The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Ben C. Smith
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The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Apostolicon
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Sources: Patristic quotations.
The Marcionite epistles are lost and must be reconstructed on the basis of patristic quotations against Marcion. This thread, then, is an index to a set of simple reconstructions, based on the work of Jason BeDuhn (for the text) and of Peter Kirby (for the omissions), of the Marcionite version of the epistles of Paul; it is also a companion piece to the reconstruction of the Marcionite gospel). The entire text of each epistle, both in Greek and in English, is presented, and the English text is color coded according to what is or is not attested as present or absent. Note that these are not critical texts (which would include a fully versified apparatus with readings from the various witnesses to the Marcionite text); they are, rather, the bringing together of text and witness. To that end, accompanying each chapter of text is a list of witnesses to that part of the gospel; the primary witnesses are Tertullian and Epiphanius. A secondary witness is the Adamantius Dialogue, though for this text I so far offer only the reference (not the text or translation). Tertiary witnesses, so to speak, include Jerome, Hegemonius, and Eznik of Kolb. The raw texts and translations from which I have extracted the relevant material for most of these witnesses is to be found in my collection of witnesses to the Marcionite texts.

Text and Translation

The Greek text I am using is Nestle 1904, which is in the public domain; the English translation I am using is the World English Bible (WEB), which deliberately eschews its copyright. All references to page numbers in Jason BeDuhn are to his 2013 book, The First New Testament: Marcion's Scriptural Canon.

The color coding represents the reconstruction by Jason BeDuhn on pages 229-259 of The First New Testament and the list of shorter Marcionite readings by Peter Kirby in a post on his weblog dated April 6, 2015 (that is, it does not represent my own research). In that same spirit, it also applies only to the English translation, since that is all that BeDuhn gives; it runs as follows:
  • Words, phrases, or ideas attested to some degree as present in the Marcionite text, according to BeDuhn, are in green italics. BeDuhn is much less concerned about exact verbal reconstruction of the text than about representing the gist of what was extant. Note that he places some material in brackets which is not attested, but which he feels is required for the sense of what is attested; I have not included the bracketed material, leaving it to the reader
  • Words or phrases which I have had to add or change in order to adequately reflect BeDuhn's reconstruction are both italicized and underlined. I use brackets when adding to or changing the text in this way would garble the grammar (the bracketed material, therefore, is meant to replace part of the text).
  • Words or phrases which are not attested either as absent or as present, according to BeDuhn, are in plain black.
  • Words or phrases attested as possibly absent from the Marcionite text, according to Kirby, are in red. Beduhn deals with textual omissions too, of course, but Kirby's list of omissions swallows BeDuhn's whole. The four criteria which Kirby uses are as follows: (1) Passages attested as absent from the Marcionite version by the patristic writers. (2) Unattested passages that have miscellaneous manuscript support and/or patristic support for omission. (3) Unattested passages that Tertullian is likely to have cited were they present in the Marcionite version. (4) Unattested passages that correspond to a scholarly conjecture for interpolation on grounds other than the alleged absence in the Marcionite version. The criteria applicable to each possible omission from the Marcionite text are enclosed in brackets next to the word, phrase, or passage in question. Please note that Kirby lists only those omissions involving more than four words.
  • Words or phrases attested as absent from one part of the catholic Pauline text but present at another location in the Marcionite version, according to BeDuhn, are in orange.
The following index will help navigate the epistles:
I hope these reconstructions prove useful.

Notes and Quotes

Works Consulted

Jason BeDuhn, The First New Testament.
Peter Kirby, Marcion's Shorter Readings of Paul.
Biblical Criticism & History Forum: Other Epistolary Texts.

Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:51 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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The Hauptbriefe (Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Romans) has been posted. The rest will follow soon.
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Re: The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Okay, all epistles have been posted!

Does anyone know where to find an online English translation of the Adamantius Dialogue? (I have no great desire to translate all those references myself....)
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Re: The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Ben C. Smith wrote:Okay, all epistles have been posted!

Does anyone know where to find an online English translation of the Adamantius Dialogue? (I have no great desire to translate all those references myself....)
I'm afraid there isn't one. The 1997 posthumous publication of Robert A. Pretty's 1964 Doctoral Thesis, Adamantius: Dialogue on the True Faith in God, is, as far as the editor of the 1997 book knows, the ONLY English translation around.

The publisher, Peeters, Bondgenotenlaan 153, B-3000 Lauven (Belgium), reserves all rights. I posted what was asked in another thread as an example of "fair use". It is the first volume of their series Gnostica: Texts and Interpretations, which is edited, in part, by Garry Trompf, who was the person who edited Pretty's thesis for publication. He is also an Aussie, part of the staff of the School of Studies in Religion, The University of Sydney.
In 1992 the Department of Religious Studies and the School of Divinity in the University of Sydney combined to form the School of Studies in Religion. In 2000 the School of Studies in Religion became the Department of Studies in Religion within the School of English, Art History, Film and Media in the Faculty of Arts. http://nla.gov.au/anbd.aut-an35526608
Perhaps, if you approach Peeters reverently, they might allow online posting of the translation itself (sans the editorial preambles, introductions, etc.). Throw in a link to where folks can order a hardcopy as an inducement. They do still make small batches of prints of it available for sale through online booksellers, but I do not get the impression this is being printed to make money, but to further research.
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Re: The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Thanks for the information. It would be great to get a full translation online, but all I really need is the references to the Marcionite gospel and epistles. I have not counted to see how many there are of those... or whether fair use would be violated thereby....
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Re: The Marcionite epistles with accompanying sources.

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Ben C. Smith wrote:Thanks for the information. It would be great to get a full translation online, but all I really need is the references to the Marcionite gospel and epistles. I have not counted to see how many there are of those... or whether fair use would be violated thereby....
According to the index:

Marcion(ites) XVII, 1-4, 7-9, 14, 17-9, 21-2, 18-30, 36, 39, 42, 46-8, 57, 63, 74, 77, 79, 83, 90, 93-4, 96-9, 103, 107, 116, 125, 144, 149, 154, 159, 162-3, 179-81, 188, 191 ‘Marcus’ as representing the Marcionite position 3, 7, 19, 28, 36, 57, 77-82, 85-108

I don't think volume of text (like "100 words" or "more than a chapter") is used today to define the limits of fair use, but maybe Peter K can tell us what he has learned about the subject.

IMO, whatever is cited should be integrated directly into the theme of the material using it, and not be simply a reproduction of large swaths of text.

My example to Bernard M was to show just how murky the evidence is for whether a pericope was or was not in Marcion's Gospel or Evangelion. It often has to be deduced from the arguments, and that involves a certain amount of subjective interpretation.

So, in short, no one will agree about anything, but it can be fun to go for the ride anyways.

I have a birthday dinner for my daughter to attend, so gotta go ...
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