show_no_mercy

Are there any other people in the historical record named "Markion" (Marcion) before the 2nd century heresiarch?

I've heard it suggested that Markion is a diminutive of Mark[os] but this only works if Markion's name is spelled Μαρκιον, like the "little boat" (πλοιαριον) in Mark 3:9. As far as I know, Markion's name is always spelled with an omega (Μαρκιων).

It seems as though the suffix -ίων is a comparative suffix according to the Perseus website:

Which is also corroborated by a couple of Google books pages.

So what's the deal with the name "Markion"?

Doug Shaver

I haven't done the relevant research, but just guessing off the top of my head, I think the deal is that some people, when reading early Christian writings, are pretty sure that it's all in some kind of code.