religion · Shared topic · Revision 0

Who Was Marcion, and Why Did He Matter?

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The man who cut Scripture down, and made the church decide what it would keep.

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Marcion of Sinope (c. 85-160 CE) was a wealthy shipowner turned Christian teacher who argued the harsh Creator of the Hebrew Bible was a lesser god than the good Father revealed by Jesus.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Tertullian, Against Marcion I; B. D. Ehrman, Lost Christianities (2003)

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Whether Marcion cut down a longer Luke or preserved an earlier short version is genuinely contested among scholars, a real open question, not a settled fact.

Imported citation, not independently checked: B. D. Ehrman, Lost Christianities (2003); Tertullian, Against Marcion IV

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As Metzger argued, Marcion's challenge was a catalyst that pushed the wider church toward defining its own boundaries.

Imported citation, not independently checked: B. M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament (1987)

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A fixed 27-book New Testament list would not appear until Athanasius in 367 CE, well over two centuries after Marcion.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Athanasius, 39th Festal Letter (367)

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