Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Lotsa' the Regulars here looking at Marcion and whether he had Evil Intent or Bad Intent towards Luke.
I was taken to Bernard's Site, which all should visit, and found this Grouping of Quotes from Epiphanius:

Epiphanius, Panarion (III, 42):

- I, III "But I shall come to his writings, or rather, to his tamperings. This man has only Luke as a Gospel, mutilated at the beginning because of the Savior's conception and his incarnation. But this person who harmed himself than the Gospel did not cut just the beginning off. He also cut off many words of the truth both at the end and in the middle, and he has added other things besides, beyond what had been written. And he uses only this (Gospel) canon, the Gospel according to Luke"
- I, III "For the (Marcionite) canon of Luke is revelatory of : mutilated as it is, without beginning, middle or end, it looks like a cloak full of moth holes."
- I, III "This is Marcion's corrupt compilation, containing a version and form of the Gospel according to Luke, ..."
- I, III "I have made this laborious, searching compilation from the scripture he has chosen, Paul and the Gospel according to Luke ...."
- I, III "I am also going to append the treatise which I had written against him before, at your instance, brothers, hastening to compose this one. Some years ago, to find what falsehood this Marcion had invented and what his silly teaching was, I took up his very books which he had < mutilated >, his so-called Gospel and Apostolic Canon ... And in this way I went through all of the passages in which it is apparent that, foolishly, he still retains against himself these leftover sayings of the Savior and the apostle. For some of them had been falsely entered by himself, in an altered form and unlike the authentic copy of the Gospel [of Luke] and the meaning of the apostolic canon. But others were exactly like both the Gospel [of Luke] and Apostle, unchanged by Marcion but capable of completely demolishing him."

1. I've had an interest in "Jesus' Genealogy" for some time. The Matthean version can be traced, I believe, to Nicholas of Damascus. Josephus reports that NoD prepared a Genealogy: "...It is true that Nicolatls [sic] of Damascus says, that Antipater was of the stock of the principal Jews who came out of Babylon into Judea; but that assertion of his was to gratify Herod... (J, A..., 14, 1, 3). 'N in Matthew 1: 11 - 12:

[11] and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
[12] And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel,

Luke's is different and it does not seem reasonable to consider "Luke had Matthew in front of him when he wrote...". Something else is going on.

I had not found a Clue for Luke until I got to Epiphanius, by way of Bernard. Epiphanius criticizes Marcion as having only Luke, which he mutilated "...because of the Savior's conception and his incarnation". OH! Epiphanius knows something about "Jesus" and his conception and incarnation! Well...Maybe.

Who knows about Luke's Genealogy? Epiphanius? Or...

2. Is Epiphanius making a commentary on a self-inflicted wound of Marcion? What better way to make fun of someone's position than by tying something like "circumcision to mutilation to castration" to the author's main work? Our beloved but sometimes irritating Poster SA had a series on the Romans leaving some prominent Jews with "mutilated fingers". Then there are the passages concerning M. Agrippa where children are marching around making fun of Agrippa since the spears have no heads, etc.

What gives here?

CW

Tertullian also makes some insinuations that Marcion castrated himself :

"Iam et bestiis illius barbariei importunior Marcion. Quis enim tam castrator carnis castor quam qui nuptias
abstulit?"
Tertullian AM 1.1.5

"Marcion is more savage than even the beasts of that barbarous region. For what beaver was ever a greater emasculator than he who has abolished the nuptial bond?" Holmes' translation

"More ill-conducted also is Marcion than the wild beasts of that barbarous land: for is any beaver more self-castrating than this man who has abolished marriage?" Evans' translation

In addition to this, there is a little barb about either Marcion's god being a eunuch:

"I cannot be the son of a eunuch especially when I have for my Father the same great Being whom the universe claims for its! For is not the Founder of the universe as much a Father, even of all men, as (Marcion's) castrated deity, who is the maker of no existing thing?" (AM 4.17 Holmes)

Also when discussing the veiling in 1st Cor 11 and the phrase "because of the angels" in AM 5.8, he makes the remark that it must refer to the creator's angels for even Marcion's disciples have no desire for women how much less his angels.

So yeah, Tertullian is definately a smart ass. Epiphanius too. But here, Epiphanius may have just taken Tertullian too literal.

davidbrainerd --

Most interesting and I thank you for that Post.

I want to bring this around a bit to some Relata about "Paul". For years, I have argued that "Paul" was a Constructed Character based on the Real Life Person "Mucianus" who was Governor of Syria at the Interregnum between Vitellius (dba "Simon Magus" of Acts fame) and Vespasian. The Vision on the Road to Damascus is a picture of The Son Titus mediating between The Father Vespasian and Mucianus, "The Abortion of an Apostle", Mucianus throwing in with Daddy Vespasian to grab Imperial Power even as Titus Road Grades Jerusalem.

https://books.google.com/books?id=AvcGA ... us&f=false

Those who like to play Match-'em-Up will find Sequence and Time Line for Mucianus as "Paul". Acts is the story of Mucianus and the 12 th Legion. Tacitus is very much involved in this endeavor, either as a conscious author or in the use of Annals and Histories - go to Histories, Book 3 and "Find/grep" the word "camarae" and then realize that the last 2 chapters of Acts are written around the story of Anicetus and the camarae boats at the mouth of the Cohibus River. This is the story of "The Queen's Eunuch" and also gives meaning to the obtuse story of the boat "...secured by ropes...". Acts simply opens up for understanding when an attempt is made to understand the book as a rewrite of the Role of Mucianus.

So...What does this have to do with Marcion, aside from the similar sounding names? Mucianus held Imperial Power in his hands. He could have Ruled from the Throne if he had wanted. He had, however, no heirs and he willingly gave the Power he held to Vespasian. Why would he do that?

Suetonius, 12 Caesars, "Vespasian":

"He [[Vespasian]] bore the frank language of his friends, the quips of pleaders, and the impudence of the philosophers with the greatest patience. Though Licinius Mucianus, a man of notorious unchastity, presumed upon his services to treat Vespasian with scant respect, he never had the heart to criticize him except privately and then only to the extent of adding to a complaint made to a common friend, the significant words: "I at least am a man."

Mucianus is at least effeminate, more probably a eunuch, and a bitchy one at that. 'N if Mucianus was a eunuch then so was "Paul" - "Not everyone can be as I am" sez "Paul". Yeah, no foolin'.

Mucianus could deliver a spontaneous Oration in Greek. He adored Titus. It is a short step to assert that Mucianus authored several praises to Titus, which may have given rise - No pun intended - to the Signs Gospel and more. The Time LInes of the Heretics seem a bit Hazy. We have Mucianus in The Pontus, obtaining taxes, ships and anything else he could get, as he marches to Rome. He is second in line as Antonius Primus defeats Vitellius and marches triumphantly into Rome. Both Primus and Mucianus write letters to Vespasian.

Acts 28: 3 - 6 (RSV):

[3] Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.
[4] When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."
[5] He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
[6] They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Paul gathers the "Fasces" and puts them on the fire. Primus is a viper and is dealt with, through letters written to Vespasian. He puts down the Dacians on the way to Rome and he is a murderer - See: Galerianus Piso, who had the "face of an angel".

The key undercurrent to understanding the actions is to be found in the "Cult" of the Eunuchs. I cannot prove that Marcion was a eunuch or that Marcion's Work was based on Mucianus. If Marcion is indeed separate from Mucianus, the Razing of Trapezus by Anicetus would be VERY recent and in the memory of a Marcion. Mucianus, however, wrote several works, including Acta and "Epistolae", a summary of letters from the Roman Senate. Whatever do those words "Acta" and "Epistolae" mean?

CW

Charles Wilson wrote:Mucianus, however, wrote several works, including Acta and "Epistolae", a summary of letters from the Roman Senate. Whatever do those words "Acta" and "Epistolae" mean?

Acta would, IIUC, be excerpts from his personal note-book recording his official actions as a Roman commander with juridical powers. Epistolae would be more or less serious treatises on various themes. He could be both a man of decisive action and a man of intellect all rolled into one. He was the Roman equivalent of a Japanese sushi roll.

DCH

https://books.google.com/books?id=c4ILD ... ta&f=false

CW