- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Sept 12, 2014 8:08:05 GMT -8
Marcion of Sinope ( 85 – 160 CE ), an important early leader in the Christian church, then later labeled a heretic and excommunicated as too far off the reservation for even the rest of the early pagan church leadership. He was, however one of the most influential men in the thinking of the church, even to this day! For one thing he is considered to have played a pivotal role in the development of New Testament canon. He stated that others were writing their own versions of scripture, particularly Galations, and boasted that he did the same.
Theologically he rejected the Jewish deity and proclaimed the Father of Christ to be the true God. Marcion concluded that many of the teachings of Jesus were incompatible with the actions of the God of the Old Testament. He then developed a di-theistic belief system; two gods, a lower world creator and ruler and a higher transcendent one whose theology matched his idea of the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus.
Marcion declared Christianity was incompatible with Judaism. He was absolutely opposed to the Old Testament message, reading it literally and thus coming to understand that YHWH was not the same god spoken of by Jesus. Every time you hear a pastor preach of the God of the Old Testament vs. the God of the new, or hear a teacher say “the God of the Old Testament,” they are proclaiming Marcionism! And it happens all the time in every denomination I’ve ever been associated with!
A rabid anti-Semite, he was as the church is still today determined to purge any taint of Judaism from this “New” religion. He approached scripture with a pagan Greek mindset instead of the Jewish mindset it was written in. And true to pagan form, he reinterpreted anything he wanted to change, as all “mythology” should be interpreted. This is still the method of interpretation used by every church today.
It could be argued that Marcion was truly the “first church father.” He was certainly important in forming church thinking through two millennia.
Theologically he rejected the Jewish deity and proclaimed the Father of Christ to be the true God. Marcion concluded that many of the teachings of Jesus were incompatible with the actions of the God of the Old Testament. He then developed a di-theistic belief system; two gods, a lower world creator and ruler and a higher transcendent one whose theology matched his idea of the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus.
Marcion declared Christianity was incompatible with Judaism. He was absolutely opposed to the Old Testament message, reading it literally and thus coming to understand that YHWH was not the same god spoken of by Jesus. Every time you hear a pastor preach of the God of the Old Testament vs. the God of the new, or hear a teacher say “the God of the Old Testament,” they are proclaiming Marcionism! And it happens all the time in every denomination I’ve ever been associated with!
A rabid anti-Semite, he was as the church is still today determined to purge any taint of Judaism from this “New” religion. He approached scripture with a pagan Greek mindset instead of the Jewish mindset it was written in. And true to pagan form, he reinterpreted anything he wanted to change, as all “mythology” should be interpreted. This is still the method of interpretation used by every church today.
It could be argued that Marcion was truly the “first church father.” He was certainly important in forming church thinking through two millennia.
