The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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Secret Alias
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The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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We now know that the Marcionite gospel began 'between Jerusalem and Jericho' owing to a Syriac fragment preserved in the British Library (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30):

Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body.

Interestingly this spot has to be 'the ascent of Adumim' mentioned in Joshua chapter 15. The presence of Adam in the interpretation is found in Origen:

One of the elders (presbyteri), in his interpretation, said that the man who set forth is Adam, Jerusalem is Paradise, Jericho the world, the thieves the invisible powers, the priest the Law, the Levites the Prophets, the Samaritan Christ, the wounds disobedience, the beast of burden the Body of Christ, the inn, which takes in every one, the Church, the Samaritan’s promise the second Coming of Christ (Hom. Luc. XXXIV)
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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Is
Secret Alias wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 9:55 am Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body.
a full quote from that Syriac fragment preserved in the British Library (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30)? a fragment of an extant Marcionite text?
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

Post by Ben C. Smith »

MrMacSon wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:07 pm Is
Secret Alias wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 9:55 am Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body.
a full quote from that Syriac fragment preserved in the British Library (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30)? a fragment of an extant Marcionite text?
I doubt it is a full quote. But I have this on my Marcionite gospel thread:

From British Museum Additional Manuscript 17215, folio 30 (Syriac): Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39307. English translation from Riemer Roukema, "The Good Samaritan in Ancient Christianity," Vigiliae Christianae 58.1.]

Dieter T. Roth remarks (page 399) concerning verse 31: One final point to make here is that in the discussion of the opening of Marcion’s Gospel, Harnack also mentioned a comment found in a 7th century Syriac manuscript preserved in the British Museum (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30): "Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body." It is not clear, however, that the reference is to the opening of Marcion’s Gospel. Harnack stated “Woher die Kunde stammt, Jesus sei zuerst zwischen Jerusalem und Jericho erschienen, habe ich nicht ermitteln können.” Roukema is probably correct in stating, "Most probably this text alludes to the allegory according to which it was essentially Christ who, disguised as the Samaritan, appeared on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho." Rather problematic, however, is the fact that this parable is elsewhere unattested for Marcion’s text. In addition, though Zahn accepted the tradition as authentic, there is some doubt as to whether the fragment actually preserves a statement of Marcion, and therefore should not be invoked, or at the very least invoked with extreme caution, for either the opening of Marcion’s Gospel or the parable of the good Samaritan. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39308.]

So I got the passage from an article by Roukema.

Roth is rather cautious about overinterpreting things, but I think it is at least worth exploring the possible connections between this fragment and two other passages:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.27.2: Succedens autem ei Marcion Ponticus, adampliavit doctrinam, impudorate blasphemans eum, qui a lege et prophetis annuntiatus est Deus ; malorum factorem et bellorum concupiscentem et inconstantem quoque sententia et contrarium sibi ipsum dicens. Iesum autem ab eo Patre, qui est super mundi fabricatorem Deum, venientem in Iudaeam temporibus Pontii Pilati praesidis, qui fuit procurator Tiberii Caesaris, in hominis forma manifestatum his, qui in Iudaea erant, dissolventem prophetas et legem et omnia opera eius Dei, qui mundum fecit, quem et Cosmocratorem dicit. Et super haec id quod est secundum Lucam evangelium circumcidens et omnia, quae sunt de generatione Domini conscripta auferens, et de doctrina sermonum Domini multa auferens, in quibus manifestissime conditorem huius universitatis suum Patrem confitens Dominus conscriptus est; semetipsum esse veraciorem, quam sunt hi, qui evangelium tradiderunt, apostoli, suasit discipulis suis; sed particulam Evangelii tradens eis. Similiter autem et apostoli Pauli epistolas abscidit, auferens quaecunque manifeste dicta sunt ab Apostolo de eo Deo qui mundum fecit, quoniam hic Pater Domini nostri Iesu Christi, et quaecunque ex propheticis memorans Apostolus docuit praenunciantibus adventum Domini. / Marcion of Pontus succeeded him, and developed his doctrine. In so doing, he advanced the most daring blasphemy against Him who is proclaimed as God by the law and the prophets, declaring Him to be the author of evils, to take delight in war, to be infirm of purpose, and even to be contrary to Himself. But Jesus being derived from that father who is above the God that made the world, and coming into Judaea in the times of Pontius Pilate the governor, who was the procurator of Tiberius Caesar, was manifested in the form of a man to those who were in Judaea, abolishing the prophets and the law, and all the works of that God who made the world, whom also he calls Cosmocrator. Besides this, he mutilates the Gospel which is according to Luke, removing all that is written respecting the generation of the Lord, and setting aside a great deal of the teaching of the Lord, in which the Lord is recorded as most dearly confessing that the Maker of this universe is His Father. He likewise persuaded his disciples that he himself was more worthy of credit than are those apostles who have handed down the Gospel to us, furnishing them not with the Gospel, but merely a fragment of it. In like manner, too, he dismembered the Epistles of Paul, removing all that is said by the apostle respecting that God who made the world, to the effect that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also those passages from the prophetical writings which the apostle quotes, in order to teach us that they announced beforehand the coming of the Lord.

Excerpt from Origen, On the Epistle to Titus, quoted by Pamphilus in his Apology for Origen: ...vel secundum eos qui Deum quidem eum fatentur, non tamen assumpsisse animam corpusque terrenum; qui sub specie quasi amplioris gloriae Iesu Domino deferendae, omnia quae ab eo gesta sunt, visa geri magis, quam vere gesta esse testantur: quique neque de virgine natum fatentur, sed triginta annorum virum eum apparuisse in Iudaea. / Or a heretic may agree with those who indeed confess that he is God, but not that he assumed humanity, that is, a soul and earthly body. These heretics, under the pretext of ascribing greater glory to Jesus the Lord, claim that all his actions seemed to have been done rather than were truly done. Moreover, they do not acknowledge that he was born of a virgin, but say that he appeared in Judea as a thirty-year-old man.

It seems possible that a proto-gospel may have had Jesus descending into Judea, near Jerusalem, and that this proto-gospel was subsequently harmonized with the others to read that he descended into Galilee, in or near Capernaum.
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

Post by Secret Alias »

At the very least there seems to be some kind of connection between this incident/The (Good) Samaritan episode and Adam.
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:14 pm
I doubt it is a full quote. But I have this on my Marcionite gospel thread:

.
From British Museum Additional Manuscript 17215, folio 30 (Syriac): Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39307. English translation from Riemer Roukema, "The Good Samaritan in Ancient Christianity," Vigiliae Christianae 58.1.]

Dieter T. Roth remarks (page 399) concerning verse 31: One final point to make here is that in the discussion of the opening of Marcion’s Gospel, Harnack also mentioned a comment found in a 7th century Syriac manuscript preserved in the British Museum (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30): "Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body." It is not clear, however, that the reference is to the opening of Marcion’s Gospel. Harnack stated “Woher die Kunde stammt, Jesus sei zuerst zwischen Jerusalem und Jericho erschienen, habe ich nicht ermitteln können.” Roukema is probably correct in stating, "Most probably this text alludes to the allegory according to which it was essentially Christ who, disguised as the Samaritan, appeared on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho." Rather problematic, however, is the fact that this parable is elsewhere unattested for Marcion’s text. In addition, though Zahn accepted the tradition as authentic, there is some doubt as to whether the fragment actually preserves a statement of Marcion, and therefore should not be invoked, or at the very least invoked with extreme caution, for either the opening of Marcion’s Gospel or the parable of the good Samaritan. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39308.]

So I got the passage from an article by Roukema.
.
Cheers Ben. I meant fully a part-quote, which it seems to be.

Is it from a fragment of an actual extant Marcionite text? or from a text of Tertullian (or another church 'father')?
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

Post by Ben C. Smith »

MrMacSon wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:17 pm
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:14 pm
I doubt it is a full quote. But I have this on my Marcionite gospel thread:

.
From British Museum Additional Manuscript 17215, folio 30 (Syriac): Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39307. English translation from Riemer Roukema, "The Good Samaritan in Ancient Christianity," Vigiliae Christianae 58.1.]

Dieter T. Roth remarks (page 399) concerning verse 31: One final point to make here is that in the discussion of the opening of Marcion’s Gospel, Harnack also mentioned a comment found in a 7th century Syriac manuscript preserved in the British Museum (cod. Add. 17215 fol. 30): "Our Lord was not born from a woman, but stole the domain of the Creator and came down and appeared for the first time between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a human being in form and image and likeness, but without our body." It is not clear, however, that the reference is to the opening of Marcion’s Gospel. Harnack stated “Woher die Kunde stammt, Jesus sei zuerst zwischen Jerusalem und Jericho erschienen, habe ich nicht ermitteln können.” Roukema is probably correct in stating, "Most probably this text alludes to the allegory according to which it was essentially Christ who, disguised as the Samaritan, appeared on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho." Rather problematic, however, is the fact that this parable is elsewhere unattested for Marcion’s text. In addition, though Zahn accepted the tradition as authentic, there is some doubt as to whether the fragment actually preserves a statement of Marcion, and therefore should not be invoked, or at the very least invoked with extreme caution, for either the opening of Marcion’s Gospel or the parable of the good Samaritan. [Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765&p=39307#p39308.]

So I got the passage from an article by Roukema.
.
Cheers Ben. I meant fully a part-quote, which it seems to be.

Is it from a fragment of an actual extant Marcionite text? or from a text of Tertullian (or another church 'father')?
Here is a link to the description of the relevant part of this manuscript: https://books.google.com/books?id=--_e9 ... 22&f=false. All that I know about it comes from that description. It is not a Marcionite text, but it mentions Marcion, as well as Mani, Bardesanes, and the gospel of the Hebrews. It appears to be unknown what treatise these pages come from.

ETA: Stephan has found a translation of the fragment: https://books.google.com/books?id=sZd6r ... 22&f=false:

Marcion ... said that our Lord was not born of woman, but stole the place of the Creator and came down and appeared first between Jerusalem and Jericho, like a Son of Man in form and in image and in likeness, yet without our body. And he in no wise brings the history of the Blessed Mary into his teaching, and does not confess that he received a body from her and appeared in flesh, as the Holy Scriptures teach. But Mani declares the body of the family of Adam to be wholly polluted, and says that the body is of the evil essences, and of darkness and of the Serpent. In like manner did Bardaisan reckon the body to be of hyle, and to have been created of the dregs of wickedness, and to be polluted, and to have no resurrection. And the Spirit, the Paraclete, considering these very teachings of the heretics who reject the human body which was created in the image and likeness of God, declared beforehand these things by means of the divine writings of Matthew and Luke, viz., the public genealogy of the Christ and his birth in flesh, which was derived from David and from Abraham who were of the race of the family of Adam.

.... in the Scriptures of the Gospel the Apostolic voice beginneth by saying plainly that not from angel did, he take, but from the seed of Abraham he took: that these good tidings which come to the children of men might be known openly, viz., that from them the Only One of God received a body. And Adam who was fallen arose, he and this fair image («., the body) which was the cause of all the way of the dispensation of Messiah, as Luke testified in the Scriptures of the genealogies reckoning backwards from Joseph, legally, in that it was necessary, and truly (cimtlth) in that he gave to her a true hand [in marriage]. And he confirmed the writing (machtvānāth) of Matthew, which was (dahváth) among the Hebrews, declaring that the Christ was born of David and Abraham according to the plighted promise [deposited] with them. And he carried back his reckoning to Adam, who was the image of God and the likeness of the form of His son, And he [Adam] was the drachm that was lost by the Godhead in the dark world. And [the Godhead] sought and found it by the light of the Word which came to be revealed in the flesh, as it is written, Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light tomy paths. For He is the Son, the Word, the Lamp, the Light, and by His revelation he gave light to Adam, who was dark by reason of his transgression of the commandments, as it is said, The Lord my God shall lighten my darkness.

Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:27 pm
Here is a link to the description of the relevant part of this manuscript: https://books.google.com/books?id=--_e9 ... 22&f=false. All that I know about it comes from that description. It is not a Marcionite text, but it mentions Marcion, as well as Mani, Bardesanes, and the gospel of the Hebrews. It appears to be unknown what treatise these pages come from.
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Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

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For the moment let's stick with the fact that the place where this incident (either called 'the Good Samaritan' pericope or the beginning of the gospel associated with the Marcionites) occurs at Adumim or a place associated with Adam. We saw Origen, now Irenaeus writes:
Wherefore we have need of the dew of God, that we be not consumed by fire, nor be rendered unfruitful, and that where we have an accuser there we may have also an Advocate, the Lord commending to the Holy Spirit His own man,(suum hominem) who had fallen among thieves, whom He Himself compassionated, and bound up his wounds, giving two royal denaria; so that we, receiving by the Spirit the image and superscription of the Father and the Son, might cause the denarium entrusted to us to be fruitful, counting out the increase [thereof] to the Lord.(3.17.3)
The footnote in Briggman " Suum hominem, a singular form which I take as a collective reference to human beings as the creation of the Word, see also AH 3.24.1: hominem suum." https://books.google.com/books?id=_uwsp ... 22&f=false In other words, Adam = the fallen man.

The parallel discussion in 3.24.1 cited above (with lead up from chapter 23):
It was necessary, therefore, that the Lord, coming to the lost sheep, and making recapitulation of so comprehensive a dispensation, and seeking after His own handiwork, should save that very man who had been created after His image and likeness, that is, Adam, filling up the times of His condemnation, which had been incurred through disobedience,--[times] "which the Father had placed in His own power."(11) [This was necessary,] too, inasmuch as the whole economy of salvation regarding man came to pass according to the good pleasure of the Father, in order that God might not be conquered, nor His wisdom lessened, [in the estimation of His creatures.] For if man, who had been created by God that he might live, after losing life, through being injured by the serpent that had corrupted him, should not any more return to life, but should be utterly [and for ever] abandoned to death, God would [in that case] have been conquered, and the wickedness of the serpent would have prevailed over the will of God. But inasmuch as God is invincible and long- suffering, He did indeed show Himself to be long-suffering in the matter of the correction of man and the probation of all, as I have already observed; and by means of the second man did He bind the strong man, and spoiled his goods,(1) and abolished death, vivifying that man who had been in a state of death. For at the first Adam became a vessel in his (Satan's) possession, whom he did also hold under his power, that is, by bringing sin on him iniquitously, and under colour of immortality entailing death upon him. For, while promising that they should be as gods, which was in no way possible for him to be, he wrought death in them: wherefore he who had led man captive, was justly captured in his turn by God; but man, who had been led captive, was loosed from the bonds of condemnation.

2. But this is Adam, if the truth should be told, the first formed man, of whom the Scripture says that the Lord spake, "Let Us make man after Our own image and likeness;"(2) and we are all from him: and as we are from him, therefore have we all inherited his title. But inasmuch as man is saved, it is fitting that he who was created the original man should be saved. For it is too absurd to maintain, that he who was so deeply injured by the enemy, and was the first to suffer captivity, was not rescued by Him who conquered the enemy, but that his children were,--those whom he had begotten in the same captivity. Neither would the enemy appear to be as yet conquered, if the old spoils remained with him. To give an illustration: If a hostile force had overcome certain [enemies], had bound them, and led them away captive, and held them for a long time in servitude, so that they begat children among them; and somebody, compassionating those who had been made slaves, should overcome this same hostile force; he certainly would not act equitably, were he to liberate the children of those who had been led captive, from the sway of those who had enslaved their fathers, but should leave these latter, who had suffered the act of capture, subject to their enemies,--those, too, on whose very account he had proceeded to this retaliation,--the children succeeding to liberty through the avenging of their fathers' cause, but not(3) so that their fathers, who suffered the act of capture itself, should be left [in bondage]. For God is neither devoid of power nor of justice, who has afforded help to man, and restored him to His own liberty.

3. It was for this reason, too, that immediately after Adam had transgressed, as the Scripture relates, He pronounced no curse against Adam personally, but against the ground, in reference to his works, as a certain person among the ancients has observed: "God did indeed transfer the curse to the earth, that it might not remain in man."(4) But man received, as the punishment of his transgression, the toilsome task of tilling the earth, and to eat bread in the sweat of his face, and to return to the dust from whence he was taken. Similarly also did the woman [receive] toil, and labour, and groans, and the pangs of parturition, and a state of subjection, that is, that she should serve her husband; so that they should neither perish altogether when cursed by God, nor, by remaining unreprimanded, should be led to despise God. But the curse in all its fulness fell upon the serpent, which had beguiled them. "And God," it is declared, "said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this, cubed art thou above all cattle, and above all the beasts of the earth."(5) And this same thing does the Lord also say in the Gospel, to those who are found upon the left hand: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever: lasting fire, which my Father hath prepared for the devil and his angels;"(6) indicating that eternal fire was not originally prepared for man, but for him who beguiled man, and caused him to offend--for him, I say, who is chief of the apostasy, and for those angels who became apostates along with him; which [fire], indeed, they too shall justly feel, who, like him, persevere in works of wickedness, without repentance, and without retracing their steps.

4. [These act](7) as Cain [did, who], when he was counselled by God to keep quiet, because he had not made an equitable division of that share to which his brother was entitled, but with envy and malice thought that he could domineer over him, not only did not acquiesce, but even added sin to sin, indicating his state of mind by his action. For what he had planned, that did he also put in practice: he tyrannized over and slew him; God subjecting the just to the unjust, that the former might be proved as the just one by the things which he suffered, and the latter detected as the unjust by those which he perpetrated. And he was not softened even by this, nor did he stop short with that evil deed; but being asked where his brother was, he said, "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" extending and aggravating [his] wickedness by his answer. For if it is wicked to slay a brother, much worse is it thus insolently and irreverently to reply to the omniscient God as if he could battle Him. And for this he did himself bear a curse about with him, because he gratuitously brought an offering of sin, having had no reverence for God, nor being put to confusion by the act of fratricide.(1)

5. The case of Adam, however, had no analogy with this, but was altogether different. For, having been beguiled by another under the pretext of immortality, he is immediately seized with terror, and hides himself; not as if he were able to escape from God; but, in a state of confusion at having transgressed His command, he feels unworthy to appear before and to hold converse with God. Now, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;"(2) the sense of sin leads to repentance, and God bestows His compassion upon those who are penitent. For [Adam] showed his repentance by his conduct, through means of the girdle [which he used], covering himself with fig-leaves, while there were many other leaves, which would have irritated his body in a less degree. He, however, adopted a dress conformable to his disobedience, being awed by the fear of God; and resisting the erring, the lustful propensity of his flesh (since he had lost his natural disposition and child-like mind, and had come to the knowledge of evil things), he girded a bridle of continence upon himself and his wife, fearing God, and waiting for His coming, and indicating, as it were, some such thing [as follows]: Inasmuch as, he says, I have by disobedience lost that robe of sanctity which I had from the Spirit, I do now also acknowledge that I am deserving of a covering of this nature, which affords no gratification, but which gnaws have retained this clothing for ever, thus humbling himself, if God, who is merciful, had not clothed them with tunics of skins instead of fig-leaves. For this purpose, too, He interrogates them, that the blame might light upon the woman; and again, He interrogates her, that she might convey the blame to the serpent. For she related what had occurred. "The serpent," says she, "beguiled me, and I did eat."(3) But He put no question to the serpent; for He knew that he had been the prime mover in the guilty deed; but He pronounced the curse upon him in the first instance, that it might fall upon man with a mitigated rebuke. For God detested him who had led man astray, but by degrees, and little by little, He showed compassion to him who had been beguiled.

6. Wherefore also He drove him out of Paradise, and removed him far from the tree of life, not because He envied him the tree of life, as some venture to assert, but because He pitied him, [and did not desire] that he should continue a sinner for ever, nor that the sin which surrounded him should be immortal, and evil interminable and irremediable. But He set a bound to his [state of] sin, by interposing death, and thus causing sin to cease,(4) putting an end to it by the dissolution of the flesh, which should take place in the earth, so that man, ceasing at length to live to sin, and dying to it, might begin to live to God.

7. For this end did He put enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed, they keeping it up mutually: He, the sole of whose foot should be bitten, having power also to tread upon the enemy's head; but the other biting, killing, and impeding the steps of man, until the seed did come appointed to tread down his head,--which was born of Mary, of whom the prophet speaks: "Thou shalt tread upon the asp and the basilisk; thou shalt trample down the lion and the dragon;"(3)-- indicating that sin, which was set up and spread out against man, and which rendered him subject to death, should be deprived of its power, along with death, which rules [over men]; and that the lion, that is, antichrist, rampant against mankind in the latter days, should be trampled down by Him; and that He should bind "the dragon, that old serpent"(6) and subject him to the power of man, who had been conquered(7) so that all his might should be trodden down. Now Adam had been conquered, all life having been taken away from him: wherefore, when the foe was conquered in his turn, Adam received new life; and the last enemy, death, is destroyed,(8) which at the first had taken possession of man. Therefore, when man has been liberated, "what is written shall come to pass, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death sting?"(9) This could not be said with justice, if that man, over whom death did first obtain dominion, were not set free. For his salvation is death's destruction. When therefore the Lord vivifies man, that is, Adam, death is at the same time destroyed.

8. All therefore speak falsely who disallow his (Adam's) salvation, shutting themselves out from life for ever, in that they do not believe that the sheep which had perished has been found.(10) For if it has not been found, the whole human race is still held in a state of perdition. False, therefore, is that, man who first started this idea, or rather, this ignorance and blindness--Tatian.(11) As I have already indicated, this man entangled himself with all the heretics.(1) This dogma, however, has been invented by himself, in order that, by introducing something new, independently of the rest, and by speaking vanity. he might acquire for himself hearers void of faith, affecting to be esteemed a teacher, and endeavouring from time to time to employ sayings of this kind often [made use of] by Paul: "In Adam we all die;"(2) ignorant, however, that "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."(3) Since this, then, has been clearly shown, let all his disciples be put to shame, and let them wrangle(4) about Adam, as if some great gain were to accrue to them if he be not saved; when they profit nothing more [by that], even as the serpent also did not profit when persuading man [to sin], except to this effect, that he proved him a transgressor, obtaining man as the first-fruits of his own apostasy.(5) But he did not know God's power.(6) Thus also do those who disallow Adam's salvation gain nothing, except this, that they render themselves heretics and apostates from the truth, and show themselves patrons of the serpent and of death.

1. Thus, then, have all these men been exposed, who bring in impious doctrines regarding our Maker and Framer, who also formed this world. and above whom there is no other God and those have been overthrown by their own arguments who teach falsehoods regarding the substance of our Lord, and the dispensation which He fulfilled for the sake of His own creature man. But [it has, on the other hand, been shown], that the preaching of the Church is everywhere consistent, and continues in an even course, and receives testimony from the prophets, the apostles, and all the disciples--as I have proved--through [those in] the beginning, the middle, and the end,(7) and through the entire dispensation of God, and that well-grounded system which tends(8) to man's salvation, namely, our faith; which, having been received from the Church, we do preserve, and which always, by the Spirit of God, renewing its youth, as if it were some precious deposit in an excellent vessel, causes the vessel itself containing it to renew its youth also. For this gift of God has been entrusted to the Church, as breath was to the first created man,(9) for this purpose, that all the members receiving it may be vivified; and the [means of] communion with Christ has been distributed throughout it, that is, the Holy Spirit, the earnest of incorruption, the means of confirming our faith, and the ladder of ascent to God. "
To me at least Irenaeus seems to know about a gospel which began with Jesus descending from heaven to rescue 'Adam.' I think that is important to emphasize. It is not as if Irenaeus doesn't know a context for the heretical gospel alluded to in the British Museum. He does. It is as if the canonical four with their alternative ordering comes after this gospel. That this gospel had widespread familiarity among Christians and explains why early Christians understood Jesus to have come to redeem the lost sheep, Adam. Mary Magdalene etc.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

Post by Secret Alias »

And oddly enough it is not just Irenaeus or Origen who equate the fallen man with Adam but also Augustine:

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho; Adam himself is meant
Jerusalem is the heavenly city of peace, from whose blessedness Adam fell
Jericho means the moon, and signifies our mortality, because it is born, waxes, wanes, and dies.
Thieves are the devil and his angels.
Who stripped him, namely; of his immortality
and beat him, by persuading him to sin
and left him half-dead, because in so far as man can understand and know God, he lives, but in so far as he is wasted and oppressed by sin, he is dead; he is therefore called*half-dead.
The*priest*and the*Levite* who saw him and passed by, signify the priesthood and ministry of the Old Testament which could profit nothing for salvation.
Samaritan means Guardian, and therefore the Lord Himself is signified by this name.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: The Marcionite Gospel Began at Adumim (= the place of those of Adam/the Red Ones)

Post by Secret Alias »

My conclusion would therefore be that Luke does not preserve the original narrative. The narrative was clearly connected with Adam. This can't be a secondary inference. The place where the incident took place is so-named perhaps even in the lost gospel.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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