Marcion of Pontus

October 30, 2009

Referred to by Polycarp as “the first born of Satan,” Marcion was one of the most famous heretics of the early church and the leader of the sect known as the “Marcionites.” Marcion is known for his Gnostic leanings which he integrated into a version of Christianity. Marcion rejected the entire Old Testament, believing the God of the Hebrew Scriptures was full of wrath and hatred. In the New Testament, Marcion only accepted a modified version of the Gospel of Luke (excluding the birth narratives) and ten of Paul’s epistles. Tertullian said that he was the first to separate the Old Testament and the New Testament. This became known as the Marcion canon and served as a motivation for the church to deal more precisely with the issue of the canon of Scripture. Marcion was docetic with regard to be view of Christ, denying his full humanity.

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