Episode 6 – Marcionism

This week I want to talk about Marcionism.

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Marcionism was another of the extremely early Christian theological movements. It was founded in the 2nd century by Marcion of Sinope. Marcion was a theologian from Asia Minor. The mainstream church, such as it was, considered his teachings to be a significant early heresy. The primary reason for this was that Marcionism presented a starkly dualistic view of the Bible and Christian theology. A dualistic view is a doctrine that the universe is under the dominion of two opposing principles one of which is good and the other evil. Marcion’s teachings focused on a distinction between the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

What are some of the main or key beliefs of Marcionism?

First andI think most importantly that there are actually two Gods.

Marcion believed that the God of the Old Testament (whom he called the Demiurge, which we met in our discussion of the Gnostics in the last episode, was a wrathful, legalistic creator deity. This God was absolutely distinct  from the benevolent and merciful God of the New Testament revealed through Jesus Christ. Now this is something that many people have argued about over the centuries. Many do wonder how the God of the Old Testament, who truthfully does seem to be a very angry and spiteful God is the same as the forgiving God that Jesus taught.

Marcion, believed and taught that the Demiurge was responsible for the material world and all of its suffering, while the God of the New Testament was wholly spiritual and redemptive. So, this meant that Marcion had to reject the Old Testament.  Marcion claimed that what was in the Hebrew Bible and all of the teachings it contained were not compatible with the message of Jesus. Therefore, he believed the Old Testament God was not the same as the God of Jesus.

To help in his teachings, he createdhis own canon (or book) of scripture. This work omitted the Old Testament entirely. His work primarily contained an edited version of Luke’s Gospel (for those of you old enough, think of the reader’s digest). He also included ten of Paul’s epistles, because he believed they contained the true teachings of Christianity. He removed any of the passages that he thought reflected Jewish influences or the Old Testament God.

Marcion believed and emphasized the idea of thestrict dualistic view of the world, separating the spiritual and material realms. The material world, created by the Demiurge, was by its very nature corrupt, while the spiritual world belonged to the higher God of love. Ok, so he preached this stuff in the past, but most of us have never heard of him, so what’s the big deal?

Historical Context and Legacy:

Marcion was popular and the “orthodox” followers and early leaders of the movement were threatened. Therefore, they had to declare him a heretic and that all of his teaching was false. Two of the faith’s early church leaders Tertullian and Irenaeus, both strongly argued against his views. The Church maintained there was a unity between the Old and New Testaments and that there was only the one God.

Because of Marcion’s efforts to put together his own canon (book of teachings) the orthodox leaders were forced to attempt to clarify and formalize the Christian biblical canon. This canon would eventually become what most protestant denominations still use.

Even though Marcionism was widespread and was actually very influential in its time and for close to 300 years, by the 5th century it had been suppressed by the official church which continued to attempt to unify what it considered
“true” doctrine. Marcionism was then relegated to the list of heretical movements.

Marcionism was one of the most significant early theologies and a great historical example of how diverse that early theology was within Christianity. It also highlights some of the challenges the early Church faced in defining orthodoxy. Theologies that are not taught today, because honestly, I believe many ministers really aren’t aware of them or know how to discuss them. It’s easier to bury them then talk about them. In other words, they are clearly part of The Hidden History of the Faith. And  that’s going to it for today.

In the meantime, read your bible, especially the Gospels. I’m not an Old Testament minister, I believe you can get what you need from reading the New Testament and the words of Jesus. And besides, if you can’t tell others what Jesus taught, and NOT what some preacher, even me, said he said, then  you’re doing your faith a disservice. We are called to BE Christians, not play at being a Christian. We are called to follow His teachings; we are instructed to practice what Jesus preached.

If you’re interested in how Jesus can help you with what you’re going through in your life, you might want to check out my audiobooks. There’s “Fearless Faith: Finding Hope in the Storms  of Life”

and A Fresh Start: Embrace the Unknown: A Spiritual Guide to Preparing for Life’s Challenges –

If you have any questions, use the contact form here on the website, I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

I’ll talk to you next week, until next time, I’m  Hank Wilson, God bless y’all and peace.