands of silence after
miracles
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
and healings, e.g. in
Mark 1:43–45 in the cleansing of a leper:
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
The concept, as Wrede used it, also included
parables
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...
and secrets of the
Kingdom of God
The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" b ...
as in
Mark 4:11:
He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables."
Wrede's theory
Wrede proposed that the author of Mark invented the notion of secrecy to explain a question
early Christian
Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...
s might have raised about Jesus: if Jesus was the Messiah, as they believed, then why did he not proclaim and make it part of his ministry?
[''Gospel According to St. Mark'' by Morna Dorothy Hooker 2001 pages 66-69] In Wrede's theory, the secrecy is a literary strategy meant to head off this objection while steering a middle course between two points of view in early Christianity about Jesus's role as messiah: that Jesus only became the messiah starting at the crucifixion (Phillipians 2:6-11), or that his role had been fully filled and preordained since the beginning of time (John 1:1).
Wrede's notion of secrecy did not simply rely on the commands of Jesus but also involved the "Markan parable theory" of why Jesus spoke in parables.
The secrecy encompasses Jesus's teaching and miracles, and is frequently violated so as to give the gospel's audience a foreshadowing of the passion and resurrection.
Wrede recognized the inherent inter-relationship of his approach with the hypothesis of
Markan priority
Marcan priority is the hypothesis that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the three synoptic gospels to be written, and was used as a source by the other two (Matthew and Luke). It is a central element in discussion of the synoptic problem; the q ...
– namely that Mark was written first and influenced the other Gospels. However, after re-examining his initial theory, Wrede suggested that his theory would work best if the Markan priority hypothesis turned out to be false and wrote: "it would be 'most highly desirable' if such a gospel as Mark were not the oldest gospel".
[''Christology and the Synoptic problem'' by Peter M. Head 1997 pages 233-235] Yet, the followers of the Messianic Secret hypothesis were later forced to assume Markan priority – an issue that has resulted in various forms of criticism by other scholars.
Analysis and interpretation
Criticism
Soon after the appearance of the theory in 1901, theologians such as
William Sanday and
Albert Schweitzer
Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...
reacted negatively to it.
Initially, scholarship was strictly divided, although suggestions to bridge a gap between the opposing views were made.
Wrede's broad concept of the Messianic Secret also involved the use of
parables
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...
by Jesus, and in his criticism Albert Schweitzer called it the weakest element of Wrede's approach.
[''The Christology of Mark's Gospel'' by Jack Dean Kingsbury 1983 pages 2-11]
Wrede's theory enjoyed its highest level of acceptance in the 1920s, and support for it began to decline thereafter as criticisms of the theory were provided based on multiple new arguments.
In the 1960s
Ulrich Luz
Ulrich Luz (23 February 1938 – 13 October 2019) was a Swiss citizen, Swiss theologian and professor emeritus at the University of Bern.
Early life
He was born on 23 February 1938 in Männedorf. He studied Protestant theology in Zurich, Götting ...
demonstrated that the commands of silence which Jesus gave to healed persons belonged to a different category from those issued to his disciples.
By the mid-1970s the Messianic Secret theory was no longer credited by scholars in the form that Wrede had proposed it.
Late in the 20th century, criticism of both the motif and the theory continued from a number of other perspectives, e.g.
Daniel J. Harrington
Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. (July 19, 1940February 7, 2014), was an American academic and Jesuit priest who served as professor of New Testament and chair of the Biblical Studies department at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (for ...
, a former professor at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, argued that even the term "Messianic Secret" is a misnomer, has lumped together multiple issues and some of the Biblical terms used have been confused.
G. E. Ladd , a former Baptist professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, stated that: "
he Messianic Secretis a clever theory, but utterly lacking in evidence".
Other explanations
Other explanations regarding the commands of secrecy issued by Jesus have been proposed, e.g.
philological
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as the ...
explanations based on mistranslations. An example is the explanation suggested by the Exegetic School of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
based on the
Aramaic primacy
The Aramaic original New Testament theory is the belief that the Christian New Testament was originally written in Aramaic.
There are six versions of the New Testament in Aramaic languages:
#the ''Vetus Syra'' (Old Syriac), a translation fr ...
that Jesus never expressed those ideas, and that they were added as a result of mistranslation of what Jesus said. However, there is no extant copy of this alleged Aramaic original to support this proposal.
The historical explanations generally assume that the Gospel of Mark is historical and that Jesus issued the commands.
Based on that assumption, various additional theories have been proposed, e.g. that Jesus issued the commands in order not to become a "celebrity" and be able to move about with ease.
The theological explanation was proposed by Wrede:
it was not yet the proper time for him to be revealed as such. He knew when he had to go to the court and then be crucified. In Mark 8:30 Jesus, "Then strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him." Jesus' messianic mission cannot be understood apart from the cross, which the disciples did not yet understand (vs. 31–33 and ch. 9 vs. 30–32). This theological explanation is supported by Matthew's explicit link between Pharisaic conspiracy to "destroy" Jesus and the latter's command to his followers "not to make him known." Aware of the plot against him, Jesus "withdrew from there" and continued his healing ministry. Matthew goes one step ahead and claims that Jesus' conscious decision to fulfil his ministry by avoiding untimely conflict was a fulfilment of
Isaiah's prophecy,
Behold, my servant
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. ... He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.
References
{{Authority control
1901 introductions
1900s neologisms
Christian messianism
Christian terminology
Gospel of Mark
Jesus in Christianity
New Testament theology
Secrecy