Ephrem syrus speaks of him as wandering like cain, but possibly only refers to his leaving his country for rome hymn 56, assemani, bibl. The marcionite research library welcome to the marcionite research library. Marcion, the canon, the law, and the historical jesus a survey of marcions life and legacy. Marcion, a 2nd century heretic a dictionary of early. The marcionite bible was not divided into old and new testaments like the modern bible, and was dramatically shorter. The archheretic marcion, jesus, and the jewish law. But that is a completely separate matter from the value of the new testament text he used, and its importance for the later christian tradition. Ostensibly an attempt to recapture primitive christianity, this movement derives its name from marcion, a wealthy shipowner, son of a bishop, and probably a bishop himself, who arrived in rome around 140. James jumps out to me as being his source for jesus sayings. Although marcion is known only through reports and quotations from his orthodox opponents, especially tertullians adversus marcionem against marcion, the principal outlines of his teaching seem clear. Critical commentary on marcion s new testament antitheses, showing that there are no contradictions. Marcion was against jewish beliefs and material beliefs, so he developed the understanding that the god that created the world was not the same god of the christians. Marcion was a jewhater, who rejected the old testament, and any bits of the new testament, books or passages, which disagreed with him. Since, however, the divine authority and the nature of the case, and common sense, do not admit this insane position of the heretics, we have here the opportunity of putting in a veto in the briefest possible terms, on the substance of christs body, against marcions phantoms.
Marcionism was an early christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of. Of berber origin, he was the first christian author to produce an extensive corpus of latin christian literature. Marcionism was denounced by its opponents as heresy and written against notably by tertullian in a fivebook treatise, adversus marcionem against marcion, in about 208. Marcion, the canon, the law, and the historical jesus. The following materials offer excellent introduction to marcion and his writings. Also, still according to them, marcion and the gnostic valentinus were. Marcions canon, possibly the first christian canon ever compiled, consisted of eleven books. The development of the canon of the new testament marcion. The problem of evil, as stated by marcion and presented by tertullian goes, something like this.
Im going to get to the issue by means of a circuitous route, by talking about how that relationship was understood by followers of. Marcion author of the new testament deuteronomy 28. Book 3 shows that jesus is the messiah of the old testament. But now he comes to invite both parties promiscuously out of the city, out of the. To show the unauthorized and unwarrantable character of these alterations, omissions, additions, and corruptions, the catholic christians asserted that their copies of st. This article seeks to establish the extent to which marcions christology influenced the formation of his gospel canon, the euaggelion. The archheretic marcion, jesus, and the jewish law in this thread ive started to talk about the relationship of jesus to the law of moses. In 2012, the host of early church 101 took on my quote from tertullians against marcion from 207 ad where tertullian says paul was the apostle of the heretics. Because even the book of genesis so long ago promised me the apostle paul. See all 9 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. In book 2, tertullian explores the problem of evil because marcion the heretic of pontus was wrestling with how a good god could be the author of all the evil in the world. Every opinion and the whole scheme of the impious and sacrilegious marcion we now bring. While none of marcions writings have survived to the present, we know of his teachings through several early christian writers including justin martyr ad 100165, irenaeus of lyons ad 200 and hippolytus ad 170235.
Marcion taught that the god of the old testament was not the true god but rather that the true and higher god had been revealed only with jesus christ. He was the son of the bishop of sinope on the southern coast of the black sea. Marcion of sinope was an important figure in early christianity. His teaching made a radical distinction between the g. This book is the third edition of this work, in 5 books. Thou whom i have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, thou art my servant. The superior god, in fact, ought to have borrowed nothing from the inferior. His canon consisted of only eleven books, grouped into two sections. Rejects monotheism and the goodness of gods creation and denies the compatibility of the law and gospel.
Clabeaux established that marcion revised only lightly the author. Lukes gospel were more ancient than marcions so tertullian in chap. Critical commentary on marcions new testament antitheses, showing that there are no contradictions. Tertullian five books against marcion the ntslibrary. He was an early christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including. Marcion believed that jesus was the savior sent by god, and paul the apostle. Of these, irenaeus of lyons against heresies appears to have been the earliest written, sometime around 180 ce. Marcion article about marcion by the free dictionary.
One such group were the marcionites, most christians and nonchristians have probably never heard or knew about. Marcion, a noted and permanently influential heretic of the 2nd cent. He states that he was a native of pontus who had made many disciples. Lieus book, marcion and the making of a heretic, is an example of the approach described in the paragraph above. Tertullian, in against marcion, book 1, chapter 19, verse 2. Christians were supposed to maintain their family relationships no matter what. We are fortunate to have extant several major writings of the early church fathers concerning marcion. Marcion believed that god the father was different from the savage god of the old testament. Marcion of sinope marcionism christianity disproved. Marcion wrote the antitheses to show the differences between the god of the old testament and the true god. His article said i misquoted and accused me of misleading people on what it truly said.
One of the main differences we face when it comes to comparing marcions evangelion or euangelion with his apostolicon the pauline epistles is the comparatively much greater evidence we have for the text of marcions gospel a version of luke than for his version of the paulines. The gnostic affinity or group identity was a secret bond that. He gave credence that the god of the old testament, yahweh, was the one who created the material world out of evil. Marcionismthe forgotten crisis overviewintroduction. Now, marcion would seem to have travelled much and probably used his journeys to propagate his doctrines. Marcion preached that the god who sent jesus into the world was a different, higher deity than the creator god of judaism. This lead the church to start the definition of the canon. The five books against marcion hardcover august 9, 2015. Christians had to reject previous religious affiliations c. Ad was a prolific early christian author from carthage in the roman province of africa. Marcion was excommunicated from the roman church c. Marcions writings are lost, though they were widely read and numerous manuscripts must have existed. For against him did they wreak their fury after they had slain his prophets, even by affixing him with nails to the cross. Marcion wrote only a single work, antitheses contradictions, in which he set forth his ideas.
Despite the fact that this is a rather difficult read, and im sure there are many discoveries in research on marcion since the time of its writing, i stuck with this book. Home fathers of the church against marcion tertullian book iii. Otherwise, it is an idle thing when, after slaying men, he inveighs against them for the torture of. Here you will find a wide range of articles and resources on these subjects, and links to relevant articles and books elsewhere on the internet. If you were to ever read and study the early history of christianity, you would find a faith that had several competing factions, several competing sects each claiming to be christian, but with vastly different theologies belief systems. One of his works is the five books against marcion. This book may also be regarded as a commentary on st. Marcions christology, as seen in statements preserved in irenaeus, tertullian and epiphanius, has features that can be described as both docetic and modalist. Portrait of a heretic there is little doubt that the teachings of marcion and his followers represented a greater threat to orthodox christianity than any other heresy in the second century. Marcion sponsored an open christianity that met in churches. She presents a painstakingly comprehensive account of marcion, or rather, the making of a heretic, within a twostep process of discovery. So the bottom line, if you want to read against marcion, this is the way to do it and probably would have gotten this version anyway, even if i did have it as a printed, bound volume.
The marcionite bible the marcionite bible was assembled by marcion of sinope, sometime in the earlymid second century. Books 4 and 5 discuss marcions butchered gospel and. Despite sounding almost antinomian, marcion and his followers were actually very strict. Andrew hayes takes the measure of marcions impact on secondcentury christianity through a close examination of the topics and structure of justin martyrs writings, especially the dialogue with trypho, demonstrating that justin repeatedly described christianity in a contramarcionite fashion. Every sentence, indeed the whole structure, arising from mar cions impiety and profanity. By later standards of orthodoxy, marcions interpretation of the new testament writings was heretical. Marcions use of the christian canon brings him closer to the scriptureoriented christianity of the great councils than it does to the mythoriented gnostics. These treatments of marcion, however, were far from positive in their understandings of his theological system.
The criticisms against marcionism, thus, predate the authority, claimed by the first council of nicea in 325, to declare what is heretical against the church. Tertullian on the problem of evil and free will dead. They rejected the writings of the old testament and taught that christ was not the son of the god of the jews, but the son of the good god, who was different from the god of the ancient covenant. Tertullians treatment of paul in against marcion of 207 ad. An important but frequently forgotten episode in the early church was the movement founded by marcion near 144 a. Curiously, marcion also preached strict ascetism, denied the right of marriage, and formulated stern regulations concerning fasting. Clabeaux discussed a limited number of passages from marcions apostolikon, as preserved in two later works.
1246 279 1172 1008 1113 86 1009 649 820 862 431 537 712 714 565 451 1513 927 116 945 490 298 1336 1224 1422 61 1238 83 133 925 322 1005 670