after six days goes to Jesus at night, wearing a linen garment over his naked body. During the night, Jesus instructs him in “the mystery of the kingdom of God.”42 Presumably the young man in Mark 14:51–52 represents a parallel case. Smith hypothesizes a secret baptismal initiation characteristic of early Christianity and invites his readers to wonder about the possibility of homosexual activity amid this nighttime nakedness. Though Smith’s account received wide acceptance, there is also a strong