Marcion of Sinope

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Marcion of Sinope or Markion (Greek: Μαρκίων Σινώπης) was an influential figure in the early Christian Church, and is retrospectively considered one of the first heresiarchs.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Marcion was the son of the bishop of Sinope in Asia Minor, and apparently also a rather wealthy man himself.[1] After getting into serious theological disagreements with the remainder of the Church, he was excommunicated by his own father, and was either not reconciled until his death or not reconciled period, depending on whose account is read.[2]

[edit] Marcionism

In an effort to reconcile the Old Testament of the Bible with the New, Marcion decided that the God of the Old Testament was a jealous demiurge, while the God of the New Testament was a universal, bigger, eternal, real God (aka ÜberGod™), in addition to being the father of Jesus.[3] He also held that the demiurge's visit to the Garden of Eden was actually a real and physical sort of affair, whereas Jesus's incarnation was purely docetic.

His particular version of the New Testament included parts of Luke and several of Paul's writings,[4] but not any of the other books now considered canonical,[2] although the fixing of the canon may have occurred partly in response to Marcionism.

[edit] Later manifestations

The Paulicians, a later sect from the same area, shared much of Marcion's theology. Since the Paulicians were likely the predecessors of the Bogomilists, and perhaps also the Waldensians and Cathars, Marcion may well have created many of European Christianity's medieval boogeymen.[5]

[edit] See also

Gnosticism - not identical, but shares many beliefs

[edit] Footnotes

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