Part of a library of materials dealing with gnosis and gnosticism, both ancient and modern. Bettany hughes, an expert in ancient history, was quoted recently in londons daily telegraph as saying that christianity was originally a faith where the female of the species held sway. Formed his own canon of scripture to support his doctrine. According to the writer hippolytus, his father was the bishop of sinope, so marcion may well have been raised as a christian. With a useful introduction to all relevant issues, a. Gospel of marcion encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Jul 14, 2015 for knox and the canon and literature formation school, marcions use of primitive luke led a protoorthodox writer to edit the gospel of luke.
Marcion was born about 110 ad, being the son of the wealthy bishop of sinope in pontus. Marcion and the marcionites 144 3rd century ce at the end of july, 144 ce, a hearing took place before the clergy of the christian congregations in rome. Marcion, the canon, the law, and the historical jesus a survey of marcion s life and legacy. The reception of the canon by the modern church is inhibited, it seems to me, by functional marcionism. Jason david beduhn the myth of marcion as redactor. A native of sinope in pontus, marcion came to rome c. Marcion, montanus, and gnosticism pursuing veritas. Marcion holds a lasting legacy for christians as the inventor of the new testament. Early writers perhaps the earliest writing that mentions marcion or his followers was by the apostate justin who most protestants consider to be a saint, who, probably by.
Aug 06, 2009 1 marcion s canon does not match up to p46. Therefore the churchs response to these heretical traditions began with the proper interpretation of the old testament. He tertullian defends, one by one, each of the pauline epistles, expressing astonishment that marcion has rejected the two epistles to. Marcion came from the black sea seaport town of sinope on what is now the northern shore of turkey. Because it is the only such list from before the 4th century, some scholars want to give it a 4th century date. The first christian writer who speaks of marcion is justin martyr, who says that he was a native of pontus, and was living in his days a.
Just as marcions canon stimulated the more precise defining of the nt canon by the catholic church, not to supersede but to supplement the canon of the ot, so, more generally, marcions. Sep 03, 2014 indeed, campenhausen went so far as to call marcion the creator of the christian holy scripture. Jason beduhn is professor of the comparative study of religions at northern arizona university, a guggenheim and national humanities center fellow, and author of the manichaean body. Marcion, the son of the bishop of sinope a seaport of pontus along the black sea who had become a wealthy shipowner, stood before the presbyters to expound his teachings in order to win others to his point of view. Marcions canon, possibly the first christian canon. Although marcion is known only through reports and quotations from his orthodox opponents, especially tertullians adversus. The severed canon left by marcion and the gnostics eviscerated the centrality of christ and repudiated the notion that one god had accomplished. In some ways, marcion is the first person we know of to establish a canon that is, to specify exactly which writings were in and which were out. Marcion is often thought to have first established an explicit canon. Having grown up in church all of my life, and having a fairly heavy exposure. Marcions pre144 manuscript of paul what i shall call the premar cionite text of rome must have contained a number of marginal glosses, for one of them is signaled by tertullian, when. Personally, i think its statement that pius was recently bishop of rome ad 157170 should be taken at face value. For knox and the canon and literature formation school, marcions use of primitive luke led a protoorthodox writer to edit the gospel of luke. Antithesis contradictions between the old testament deity and the new testament god.
Marcion, the canon, the law, and the historical jesus. Its reconstructed fragments now appear among the new testament apocrypha. He considered himself a follower of paul the apostle, who he believed to have been the only true apostle of. What did marcion believe that made him a dangerous. Marcions pioneering role in establishing the earliest christian scriptural canon, and particularly the potential of his texts for the his. In some ways, marcion is the first person we know of to establish a canonthat is, to specify exactly which writings were in and which were out. There is debate over whether marcion truncated luke and paul or whether later orthodox scribes may have expanded them in some cases. Marcions scriptural canon, argues that marcion not only put together the very first christian canon of scriptures, he gave christianity very idea of doing so. Marcion s teaching was condemned as heresy in the year 144. Jason beduhn is professor of the comparative study of religions at northern arizona university, a guggenheim and national humanities center fellow, and author of the manichaean body 2000, winner of the american academy of religion best first book award, truth in translation 2003, augustines manichaean dilemma vol. The canon of scripture, bible manuscripts, and bible.
English reconstruction and translation of marcions version. According to tertullian and other writers of early protoorthodox christianity. The muratorian canon christian history for everyman. Just as marcions canon stimulated the more precise defining of the nt canon by. The development of the canon of the new testament marcion. The canon of scripture, bible manuscripts, and bible translation. The sect which he founded spread widely, and was for a time a serious menace to the church. Bettany hughes, an expert in ancient history, was quoted recently in londons daily telegraph as saying that christianity was originally a faith where the female of the species. By 144 ad, at age 34, marcion had caused such a stir, that his teachings were the subject of an investigation and condemnation. Paul clearly does not reject the god of the old testament 3 other authors prior to marcion show an awareness of pauls letters. Oct 28, 20 marcion holds a lasting legacy for christians as the inventor of the new testament. Muratorian canon 81% of the nt discovered in 1700s contained. Just as marcions canon stimulated the more precise defining of the nt canon by the catholic church, not to supersede but to supplement the canon of the ot, so, more generally, marcions teaching led the catholic church to define its faith more carefully, in terms calculated to exclude a marcionite interpretation. To oppose the ordination of women bishops in the church of england is to deny the central role women played in the faiths founding.
So marcion decided to create his own canon by recognizing certain books that he felt were the books that worked with in his beliefs. Marcions canon rejected the entire old testament, along with all other. He tertullian defends, one by one, each of the pauline epistles, expressing astonishment that marcion has rejected the two epistles to timothy and the one to titus. Many ancient christian writers quoted from the extensively, described the. O timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and contradictions antithesis of gnosis falsely so called. English reconstruction and translation of marcions. Marcion called the books of his canon the gospel and the apostolikon or apostle, which reflected his belief in the writings of jesus and the apostle paul respectively.
The epistle of the apostle paul to the laodiceans pdf. 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. His aim was, i suppose, to carry out his interpolating process even to the number of pauls epistles. The gospel of marcion, called by its adherents the gospel of the lord, was a text used by the mid2nd century christian teacher marcion of sinope to the exclusion of the other gospels. Marcion author of the new testament deuteronomy 28. He rejected all the books of the old testament and retained only those of the new which were clearly authored by paul, purging any texts which conflicted with his personal beliefs. Because the antimarcionite writers used rhetorical. Marcion of pontus, flourished 2nd century ce, christian heretic. Marcion taught that the god of the old testament was the author of evil, oppressive, and a lesser and distinct entity from the god of the new testament who exhibited love and forgiveness. Marcion, the son of the bishop of sinope a seaport of pontus along the black sea who had become a wealthy shipowner, stood before the presbyters to expound his teachings in order to win others to his point of. This was proabaly the first pauline writing to which marcion was exposed in his native pontus. O timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain. Gard the scriptures are collected in what is known as the it canon, that is, a grouping of writings received as authoritative and normative for faith and life.
We come to what may be the hottest current debate among scholars concerning the formation of the christian canon. Pdf chapter 1 marcion from the gospel according to heretics. Marcion was the son of a bishop of sinope in pontus. Marcions choice of a highly selective canon and his mutilation of christian scriptures forced the church to specifically identify its own writings. Higgins, the latin text in marcion and tertullian, vigchr 5 1951, 142, and t. But it is more probable that the fourfold canon already enjoyed undisputed sway before marcions canon as. About the middle of the second century 140155 he traveled to rome, where he joined the syrian gnostic cerdo. Gard the scriptures are collected in what is known as the it canon, that is, a grouping of writings received as authoritative and. But the jewish writer celsus also knew of marcion and used his writings to argue against christianity. The marcionite bible was assembled by marcion of sinope, sometime in the early mid second. The christian theologian and leader marcion active mid2nd century promulgated views that were condemned as heterodoxy.
Jan 06, 2014 in this bold undertaking, jason beduhn sets forth, for the first time, a complete english translation of the bible of marcion. The development of the canon of the new testament tertullian. Marcions canon consisted of the euangelion, or the gospel of the lord, and the apostolikon, ten epistles of paul, not. Against an assumed marcionite redaction the historical study of early christianity continues to labor under the burden of assumptions carried over from traditional christian here siology. Marcions canon consisted of the euangelion, or the gospel of the lord, and the apostolikon, ten epistles of paul, not including the pastorals. Pdf marcion, the bishop in the early church 85160 ad, who was. The muratorian canon or fragment is a list of scriptural books dating from the 2nd century. The canon of the new testament encyclopedia of the bible.
Marcion of sinope edinburgh research explorer the university. Marcion s canon consisted of the euangelion, or the gospel of the lord, and the apostolikon, ten epistles of paul, not including the pastorals. Marcions scriptural canonconsisting of the evangelion and the. Marcion, the canon, the law, and the historical jesus a survey of marcions life and legacy. With a useful introduction to all relevant issues, a readable translation of this first new testament, and copious notes supporting each textual decision, beduhn has provided a work of scholarship that is sure to be both welcomed and controversial. In this bold undertaking, jason beduhn sets forth, for the first time, a complete english translation of the bible of marcion. The churchs scripture and functional marcionism daniel l. Reduce, reuse, reject the traditional view is that. He rejected the old testament and regarded the god of the old testament as evil. Marcion preached that the god who sent jesus into the world was a different, higher deity than the creator god of judaism. For him it was the true account of the history of the jews, but spoke of the demiurge. The prologues of luke and acts were addressed to theophilus. Thou whom i have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men. Its been an historical mystery to many christian scholars regarding who theophilus was.
He not only selected only certain books he also edited. My position received little support after publication. Marcionism, similar to gnosticism, depicted the god of the old testament as a tyrant or demiurge see also god as the devil. Contains many coptic texts, grammars, greek texts, liddelscott greekenglish lexicon, and others. 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. Marcionism is the theological doctrine known after the heretic marcion of sinope, a ship owner from pontus in asia minor1 who died around 160 a. Marcion refused pointblank to allegorise the ot text37 instead he rejected it completely.