Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

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lsayre
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Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by lsayre »

I've seen several poorly done and cobbled together attempts on the internet from those who seemingly try to pull Marcion's Antithesis out of the sky with no apparent serious documentary or historical research to back up their stabs at their chosen antithesis. What can serious research tell us of Marcion's Antithesis? Are any of them preserved within the writings of others from near his time?
Secret Alias
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Secret Alias »

You know what we know about the "Antitheses' from the sources? There seems to be some sense from the Latin of Tertullian that it was something "affixed to the front" (from memory sitting in a parking lot waiting for my son's practice to end) of Marcion's canon. And even this isn't certain. In short, nothing or next to nothing other than Tertullian's (possible) hyperbole.
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Secret Alias
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Secret Alias »

Some have argued for a Greek Antitheses based on the use of Greek terminology in Tertullian https://books.google.com/books?id=PtXeB ... es&f=false
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
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DCHindley
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by DCHindley »

lsayre wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:04 pm I've seen several poorly done and cobbled together attempts on the internet from those who seemingly try to pull Marcion's Antithesis out of the sky with no apparent serious documentary or historical research to back up their stabs at their chosen antithesis. What can serious research tell us of Marcion's Antithesis? Are any of them preserved within the writings of others from near his time?
Good question.

I've read somewhere that at least one scholar thinks that the texts supposedly drawn from "Marcion's edition of the NT" in Tertullian, maybe Irenaeus, were actually taken from Marcion's Antitheses and projected back as a hypothetical counter edition to the NT received by their fellowships. Basically, they were making up straw men to knock down. Whoo, what fun! Marcion's Antitheses were just his commentaries on antithetical statements he found in generally accepted books. I do not know if he or his followers ever formally published books of their own, but certainly not in the time of Tertullian et al.

I'll see what I can turn up, but tomorrow.

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Joseph D. L.
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Joseph D. L. »

We may get an idea of what the book was supposed to be by comparing it to Apelles's Syllogisms, though we would be asking the same question for this source as well.

What's more, the Antithesis is presented as a comparison between the Old and New Testaments. This seems wrong to me. If Marcion not only compiled the first NT, but also wrote most/all of it, then he would know that this makes his apology fraudulent.

As it stands, I think the texts attributed to Marcion are misdirected.
Stuart
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Stuart »

We know relatively little about it. But we can make some educated guesses from Tertullian Adversus Marcionem 1 & 2, Dialogue Adamantius parts 1 & 2, Acta Archelai Book XL, and Matthew chapter 5. A secondary source is also the pseudo Clement Recognitions and Homilies (Simon Magus, although clearly a Mani stand in, does quote many of the same passages known to be in the Antithesis). There are additional possible quotes in various anti-Heretic tracts, as the document appears to have circulated well beyond the Marcionite sect. None is complete, none is in any particular order, and all are hostile sources.

What I think we can say is this:
1) The "book" appears to have been compiled over a considerable length of time, adjusted and added onto over the 2nd and probably 3rd century
- what Tertullian reports already is already four generations of work
- the apparent quoting by Matthew, if I am correct, proves the work continued to expand and append long after that
- as new challenges and questions arose, so did new pairs (also as NT texts were written)
2) It is an exegesis of OT passages, similar to the excavations we have found of Ophite, Theraputae, and even Orthodox source. It's aim was to contrast Jesus to OT prophets (much as early Christianized sects compared Joshua/Jesus to Moses and found him superior), and instead of showing him as the successor to Moses (succeeding where Moses failed in Orthodox exegesis), showing him as from a different father (essentially stripping the properties of Creator, Law Giver, and Jewish Tribal God from the father and assigning them to a lesser God or demigod).
3) It was done in the form of contrasts, an OT passage vs a NT passage
- this is not entirely true, in some cases it is merely OT passages
- there also appear to have been sometimes some commentary
4) Both OT and NT quotes contained have been paraphrased
- this is a key marker indicating Simon Magus and the Manichean opponent in Acta Archelai as well as Matthew are using it as a source

If I had to venture a guess, I would say it probably looked similar to the Gospel of Thomas. It was probably used as a sort of reference for countering arguments. Like Thomas it was for a century or more a living document. It appears to have circulated well beyond the Marcionite circles, as indicative of certain common comparisons used by Gnostics and noted by the church fathers, as well as extensive use by Manicheans. Harnack's opening for the book is a mystery, which nobody else can figure out how he concluded that. So We probably have to set that aside.

For example, Matthew contains four of these pairs (maybe a couple more where the form is broken), although they have been adjusted to his (Ebionite like) positions - which go well beyond Catholic doctrine in support of Torah (then again they were conceived in polemic, which by it's nature tends towards argumentum ad absurdum, extreme positions). Matthew chapter 5 also contains at least three other direct refutations of Marcionite positions, and flips some Marcionite sayings still found intact in Luke. Matthew is useful, because when laid along side the similar sayings in Dialogue Admantius, the structure of the sayings becomes clear.

I have compiled a list of the known Antithesis elements, which if you want I can list, and their source.
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Stuart wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:30 pmI have compiled a list of the known Antithesis elements, which if you want I can list, and their source.
I cannot speak for others, but for my own part that would be appreciated.
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lsayre
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by lsayre »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:37 pm
Stuart wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:30 pmI have compiled a list of the known Antithesis elements, which if you want I can list, and their source.
I cannot speak for others, but for my own part that would be appreciated.
Please do provide the list. Thank you!!!
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Jax
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by Jax »

lsayre wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:00 pm
Ben C. Smith wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:37 pm
Stuart wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:30 pmI have compiled a list of the known Antithesis elements, which if you want I can list, and their source.
I cannot speak for others, but for my own part that would be appreciated.
Please do provide the list. Thank you!!!
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lsayre
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Re: Antithesis: What do we know of Marcion's 'Antithesis'?

Post by lsayre »

Does Irenaeus work titled 'Against Heresies' in Book 4, Chapter 13 hint of Marcion's antithesis? http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103413.htm
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