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Old 12-03-2011, 09:55 AM   #51
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I'm just not so sure what to make of this lack of mention of omissions (when compared to the orthodox version) in the first two chapters of Marcion's Galatians. If Tert's avowed mission is to lambast Marcion for what his version "retained" (had in common with the orthodox version) that undermined his own avowed gospel, why would Tert feel obligated to mention that certain passages contrary to Marcion's gospel exist in the orthodox version but not in Marcion's?

It is clear, though, that Marcion's Galatians did include some passages that exist also in the orthodox version:
1:1 Paul an apostle, not of men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ,

6 I marvel that you are so quickly transferred from Him Who called you in His goodness unto a different gospel:

7 Which is not entirely another according to my gospel ; but there are some who trouble you and would change (you) unto a different gospel of Christ.

8 But even if an angel out of heaven should announce another gospel [to you], let him be accursed!

9 As I said before, so I say now again, If any one announces another gospel to you let him be accursed.

15 But when was well-pleased, the (Supreme) God having selected me from my mother's womb

2:1 I went up to Jerusalem; After fourteen years

2b and I set before them the canon of the gospel

2d (fearing) that for nothing I should go or had gone

3 But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:

4 But because of those who crept in to spy out this liberty of ours which we enjoy in Christ, so that they might enslave us -

5 To these not even for an hour we yielded in subjection
Bold = Tertullian
Italics = Origen (via Hieronymus)
Underline = Adamantius

I can certainly see how 1:1 through 2:5 could be seen by Marcion as reflecting his own journey to Rome to present to the Church hierarchy his Antithesis and the conclusions about Paul's "gospel" that he drew from them. He was implying that the church at Rome had deviated from Paul's "gospel" by Judiazing.

Just as Paul had to turn to preach his gospel to the nations, while the earthly disciples of Jesus continued to preach it to the Jews, so Marcion also had to turn away from the Judiazed church and seek fresh ground. Galatia was closest to Pontus, and a Pauline letter to vaguely defined "Galatians" would offer a great lead-in to a new cannon of Paul's writings.

DCH

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Originally Posted by stephan huller View Post
Is Detering right with his interpretation? Does Tertullian mean that Marcion was the first to discover Galatians or - as I suspect - that he just came upon Galatians and it influenced him. Here's what I have noticed throughout my study of the Patristic sources:

no one ever accuses Marcion of making any deletions to the first two chapters of Galatians which is strange given it abounds with an abundance of things he would have found unacceptable (especially in the early form of the epistle known to Irenaeus and Tertullian where Paul declares that he submitted to the authority of the Jerusalem Church).

I don't think this epistle existed in the form we know it today. Epiphanius and Origen (Jerome) start at the end of chapter 2/beginning of chapter 3 introducing anything from the Marcionite text. Clement only starts citing from the same place. It's a fake.
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Old 12-03-2011, 10:01 AM   #52
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Right. But I am not asking you whether you would like to marry me. I am asking you to help provide for me a reason why the evidence from Tertullian can be used to reconstruct the Marcionite Apostolikon when (a) Tertullian never claims to be citing from the Apostolikon
If Tertullian didn't have some version of the Marcioite text, how could he write this?
Let Marcion's eraser be ashamed of itself: except that it is superfluous for me to discuss the passages he has left out, since my case is stronger if he is shown wrong by those he has retained.

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(b) the text of Adversus Haereses has been reworked in many places or at least has a literary purpose which doesn't seem to fit the notion that it was directed against Marcion from the beginning
It may be. But I think Ireneaus' main purpose was to promote the proto-orthodox scriptures that were developed in response to Marcion's canon. And as far as you have citations of Ireneaues' works in later authors, then you have a textual basis for your arguments. This is precisely what we have for Marcion in the works of several church fathers.

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and (c) most important of all, Origen/Jerome contradicts or provides evidence to make us doubt the certainty of many of the inferences drawn by the supposed experts.
I assume this will be the basis for your book. I look forward to its publication.
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Again I don't care if you like me or like my other observations. I don't claim to possess absolutely knowledge about any of this. I am asking you to disagree with me to make my arguments stronger (which is why I participate at this former in the first place)
I like you fine, and you are a smart guy. I like most of "Against Polycarp" and you had to have something on the ball to be well regarded by R.Price. But when you went down the path of The Real Messiah (i bought the book) with Marcus Agrippa sitting on a teeny tiny throne and all the baggage that goes with it, I am sorry but I cannot follow you.

Jake
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Old 12-03-2011, 10:04 AM   #53
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DCH

But are there any examples of an accusation that Marcion deleted something or a confirmation that Marcion had any of these passages aside from Gal 1:1?
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Old 12-03-2011, 10:16 AM   #54
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Jake

I have to take my son to his karate lesson but just to make clear I am writing an article for a journal not writing another book. And just for the record, I still think Agrippa is the most likely known historical candidate for Mark (“known” being the key word). I was attempting to write a book for a popular audience and failed. No harm done (at least from my perspective). If people were familiar with Marqe they'd have understood me better. When I win the lottery I will find Mar Saba 65 and pay someone to translate Ben Hayyim's Marqe (and get a decent English translation of the Yosippon and throw in some Marcion) and try again.

Sometimes the messenger isn't up for the task of delivering the message
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:34 AM   #55
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DCH

But are there any examples of an accusation that Marcion deleted something or a confirmation that Marcion had any of these passages aside from Gal 1:1?
There are three that I know of from Mahar's/Detering's reconstructions, and these are

Gal.1:1b >kai qeou patros< Origen (by Hieronymus , Commentary to Galatians): “...in Marcion’s Apostolikon “and by God the Father” (et per Deum patrem) is not written, in order to expound, that Christ was not by God the Father, but of his own self awakened ( semetipsum suscitatum )”.

Gal.3:6-9 omitted! Hieronymus (Origen) "From this place (Gal.3:6) up till this, where it is written "they who are of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham", Marcion has erased from his Apostle".

Gal.4:24-25 (Tert., V.4): secundum generans in servitutem. Hieronymus, VII.473 (Zahn, p.502): “Here Marcion and Manichaeus, where the apostle said “which is allegorical” (quae sunt allegorica) and the rest which follows, hesitate not to remove from their codices, thinking the opposite we bequeath, that it is obviously the law which is understood, what is written”. i.e., they omitted a reference to the written Law of Moses [How then does Tertullian preserve text that corresponds to what Hieronymus claims was omitted? Detering assumes it must be an omission to the written Law, yet "it is of Sinai" is a sidewise reference to the Law given to Moses on Mt Sinai. Some unpacking is warranted here. - dch]

All the other passages claimed to be omitted from, or included in, the Marcionite version of Galatians, are the conjectures of van Manen, Jon Mahar, or Herman Detering. However, if you only take into consideration what the ancient sources attest to be included or specifically omitted, as I had outlined in another recent thread, the text comes out remarkably coherent, maybe as much as 90% complete by my guess.

If he cut down an allready existing orthodox version of Galatians, he must have been a remarkable editor. Marcion, it appears, was exceptionally familiar with the (presumably greek translation of) Jewish scriptures, maybe just the 5 books of the Law but maybe also the Prophets, so I would not be surprised if he could do a decent job at it. However, seeing Marcion's edition as the product of cutting (selective editing) is easier for me to accept than the alternative that the orthodox re-edited and Judaized Marcion's text. I can detect Marcion's agenda in what he may have omitted, but fail to find one in the orthodox revisions. The orthodox version is confused and full of contradictions, and they are not even about matters dear to the heart of Marcion.

DCH
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:45 AM   #56
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I agree that these are clearly things deleted by the Marcionite text. But it is equally unlikely that all of Tert's references are reflections of Marcionite readings. Some of Schmid's (and everyone else's) reconstruction of the material is simply untenable especially in Gal chapter 2. Peter first instead of James first. Paul accepting the authority of the Jerusalem church. The list goes on and on
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:56 AM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aa5874
...Based on Justin and Hippolytus, Marcion does NOT need the 100 year old GALATIANS WHICH CLAIMED Jesus was God's Son Born of a woman.
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It is quite certain that Marcion's Galatians did not contain the phrase “born of a woman, born under the law.” Tertullian would certainly have used it against him otherwise...
Well, if Marcion's Son of God was NOT born of a woman then you will NOT find Galatians 1, Galatians 2, Galatians 3, Galatians 4, Galatians 5 and Galatians 6 used for doctrinal purposes by Marcion.

Marcion does NOT need anything which states the Son of God was born of a Woman, the God of the Jews, and is based on Hebrew Scriptures.

Marcion USED Empedocles based on Hippolytus, an apologetic source.

Marcion PREACHED DUALISM like Empedocles.

You SHOULD read the WRITTEN STATEMENTS of antiquity in "Refutation of ALL Heresies" by Hippolytus, an apologetic source.

Refutation of All Heresies" 7.19
Quote:
The principal heresy of Marcion, and (the one of his) which is most free from admixture (with other heresies), is that which has its system formed out of the theory concerning the good and bad (God).

Now this, it has been manifested by us, belongs to Empedocles....
It is FAR MORE likely that Marcion would have used writings that were SIMILAR to his doctrine such as Empedocles rather than use Galatians which should have been KNOWN for 100 years and CIRCULATED all over the Roman Empire by Paul who PREACHED and TAUGHT that Jesus was born of a woman of the seed of David and was the Son of the God of the JEWS.

Marcion's Son of God was NOT of the Jewish God.

Marcion preached ANOTHER GOD and ANOTHER SON according to Justin Martyr, an apologetic source.

Sorry, Tertullian "Against Marcion" is Total ridiculous fiction or Full of Mistakes.
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Old 12-03-2011, 12:10 PM   #58
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Ignoring aa's strange fixation with capitalizing the beginning of random words in a sentence, I was just thinking again - if Tertullian or his source knew that Marcion used chapter 2 wouldn't this be a trump card for the Catholics? Yes Book Four's statement cited by Jake could be read as a claim that Marcion just found Galatians and used it pretty much as is, it is strange - very strange - that no one makes explicit reference to the Marcionite use of the biographical material in Gal 2. Indeed the beginning of Adv Marc 5 (and Adv Marc 4) seems to imply the exact opposite - ie that the apostle's identity was totally unknown or hidden
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Old 12-03-2011, 01:19 PM   #59
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The claims by Tertullian in "Against Marcion" are CONTRADICTED by Apologetic sources. This is EXTREMELY significant.

Justin Martyr, an apologetic source, claimed Marcion DENIED that the God of the Jews was the Maker of the Universe.

"First Apology" XXVI"
Quote:
And there is Marcion, a man of Pontus, who is even at this day alive, and teaching his disciples to believe in some other god greater than the Creator......and to deny that God is the maker of this universe, and to assert that some other being, greater than He, has done greater works....
Based on Justin Marcion did NOT accept the Jewish God.

Marcion did NOT need Hebrew Scripture or the Pauline writings.

Next, Justin will give MORE information about Marcion who was HIS contemporary.

"First Apology" LVIII
Quote:
And, as we said before, the devils put forward Marcion of Pontus, who is even now teaching men to deny that God is the maker of all things in heaven and on earth, and that the Christ predicted by the prophets is His Son, and preaches another god besides the Creator of all, and likewise another son....
It is simply NOT credible that Marcion would NEED GALATIANS to teach people that the God of the Jews was NOT the Creator and that Christ was NOT his Son.

It is claimed by Tertullian that MARCION was a member of the Church before he started his heretical teachings so Marcion and PEOPLE of the Roman Empire should have ALREADY KNOWN that there was an ORIGINAL letter in the HANDS of the Church of Galatia and in their possession for 100 years.

It makes ZERO, absolute ZERO, sense for Marcion to mutilate a copy of Galatians when the GALATIA Church had the ORIGINAL LETTER for 100 years in their possession. And not only that, it is claimed other Churches in the Roman Empire had COPIES of the Pauline Epistles.

Marcion did NOT live in the 1st century so there is NO need for him to have used Galatians which is about a character that supposedly lived BEFORE c 70 CE.
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Old 12-03-2011, 03:59 PM   #60
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Marcion did? Well so says our friend Tertullian, but I take what he says with a huge grain of salt. I don't believe his claim, even if he thought it was true. It makes no sense as I have described previously.

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Yet, what was the mystery to call Galatians by that name, since Galatia was a whole region even if it was the backwoods? It's like writing Epistle to the Bostonians, Epistle to the Angelinos, and then one epistles to the Texans......Maybe it was meant to be Epistle to the Pontusians or Iconians.
Marcion of Pontus brought with him a collection of ten Pauline epistles. According to Tert. AM 4.3.1, Marcion "discovered by lucky chance" (nancisci) the epistle to the Galatians. Galatians was unknown before Marcion. It became his cover letter to the Apostilikon.

All that is required is the ability to distinguish between the concepts of the real author and the implied author, and the real audience and the implied audience.

Jake
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