A sample of what appears in the Real Messiah order it hereThe 'antitheses of Marcion' might well have originally been a reference to the Pauline epistles themselves. I have noticed that a number of scholars speak of the letters themselves as containing a series of antitheses, Galatians and 1 Corinthians most notably. When Tertullian speaks of 'Marcion's antitheses' it almost inevitably follows a discussion of his composing his own gospel. In other words, Marcion's 'expunged gospel' and his 'antitheses' seem to murkily reflect the underlying structure of his canon.
I am particularly struck by this reference in Against Marcion iv, 6:
I now advance a step further, while I call to account, as I have promised, Marcion's gospel in his own version of it, with the design, even so, of proving it adulterated. Certainly the whole of the work he has done, including the prefixing of his Ant itheses, he directs to the one purpose of setting up opposition between the Old Testament and the New, and thereby putting his Christ in separation from the Creator, as belonging to another god, and having no connection with the law and the prophets.
The Marcionite canon apparently had a 'Gospel of Christ' (or some such title) followed by our letter to the Galatians. The Marcionites understood that the same author wrote both texts so Galatians now (originally from the Aramaic 'revelation'?) is understood to explain the gospel as the messianic new Law of Israel. Is it too much now to think that Marcion's gospel and Marcion's antitheses represent the original structure of the Marcionite canon where Catholics forced people to view Marcion as only interpreter of someone named 'Paul' rather than the Apostle himself? I think the latter.
