Enough of "Textual Criticism"! What Do People Imagine Marcionism Looked Like If You Visited Their Synagogues?

[Secret Alias]

The thing then is that συναγωγης Αγριππησιων; συναγωγης Αυγοστησιων, συναγωγης των Αυγουστησιων, συνα[γωγης] Αυγοστη[σιων], "ton Augustesion" show that gentilic plurals can be applied to individuals rather than just place names. The question was whether Μαρκίων was a similar construct. It is worth noting that Μαρκίων is a numerological equivalent of αποστολος. Both equal 1021. Did the early Christians bend the rules to accord "Marcion" with "apostle." This article is interesting https://online.ucpress.edu/SLA/article- ... m=fulltext Pity I don't have access.

[Peter Kirby]

It is worth noting that Μαρκίων is a numerological equivalent of αποστολος. Both equal 1021.

This is true!

[Peter Kirby]

So can we agree the Marcionites gathered in "synagogues"? Is the evidence sufficient enough for that in the opinion of the readers of this thread?

Sure.

[Secret Alias]

What if "Marcion" never existed and instead the name derives from an embarrassed association with Commodus's Christian concubine Marcia.

Μάρκιος (king of Rome) Μαρκία (Trajan's mother, Commodus's concubine)

those of Marcia (i.e. things belonging to her) pl. Μαρκιοι, Μαρκίων.

https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE ... E%BB%CE%B1

Ήταν κόρη του Κουίντου Μάρκιου Βάρεα Σούρα συγκλητικού και της Αντωνίας Φουρνίλλας. Ο πατέρας της ήταν από το γένος των Μαρκίων, που ήταν ευγενής και διακεκριμένη οικογένεια. Αδελφή της ήταν η Μαρκία, μητέρα τού Αυτοκράτορα Τραϊανού.

She was the daughter of Quintus Markios Vareas Soura senator and Antonia Furnillas. Her father was of the Markian family (γένος των Μαρκίων), which was a noble and distinguished family. Her sister was Marcia, mother of Emperor Trajan.

It is well known that the account of Marcion coming to Rome is based on Hegesippus's account of Marcellina (a feminine diminutive of Marcus). Could there be something more?

[Peter Kirby]

What if "Marcion" never existed and instead the name derives from an embarrassed association with Commodus's Christian concubine Marcia.

There are many different stories we can tell about the name. We could say that he was simply the alleged companion of Peter (the unordered Mark in Papias, Justin's Peter memoir), that he was an alleged companion of Mark ("son of Mark"), that he was an alleged companion of Polycarp (reference to Markiwn in the Martyrdom of Polycarp), that he was invented to explain who gathered the Apostolos text (by numerical association), or that he actually gathered that text and showed it to John (anti-Marcionite prologue), or that he was just some guy, you know. Or this.

[Secret Alias]

What accounts for "Marcion" being a heresy or heretic almost exactly in the post-Commodian age. It's like Commodus dies and then there is Marcion the heretic. Marcia was the most prominent Christian in history (unless you count Tiberius from the Acts of Pilate). Something about "Marcionism" must have been affected by Marcia's fall from grace.

[Peter Kirby]

What accounts for "Marcion" being a heresy or heretic almost exactly in the post-Commodian age. It's like Commodus dies and then there is Marcion the heretic. Marcia was the most prominent Christian in history (unless you count Tiberius from the Acts of Pilate).

What if Marcia was named after Marcion? (I guess she was, if that was her father's family...)

[Secret Alias]

I think Marcia is just the feminine form of Marcus.

[Secret Alias]

I have an issue with all this regurgitation of documentary evidence. The Church Fathers aren't history. The only "historical" story we have about Marcion is based on a woman with nearly the same name in Hegesippius (correct my early posts). Justin "saw" him. But Justin's writings were corrupted. The insertion of "Marcion" into Justin might have been a way of hiding a story about "little Marcia" i.e. the future concubine of Commodus arriving in Rome.

[Peter Kirby]

The references from Clement of Alexandria and in Justin make me think that a historical Marcion, if there was one, was active much earlier. The Church Fathers aren't history, but they made no special effort to make the heretics appear older than they were (much the opposite).