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Marcion of Sinope

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Marcion of Sinope (ca. 110-160), was a major 2nd century Early Christian theologian, founder of what would later be called Marcionism, and one of the first to be strongly denounced by other Christians (who would later be called Catholic as opposed to Marcionite) as heretical. He created a strong ecclesiastical organization, parallel to that of the Church of Rome, with himself as Bishop. The Catholic Encyclopedia says of the Marcionites "they were perhaps the most dangerous foe Christianity has ever known."

According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article on [Marcion]: "It was no mere school for the learned, disclosed no mysteries for the privileged, but sought to lay the foundation of the Christian community on the pure gospel, the authentic institutes of Christ. The pure gospel, however, Marcion found to be everywhere more or less corrupted and mutilated in the Christian circles of his time. His undertaking thus resolved itself into a reformation of Christendom. This reformation was to deliver Christendom from false Jewish doctrines by restoring the Pauline conception of the gospel, —Paul being, according to Marcion, the only apostle who had rightly understood the new message of salvation as delivered by Christ. In Marcion's own view, therefore, the founding of his church—to which he was first driven by opposition—amounts to a reformation of Christendom through a return to the gospel of Christ and to Paul; nothing was to be accepted beyond that. This of itself shows that it is a mistake to reckon Marcion among the Gnostics. A dualist he certainly was, but he was not a Gnostic."

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "it is obvious that Marcion was already a consecrated bishop" and "we can take it for granted then, that Marcion was a bishop, probably an assistant or suffragan of his father at Sinope." Ernest Evans states that Marcion founded in Rome "a church which within half a generation expanded throughout the known world, vigorous enough to be in almost every place a serious rival to the Catholic church, and with strong enough convictions to retain its expansive power for more than a century, and to survive heathen persecution, Christian controversy, and imperial disapproval for several centuries more" (Evans 1972 p. ix).

Some ideas of Marcion's reappeared with Manichaean developments among the Bulgarian Bogomils of the 10th century and their Cathar heirs of southern France in the 13th century. Marcion's attempt to recover the authentic Jesus has been a constant theme of Christian reformers, reappearing in different guises, for example in the Jefferson Bible, Albert Schweitzer, and the Jesus Seminar.

What made Marcion distinct from the many who sought to recover the authentic Jesus, was that he believed that while the universe was created by Yahweh, the God behind Jesus and his teachings is not the same as the universal creator. This position has led many in orthodox branches to label his teachings Gnostic, as they make use of the concept of the Demiurge and a Docetic Christ.

Contents

History

What we know of Marcion comes mostly through his detractors, who are in substantial agreement. The first mention of Marcion was in Justin Martyr's Apologia (I 26), written mid-century, which finds Marcion yet alive and his followers dispersed among many nations. Marcion was the wealthy son of the bishop of Sinope (modern Sinop, Turkey), in Pontus. He is described as nautes, nauclerus, a ship owner, by Rhodon and Tertullian, who wrote about a generation after Marcion's death [link]. The hostile confrontation of Marcion described in Adversus haereses of Polycarp's pupil Irenaeus was expanded in a more detailed and more furious polemic written by Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem [link]. Hippolytus says he was the son of a bishop who excommunicated him on grounds of immorality, a story that is difficult to believe given other statements that he was a very moral man and the strong tendency to accuse heretics of immorality. He eventually found his way to Rome about 142–3, for Tertullian, writing about 208, dates the beginning of Marcion's teachings 115 years after the Crucifixion, which Tertullian placed in AD 26–27 (Adversus Marcionem, xix).

In the next few years after his arrival in Rome, he worked out his theological system, based on his interpretation of the message of Jesus, and attracted a large following. When conflicts with the bishops of Rome arose, Marcion began to organize his followers into a separate community. He was excommunicated by the Church of Rome around 144 (115 years and 6 months from the crucifixion of Jesus according to the Catholic Encyclopedia), which returned his previous donation of 200,000 sesterces, a very large sum, considering records from Pompeii show a slave being sold at auction for 6252 sesterces; the Catholic Encyclopedia attributes these funds possibly to purchase the bishopric of Rome after Hyginus died about in 143 and before Pius I was appointed successor. Tertullian claimed Valentinius was a candidate at that same time.

From then on, he apparently used Rome as a base of operations, devoting his gift for organization and considerable wealth to the propagation of his teachings and the establishment of compact communities throughout the Roman Empire, making converts of every age, rank and background. He created a strong ecclesiastical organization, parallel to that of the Church of Rome, with himself as bishop.

Tertullian and Irenaeus report that Marcion attempted to use his money to influence the Church to adopt his teaching, which they rejected. He also came face to face at Rome with Polycarp, who claimed to have known John (either John the Apostle or John the Presbyter) personally— Polycarp called him "the first born of Satan." His numerous critics included the aforementioned, along with Ephraim of Syria, Dionysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch, Philip of Gortyna, Hippolytus and Rhodo in Rome, Bardesanes at Edessa, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. Such a battery of opponents suggests a very real and widespread teaching running counter to what would later be called Catholic. Nevertheless, "not even Tertullian can find any strictures to pass on the morals of Marcion or his adherents" (Evans 1972 p. xiv).

Teachings

The teachings of Marcion and his followers are described under Marcionism.

External links

References

 

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