The so-called Messianic secret in the Gospels is much more complex than the classic theory of Wilhelm Wrede allowed. Insights and models drawn and adapted from Georg Simmel and developed by Tefft et al. demonstrate that secrecy is an integral part of Mediterranean culture required by the demands of the core cultural values, honor and shame. Ideological interpretations of this motif in the Gospels must be modified by these insights.
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