Judas' betrayal in the gospel of Marcion

[Sinouhe]

The Gospel of Marcion, Section 6

(Adv.Marc.iv.40)
22: 1 Now the feast of unleavened bread was coming near, which is called the Passover.
2 And the chief priests and scribes were seeking
how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
3 Then Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve, went away,
4 And communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might deliver him up to them.
(Panarion 42)
5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he consented, and was seeking opportunity to deliver him up to them without tumult.

(...)

47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude,
and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve,
went before them, and came near unto Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, with a kiss betrayest thou the Son of man?
[ -vv.49-51](Panarion 42)
52 And Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come against him,
Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves?
53 When I was daily with you in the temple,
ye stretched not forth your hands against me:
but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
54 Then they seized him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house.

Is this reconstruction of the Gospel of Marcion correct ?

IF it is not, could someone add a correct reconstruction of this episode ?

[Kunigunde Kreuzerin]

Is this reconstruction of the Gospel of Marcion correct ?

IF it is not, could someone add a correct reconstruction of this episode ?

imho our Ben gave a better reconstruction (blue = attested, red = absent, black = unattested)

Luke 22.1-13, the plot to kill Jesus, preparations for the Passover.

1 Ἤγγιζεν δὲ ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν ἀζύμων ἡ λεγομένη Πάσχα. 2 καὶ ἐζήτουν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς τὸ πῶς ἀνέλωσιν αὐτόν· ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ τὸν λαόν. 3 Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ Σατανᾶς εἰς Ἰούδαν τὸν καλούμενον Ἰσκαριώτην, ὄντα ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν δώδεκα· 4 καὶ ἀπελθὼν συνελάλησεν τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ στρατηγοῖς τὸ πῶς αὐτοῖς παραδῷ αὐτόν. 5 καὶ ἐχάρησαν, καὶ συνέθεντο αὐτῷ ἀργύριον δοῦναι. 6 καὶ ἐξωμολόγησεν, καὶ ἐζήτει εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν ἄτερ ὄχλου αὐτοῖς.

1 Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2 The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people. 3 Satan entered into Judas, who was also called Iscariot, who was counted with the twelve. 4 He went away, and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them. 5 They were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Luke 22.39-65, Gethsemane, betrayed with a kiss, Peter at the fire, the smiting of Jesus.

47 Ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ ὄχλος, καὶ ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰούδας εἷς τῶν δώδεκα προήρχετο αὐτούς, καὶ ἤγγισεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ καταφιλῆσαι αὐτόν καὶ εἶπεν.... 48 Ἰησοῦς δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἰούδα, φιλήματι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδως; 49 ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν τὸ ἐσόμενον εἶπαν Κύριε, εἰ πατάξομεν ἐν μαχαίρῃ; 50 καὶ ἐπάταξεν εἷς τις ἐξ αὐτῶν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τὸν δοῦλον καὶ ἀφεῖλεν τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τὸ δεξιόν. 51 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου· καὶ ἁψάμενος τοῦ ὠτίου ἰάσατο αὐτόν. 52 Εἶπεν δὲ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς παραγενομένους ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ πρεσβυτέρους Ὡς ἐπὶ λῃστὴν ἐξήλθατε μετὰ μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων;

47 While he was still speaking, behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him and said.... 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 A certain one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus answered, “Let me at least do this”—and he touched his ear, and healed him.

In Ben's thread you will also find the texts of Tertullian, Epiphanius and others. From this you can see the reasons for the reconstruction.

There are no longer quotes from GMarcion about the betrayal of Judas, but only reflections with presumably quoted keywords from which conclusions can be drawn about GMarcion's text.

[Sinouhe]

Thanks Kunigunde

Can we consider that the betrayal for money and the flight of the disciples are almost certain elements of Gmarcion ?

[Kunigunde Kreuzerin]

Thanks Kunigunde

Can we consider that the betrayal for money and the flight of the disciples are almost certain elements of Gmarcion ?

The flight of the disciples is absent in GLuke and also not attested for Marcion.

The betrayal for silver/money seems safe. Tertullian here argues against Marcion based on GMarcion that the silver/money is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.

[2] He might also have been betrayed by any stranger, did I not find that even here too He fulfilled a Psalm: "He who did eat bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." And without a price might He have been betrayed. For what need of a traitor was there in the case of one who offered Himself to the people openly, and might quite as easily have been captured by force as taken by treachery? This might no doubt have been well enough for another Christ, but would not have been suitable in One who was accomplishing prophecies. For it was written, "The righteous one did they sell for silver." The very amount and the destination of the money, which on Judas' remorse was recalled from its first purpose of a fee, and appropriated to the purchase of a potter's field, as narrated in the Gospel of Matthew, were clearly foretold by Jeremiah: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was valued and gave them for the potter's field."

Tertullian, Against Marcion 4.40.1-2

[Sinouhe]

Yes you're right. I just looked at Tertullian and nothing is said about the disciples fleeing. So this is another hypothetical element of Marcion.

I wanted to highlight Mark's priority over Marcion by using the sale of Jesus for money by Judas and the flight of the naked man echoing a prophecy but since there is no mention of the disciples and the naked man fleeing, we can't deduce anything and we end up with holes in the narrative.

It's really not easy to conclude anything with such a poor source (GM).

[Giuseppe]

In Marcion, by mere logical inference, one can argue that not Satan, but YHWH entered in Judas etc

[mlinssen]

You will like to observe the extreme character development of Judas in the gospels, it is insane. Only 10 pages for a change and I did this when I hadn't even finished reading the gospels, I had just scanned them a bit

https://www.academia.edu/39976842/Judas ... g_of_heels

Because Judas is also a grand event himself - not in Judaism, but in the nascent Christianity.
Where Mark portrayes him as a heathen foreigner (using the dipping of the bread) as well as a traitor (by having Judas kiss Jesus), Luke has none of those two events and merely suggests the kissing without actually letting it happen. To downplay the role of Judas even further Luke invents Judas being possessed by Satan. Matthew entirely sticks to Mark but mitigates Judas betraying Jesus by having Jesus refer to the dipping of the bread scene right after Judas kisses him, reinforcing the image that he still welcomes Judas as a friend. John mitigates it all even further by also having Judas be possessed, and then putting so much emphasis on the dipping as well as the bread that the entire scene almost collapses under its weight. John then tops it off by going even further than Luke did:
the word 'kiss' doesn't even exist in the gospel of John. The motive of money also is completely absent in John, and the gospel of John really does depict Judas as just a bit of a thief, nothing more, and a harmless Satanic tool in the hands of God

It is the only proper name in the Prologue

With the benefit of hindsight, I would change the order now:

The word 'kiss' doesn't even exist in the gospel of John. The motive of money also is completely absent in John, and the gospel of John really does depict Judas as just a bit of a thief, nothing more, and a harmless Satanic tool in the hands of God - yet the dipping in John is the grand scene, and he is the one who portrays Judas as a foreigner, who was welcomed with open arms.
Luke merely suggests the kissing without actually letting it happen. To downplay the role of Judas even further Luke invents Judas being possessed by Satan.
Mark portrayes him as a heathen foreigner as well as a traitor (by having Judas kiss Jesus).
Matthew entirely sticks to Mark but mitigates Judas betraying Jesus by having Jesus refer to the dipping of the bread scene right after Judas kisses him, reinforcing the image that he still welcomes Judas as a friend

It works actually be an awful lot of fun to stick to this order and see if the character development of Judas is "neat" instead of going back and forth

[mlinssen]

John 13:26 Jesus therefore answered, "It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." 28 Now nobody at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, "Buy what things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Therefore having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night

Mark 14:18 As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, "Most certainly I tell you, one of you will betray me-he who eats with me." 19 They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, "Surely not I?" And another said, "Surely not I?" 20 He answered them, "It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish

Luke 22:21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table

Matthew 26:22 They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, "It isn't me, is it, Lord?" 23 He answered, "He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born." 25 Judas, who betrayed him, answered, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You said it." 26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."

Basically Luke doesn't participate in this at all - for very evident reasons. Luke 22:3-6 is short but irrefutably belonging to 22:1-2, even though 22-7 fits very nicely onto 21:38 without it.
Mark turns the offhand mention of the money box into a motive, and drops the satanic possession.
Matthew dramatised and exaggerates it, and I think this order is much better although Luke does remain a nuisance really, very much a party pooper

And it seems plausible that Marcion had removed Judas from John, especially given the overwhelming quantity of Thomas material that he added back into it - and then the kissing is invented by Mark, and we have the great background story of John, perhaps not even based on Boaz and Ruth, to which Mark adds his Joab and Amasa story