But he is described as "who, having heard his works, was scandalized".
http://markusvinzent.blogspot.com/2014/ ... n.html?m=1
In Paul, the Jews ask "signs", and in absence of them they are scandalized. In Marcion, if John the Baptist represents this same Jewish reaction, the same signs of Jesus scandalize them.
I like particularly the presence of the following passages in Mcn, according to prof Vinzent:
7:25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxury walk in kings’ courts!
7:26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet, that among those born of women no one is greater than John, the
Baptist. 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
7:28 Amen I tell you, however, the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.”
Marcion assumes the function of apt preparation and disposition (to receive a great, coming revelation) given to John by the Scriptures of the Demiurge. But to reiterate the usual marcionite point, again and again, that the revelation that arrived from an alien god was unexpected and surprising and scandalizing even for who, like John, was ready to receive a great revelation.
So in Mark's incipit the John's preparation for the Great Revelation is made better suited to what is about to happen. John is so prepared that he is shown as one who knows ALREADY at least some info about the Coming Christ: the his power of baptizing with Fire. The emphasis is on the knowledge, here.
I can agree already from now with prof Vinzent that this not-unpreparedness by John before the Great Revelation is a sign of anti-marcionite interpolation.
I should note also an interesting point shared by both Marcion and his enemies: the baptism of John is assumed a priori as an act of preparation for a Great Revelation. This talks about a mythical feature of the John's baptism, insofar it reflects the gnostic point that a good recipient (=the baptism's goal is to prepare good human recipients) has to be there, before a good reception (implicit: of the gnosis).