Remember also that the ORDER is important too. There seems to have been three different 'first' epistles (1) our standard Romans first collection (2) a Corinthians first collection [attested in the Muratorian canon, and parts of Tertullian's Against Marcion] and (3) a Galatians first canon which seems to have been used by the original author of Against Marcion and Ephrem the Syrian and the eastern Church.
Why does this matter? Well first of all Trobisch's ideas depend on a set order of gospels and Pauline letters. Also the manner in which Against Marcion (and subsequently Epiphanius) attacks Marcion it makes us suppose that Marcion had a Galatian-first canon. I am not so sure. I think the author of Against Marcion had a Galatians-first canon and that's all. Also at the beginning of Against Marcion the author says effectively 'Galatians is first because it is the principally (or 'first') in order of opposition to Marcion. Again if Marcion had a Galatians first canon that might mean something. But I think the author is arguing from his own collection. Not sure he ever had Marcion's canon in front of him.
It is worth noting the order of epistles expressed by Tertullian...:
- Galatians.
- 1 Corinthians.
- 2 Corinthians.
- Romans.
- 1 Thessalonians.
- 2 Thessalonians.
- Laodiceans/Ephesians.
- Colossians.
- Philippians.
- Philemon.
...with regard to the so-called Marcionite prologues:
Prologue to the epistle to the Romans: Romani sunt in partibus Italiae. hi praeventi sunt a falsis apostolis et sub nomine domini nostri Iesu Christi in legem et prophetas erant inducti. hos revocat apostolus ad veram evangelicam fidem scribens eis a Corintho. / The Romans are in the regions of Italy. They had been reached by false apostles and under the name of our Lord Jesus Christ they were led away into the law and the prophets. The apostle calls them back to the true evangelical faith, writing to them from Corinth.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Corinthians: Corinthii sunt Achaei. et hi similiter ab apostolis audierunt verbum veritatis et subversi multifarie a falsis apostolis, quidam a philosophiae verbosa eloquentia, alii a secta legis Iudiciae/Iudaicae inducti. hos revocat ad veram et evangelicam sapientiam scribens eis ab Epheso per Timotheum. / The Corinthians are Achaeans. And they similarly heard from the apostles the word of truth and then were subverted in many ways by false apostles, some led away by the verbose eloquence of philosophy, others by a sect of the Jewish law. He calls them back to the true and evangelical wisdom, writing to them from Ephesus through Timothy.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Corinthians: Post actam paenitentiam consolatorias scribit eis a Troade et conlaudans eos hortatur ad meliora. / After penitence was made, he writes a consolatory letter to them from Troas, and in praising them he exhorts them on to better things.
Prologue to the epistle to the Galatians: Galatae sunt Graeci. hi verbum veritatis primum ab apostolo acceperunt, sed post discessum eius temptati sunt a falsis apostolis, ut in legem et circumcisionem verterentur. hos apostolus revocat ad fidem veritatis scribens eis ab Epheso. / The Galatians are Greeks. They at first accepted the word of truth from the apostle, but after his departure they were tempted by false apostles to be converted to the law and circumcision. The apostle calls them back to the faith of truth, writing to them from Ephesus.
Prologue to the epistle to the Ephesians: Ephesii sunt Asiani. hi accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis ab urbe Roma de carcere per Tychicum diaconum. / The Ephesians are Asians. They persisted in the faith after the word of truth was accepted. The apostle praises them, writing to them from the city of Rome, from prison, through Tychicus the deacon.
Prologue to the epistle to the Philippians: Philippenses sunt Machedones. hi accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide, nec receperunt falsos apostolos. hos apostolus conlaudat scribens eis a Roma de carcere per Epaphroditum. / The Philippians are Macedonians. They persisted in the faith after the word of truth was accepted, nor did they receive false apostles. The apostle praises them, writing to them from Rome, from prison, through Epaphroditus.
Prologue to the epistle to the Colossians: Colossenses et hi sicut Laudicenses sunt Asiani. et ipsi praeventi erat a pseudoapostolis, nec ad hos accessit ipse apostolus, sed et hos per epistulam recorrigit. audierant enim verbum ab Archippo qui et ministerium in eos accepit. ergo apostolus iam ligatus scribit eis ab Epheso. / The Colossians, they too are Asians, just as the Laodiceans. They themselves also had been reached by pseudo-apostles, nor did the apostle himself approach them, but them too he corrects through an epistle. For they had heard the word from Archippus, who also accepted the ministry to them. The apostle therefore, already arrested, writes to them from Ephesus.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Thessalonians: Thessalonicenses sunt Machedones in Christo Iesu qui accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide etiam in persecutione civium suorum; praeterea nec receperunt ea quae a falsis apostolis dicebantur. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis ab Athenis. / The Thessalonians are Macedonians in Christ Jesus who, after the word was accepted, still persisted in the faith in the persecution by their fellow citizens; furthermore, they did not receive those things which were said by the false apostles. The apostle praises them, writing to them from Athens.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Thessalonians: Ad Thessalonicenses scribit et notum facit eis de temporibus novissimis et de adversarii detectione. scribit ab Athenis. / To the Thessalonians he writes and makes note to them concerning the last times and of the detection of the adversary. He writes from Athens.
Prologue to the first epistle to Timothy: Timotheum instruit et docet de ordinatione episcopatus et diaconii et omnis ecclesiasticae disciplinae. / He instructs Timothy and teaches him concerning the ordination to the episcopate and to the diaconate and concerning all aspects of ecclesiastical discipline.
Prologue to the second epistle to Timothy: Item Timotheo scribit de exhortatione martyrii et omnis regulae veritatis et quid futurum sit temporibus novissimis et de sua passione. / Likewise he writes to Timothy concerning the exhortation of martyrdom and all aspects of the rule of truth, and what will be in the last times, and concerning his own passion.
Prologue to the epistle to Titus: Titum commonefacit et instruit de constitutione presbyterii et de spiritali conversatione et hereticis vitandis qui in scripturis Iudaicis credunt. / He warns and intructs Titus concerning the constitution of the presbytery and concerning spiritual conversation and heretics to be avoided who believe in the Jewish scriptures.
Prologue to the epistle to Philemon: Philemoni familiares litteras facit pro Onesimo servo eius. scribit autem ei a Roma de carcere. / He composes a familiar letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus his servant. He writes to him, however, from Rome, from prison.
I have obviously presented these in their present canonical order, but there are clues within the prologues themselves as to their original order, as originally argued by Donatien de Bruyne, by Peter Corssen, and by Adolf Harnack (and adjusted here and there by me):
- The Philemonian prologue sets itself apart as describing the composition of a familiar letter (familiares litteras facit). In a list in which Philemon stands alone as the only letter to an individual, this makes perfect sense; it makes less sense in a list which includes 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, whose prologues stand alone in composition and emphases. They probably formed no part of the original list. (Donatien de Bruyne also argued, based on style and structure, that the prologues for 1 Corinthians and for 1 Thessalonians originally covered both epistles to these communities, but arguments from order are not affected one way or another by this consideration, since the wording suggests that the second Corinthian and Thessalonian prologues must follow, respectively, the first Corinthian and Thessalonian prologues.)
- The first Corinthian prologue (et hi similiter ab apostolis audierunt verbum veritatis) looks like it must come after the Galatian prologue (hi verbum veritatis primum ab apostolo acceperunt).
- The Colossian prologue (Colossenses et hi sicut Laudicenses sunt Asiani) implies a previous Laodicean prologue. The Ephesian prologue is the only other one describing an Asiatic church, yet it is virtually a copy of the Philippian prologue. Therefore, the Ephesian prologue is not original, but there must have been a Laodicean prologue which it replaced.
- Nobody in the West would have to be told that Romani sunt in partibus Italiae.
All of these considerations are consonant with an Eastern order of epistles as given by Tertullian, but not all are consonant with the present canonical order. Also, obviously, fretting about Christians being led "into the law and the prophets" would not be out of character for a Marcionite.
Pretty sure you know all of this already, Stephan, but I have been wanting to get the arguments surrounding these prologues on the table for a while now.
ETA: The ten prologues in the alleged Marcionite order (lacking the Pastorals):
Prologue to the epistle to the Galatians: Galatae sunt Graeci. hi verbum veritatis primum ab apostolo acceperunt, sed post discessum eius temptati sunt a falsis apostolis, ut in legem et circumcisionem verterentur. hos apostolus revocat ad fidem veritatis scribens eis ab Epheso. / The Galatians are Greeks. They at first accepted the word of truth from the apostle, but after his departure they were tempted by false apostles to be converted to the law and circumcision. The apostle calls them back to the faith of truth, writing to them from Ephesus.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Corinthians: Corinthii sunt Achaei. et hi similiter ab apostolis audierunt verbum veritatis et subversi multifarie a falsis apostolis, quidam a philosophiae verbosa eloquentia, alii a secta legis Iudiciae/Iudaicae inducti. hos revocat ad veram et evangelicam sapientiam scribens eis ab Epheso per Timotheum. / The Corinthians are Achaeans. And they similarly heard from the apostles the word of truth and then were subverted in many ways by false apostles, some led away by the verbose eloquence of philosophy, others by a sect of the Jewish law. He calls them back to the true and evangelical wisdom, writing to them from Ephesus through Timothy.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Corinthians: Post actam paenitentiam consolatorias scribit eis a Troade et conlaudans eos hortatur ad meliora. / After penitence was made, he writes a consolatory letter to them from Troas, and in praising them he exhorts them on to better things.
Prologue to the epistle to the Romans: Romani sunt in partibus Italiae. hi praeventi sunt a falsis apostolis et sub nomine domini nostri Iesu Christi in legem et prophetas erant inducti. hos revocat apostolus ad veram evangelicam fidem scribens eis a Corintho. / The Romans are in the regions of Italy. They had been reached by false apostles and under the name of our Lord Jesus Christ they were led away into the law and the prophets. The apostle calls them back to the true evangelical faith, writing to them from Corinth.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Thessalonians: Thessalonicenses sunt Machedones in Christo Iesu qui accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide etiam in persecutione civium suorum; praeterea nec receperunt ea quae a falsis apostolis dicebantur. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis ab Athenis. / The Thessalonians are Macedonians in Christ Jesus who, after the word was accepted, still persisted in the faith in the persecution by their fellow citizens; furthermore, they did not receive those things which were said by the false apostles. The apostle praises them, writing to them from Athens.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Thessalonians: Ad Thessalonicenses scribit et notum facit eis de temporibus novissimis et de adversarii detectione. scribit ab Athenis. / To the Thessalonians he writes and makes note to them concerning the last times and of the detection of the adversary. He writes from Athens.
Prologue to the epistle to the Ephesians: Ephesii sunt Asiani. hi accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis ab urbe Roma de carcere per Tychicum diaconum. / The Ephesians are Asians. They persisted in the faith after the word of truth was accepted. The apostle praises them, writing to them from the city of Rome, from prison, through Tychicus the deacon.
Prologue to the epistle to the Colossians: Colossenses et hi sicut Laudicenses sunt Asiani. et ipsi praeventi erat a pseudoapostolis, nec ad hos accessit ipse apostolus, sed et hos per epistulam recorrigit. audierant enim verbum ab Archippo qui et ministerium in eos accepit. ergo apostolus iam ligatus scribit eis ab Epheso. / The Colossians, they too are Asians, just as the Laodiceans. They themselves also had been reached by pseudo-apostles, nor did the apostle himself approach them, but them too he corrects through an epistle. For they had heard the word from Archippus, who also accepted the ministry to them. The apostle therefore, already arrested, writes to them from Ephesus.
Prologue to the epistle to the Philippians: Philippenses sunt Machedones. hi accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide, nec receperunt falsos apostolos. hos apostolus conlaudat scribens eis a Roma de carcere per Epaphroditum. / The Philippians are Macedonians. They persisted in the faith after the word of truth was accepted, nor did they receive false apostles. The apostle praises them, writing to them from Rome, from prison, through Epaphroditus.
Prologue to the epistle to Philemon: Philemoni familiares litteras facit pro Onesimo servo eius. scribit autem ei a Roma de carcere. / He composes a familiar letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus his servant. He writes to him, however, from Rome, from prison.
In this same order, Galatians and 1 Corinthians are written from Ephesus; 2 Corinthians is written from Troas; Romans is written from Corinth; 1 and 2 Thessalonians are written from Athens; Ephesians/Laodiceans is written from prison in Rome; Colossians is written from prison in Ephesus; and both Philippians and Philemon are written from prison again in Rome. Harnack suggests that the seemingly anomalous writing of Colossians from Ephesus might be explained by a scribe having mistakenly written
scribit eis ab Epheso for
scribit eis a Roma per Epaphram.