Marcionites were the dominant form of Christianity in the East

For those who doubt Walter Bauer's pioneering work on the Marcionite influence in Osrhoene (the semi-independent kingdom sandwiched between the Roman and Persian Empire in antiquity here is some recent scholarship:

http://books.google.com/books?id=hmNPz9teHqUC&pg=PA52&dq=mar+aba+marcionites&sig=ACfU3U08fwObj2oxtJnRjjWnWgHmzmbxcQ