Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

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Giuseppe
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Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by Giuseppe »

My list of apologies against rival Christians in Mark continues from here.

Here is another apology:

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.
23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

The accusation of a diabolic possession was thrown against the Christ of the more radical Gnostic Christians: the Ophites and the Naassenes. If their Christ is the same Serpent of Genesis, how couldn't he be possessed by Satan ?

''Mark'' had to reject that accusation by explaining that Jesus couldn't be possessed by Satan. He couldn't be against the same Creator, pace what the dualistic Gnostics preached.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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arnoldo
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Re: Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by arnoldo »

Giuseppe
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Re: Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by Giuseppe »

In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up.
I wonder always about this strategy since it is not so entirely logical: surely tying the strong man is necessary, but so it is necessary tying him during his sleep.

And this action can be made only by a robber and only rapidly.

Tertllian:
Suddenly a Son, suddenly Sent, and suddenly Christ! On the contrary, I should suppose that from God nothing comes suddenly, because there is nothing which is not ordered and arranged by God.
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/03123.htm

So the passage in Mark is crypto-marcionite. "Satan can't destroy himself" means that Jesus has to be not the Son of YHWH if his goal is to defeat the Creator.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by Giuseppe »

The implication is that YHWH is Satan.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by Giuseppe »

Psalm 24:8
Who is this -- 'the king of glory?' Jehovah -- strong and mighty, Jehovah, the mighty in battle
In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Apology in Mark 3:22-30 against the Serpentists

Post by Giuseppe »

Tertullian reports the same marcionite interpretation of the parable of the strong man: he is the Creator God.
The parable also of the strong man armed, whom a stronger than he overcame and seized his goods, is admitted by Marcion to have reference to the Creator: therefore the Creator could not have been ignorant any longer of the God of glory, since He is overcome by him; nor could He have crucified him whom He was unable to cope with. The inevitable inference, therefore, as it seems to me, is that we must believe that the princes and powers of the Creator did knowingly crucify the God of glory in His Christ, with that desperation and excessive malice with which the most abandoned slaves do not even hesitate to slay their masters. For it is written in my Gospel that Satan entered into Judas. Luke 22:3 According to Marcion, however, the apostle in the passage under consideration 1 Corinthians 2:8 does not allow the imputation of ignorance, with respect to the Lord of glory, to the powers of the Creator; because, indeed, he will have it that these are not meant by the princes of this world. But (the apostle) evidently did not speak of spiritual princes; so that he meant secular ones, those of the princely people, (chief in the divine dispensation, although) not, of course, among the nations of the world, and their rulers, and king Herod, and even Pilate, and, as represented by him, that power of Rome which was the greatest in the world, and then presided over by him.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/03125.htm
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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