Marcion and the First Christian Heresy

1
Marcion and the First Christian Heresy
2
Heresy

• From Greek, to choose
• Originally, a more positive term
• Becomes a term describing rejection of important
  beliefs
• Extremely important function define Christianity
  and its boundaries
• Emerges only gradually, in debate
• Most heresies were persuasive, had plenty of
  followers. We need to ask why.

3
Background

• From Asia Minor (Turkey, born ca. 85)
• A layperson, went to Rome in 130s or 140s
• Wealthy, made large donation to church of Rome
• Controversy erupted in 140s
• Kicked out of church of Rome in 144
• Died ca. 160
• 1st big controversy people continued to write
  against his idea for centuries

4
Controversy

• Is the God Jesus talks about really the same as
  the God depicted in the Jewish Scriptures?
• What is Christianitys relation to Judaism? Are
  they sister religions or different religions?
• What should the Christian Bible contain?
• Marcion a few letters of Paul, about 10 chapters
  of Luke (out of 24)
• Orthodox (winning) view All of Jewish
  Scriptures (OT), all of Luke, other gospels and
  letters

5
Marcions beliefs

• Good vs. Creator 2 gods
• Goodness and mercy are opposed to justice why?
• World is flawed
• Jesus founded a new religion (antithesis 1)

6
Debate

• Question Is Marcion right? Does belief in Jesus
  require rejecting the Jewish Scriptures and its
  Creator God?
• Embody arguments from the time period, as you can
  construct them from readings (Chidester, Gospels,
  Marcion)
• Use/critique Marcions specific claims
• Do not argue your personal opinion (yet)

7
Does this controversy linger today?

• Nazi Germany
• Contemporary Christians in the U.S.
• Example Dead Man Walking
• Violence vs. peace (antithesis 3)
• Others?

8
Biblical canon OT

• For 1st century Christians (and writers of the 27
  books eventually included in the NT),
  Scriptures meant Jewish Scriptures there was
  no NT yet
• OT included some Greek Jewish books used in the
  1st c. but not found in Jewish and Protestant
  canons today
• Ca. 85CE Jewish council rejects books not
  written in Hebrew
• Reformers in 1500s decide to follow Jewish canon
  (also advocated by Jerome in 300s, but he does
  not win out)

9
Biblical Canon NT

• Gospels 4
• Acts of the Apostles (by author of Luke)
• Story of the earliest church, after Jesus
• Letters 22
• Really are letters written to local churches for
  specific reasons
• Mostly written by Paul
• Some attributed to Paul but probably written by
  his students
• A few others James, Peter, Hebrews, Revelation,
  etc.

10
Canon and criteria

• Most of NT in place by late 100s
• Formed by consensus what books did most local
  churches value and treat as God-inspired?
• Should have apostolic authorship
• Should conform to rule of faith (proto-creed
  belief in God, Jesus, Holy Spirit)
• Jesus must be really human and Lord
• First official list that matches our NT
  Athanasius Festal Letter of 367