09-23-2011, 08:09 PM
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: seattle, wa
Posts: 9,337
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Marcionitisms in Clement of Alex - Paul Flourished "Immediately After the Ascension"
Another Marcionite conception in Clement of Alexandria:
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We must know, then, that if Paul is young in respect to time —having flourished immediately after the Lord’s ascension—yet his writings depend on the Old Testament, breathing and speaking of them. [Strom 4.21]
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Schaff explains the passage as follows (which is even more curious):
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Better rendered, “Paul is more recent (or later) in respect of time.” This seems a strangely apologetic way to speak of this glorious apostle; though the reference may be to his own words (1 Cor. xv. 8), “as of one born out of due time" ... This goes to confirm the Pauline origin of the Epistle to the Hebrews, so far as it accounts for (what is testified by Eusebius, vi. 14) his omission of his own name from his treatise, lest it should prejudice his argument with his Hebrew kinsmen.
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There are two very interesting statements here. I will leave aside that the earliest editions of the Apostolikon known to Eusebius avoided referencing the Apostle by the name 'Paul' and concentrate instead on the Marcionite idea of 'Paul' appearing 'immediately after the Lord's ascension.' This simply does not jibe with what appears in Acts but notice what Eznik and others say about the appearance of Paul:
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And when he had raised him on a cross, they say, he descended into the Harsh and emptied it. And having raised the souls from the middle of it he led them into the third heaven, to his Father.
And the Lord of creatures having become angry, in his anger he rent his robe and the curtain of of his temple. And he darkened his sun and he clothed his world in umber. And in his affliction he dwelt in mourning. Then when Jesus descended a second time in the form of his divinity to the Lord of creatures, he brought a lawsuit against him on account of his death.
And when the Lord of the world saw that divinity of Jesus, he discovered that another God apart from himself existed. And Jesus said to him, 'I am in litigation with you, and let no one judge between us, but the laws that you wrote.'
And when they had placed the Law in the middle, Jesus said to him "Did you not write in your Law, 'Whoever will murder he will die, (cf Num 35.30 - 34)?' and 'Whoever sheds the blood of a righteous one, his blood will be shed (Gen 9:6)?'" And he said, 'Yes, I wrote."
And Jesus said to him "So give yourself into my hands, so that I might slaughter and shed your blood, because rightly am I more lawful than you, and great favors have I bestowed on your creatures." And he began to reckon up those favors that he had bestowed on that one's creatures.
And when the Lord of creatures saw that he had gained victory over him - neither did he know what to say in reply because by his own Law he was condemned; nor did he find an answer to give because he came forth condemnation in exchange for his death - so having fallen down in supplication, he was praying to him "Whereas I sinned and slaughtered you ignorantly because I did not know that you were a god, but rather I considered you a man, let there be given to you in exchange, for revenge, all of those who wish to believe in you to take wheresoever you wish."
So Jesus having released him, he carried off Paul from the astonished ones, and he revealed to him their prices, and he sent him forth to preach that we have been bought for a price, and everyone who believes in Jesus has been sold by that Just One to the Good One.
This is the beginning of the sect of the Marcion ...
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