I still remember reading a very interesting hypothesis proposing that Mark’s Gospel was an allegorical commentary on Jerusalem’s destruction. I have this image in my head of a Greek Jew sitting in his (or her) house, penning his work, blissfully unaware of the overwhelming influence that it would have on the world for millennia, before he vanished into the mists of time without leaving a trace—other than perhaps a child or two. If only it were technologically possible to observe events in the distant past; we’ll probably never who exactly authored these Gospels or what their intentions were. Sigh… I’m rambling now, though.
Have you already watched this documentary? I highly recommend it—I was surprised to learn that early Christianity had a protofeminist sect.