Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Most Important Marcionite Gospel Reading

I didn't post anything last night because I have been thinking about the implications of von Harnack's claim that the Marcionite gospel had Jesus at the Eucharist declare 'this is the type of my body' rather than the 'this is my body.' I will tell you what I think tomorrow but here is the original material in the Fremden Gott:

(a footnote to Megethius, Dial. I, 7 zu Luke 6.22) Auch sonst sah sich M. an einigen wenigen Stellen des Evangeliums genötigt, sie allegorisch zu verstehen; so bemerkte er zum " Großen Abendmahl": "Caeleste convivium spiritalis saturitatis et iocunditatis " (IV, 31 zu Luk. 14, 16 ff.), und '"hoc est corpus meum" deutete er in "figura corporis mei" um ( IV, 40) p. 121

Marcion allegorias non vult in prophetis habuisse forma" (Tert. V, 18); dasselbe leugnete er in bezug auf das Gesetz (s. Irenäus 1. c. V, 7); vgl. ferner II, 21; III, 5.14; IV, 20: die AT-lichen Prophezeiungen haben sich entweder schon in der jüdischen Geschichte erfüllt oder werden sich in der Zeit des jüdischen Messias, des Antichrists, erfüllen. Auch das Evangelium ist nicht νoητόv, sondern ψιλόv; nur sofern es Parabeln enthält und Ausdrücke, die sich von selbst als figurae erklären, sind sie auszudeuten (Megethius im Dial. I, 7; das Brot Lilie 22, 19 ist "figura corporis". Tert. IV, 40) p. 260

Zu Luk. 22, 19: Tert. IV, 40: "Hoc est corpus meum, i.e. figura corporis mei' ". "Ein Gleichnis" (Ephraem, Lied 47, 1). Wahrscheinlich gebühren M. die Worte: "Propterea Christus panem sibi corpus finxit, quia corporis carebat veritate " (IV, 40). Ephraem, Evang. Conc. Expos. p. 122 f.: "Et corpus suum dedit eis ad manducandum, ut magnitudinem suam absconderet et opinionem eis inderet, se esse corporalem, quia eum nondum poter ant intelligere'". Ob echt? p. 305


It is worth noting that Harnack (p. 312) found a parallel addition of 'figura' (= type) in Marcion's Apostolikon at Phil 2.6. His argument is based on Tertullian 5.20 and another reference to Marcion in the writings of Chrysostom. It should be noted that the Old Latin of Phil 2:6 (as quoted in Cyprian Testimonia ii 23, iii 39, and in an anonymous commentary on the Nicene Creed ', cad 365-380) : ' in figura Dei constitutus [ = Gr. εν μορφη θεου υπαρχων ) non rapinam non rapinam arbitratus est esse se sequalem Deo, sed semetipsum exinanivit. This is very, very important because I think it changes everything. NOTE - the comment which von Harnack cites in the Latin translation - "Et corpus suum dedit eis ad manducandum, ut magnitudinem suam absconderet et opinionem eis inderet, se esse corporalem, quia eum nondum poterant intelligere" - is said by a marginal note to have come from Marcion himself. McCarthy translates the original text as "What was the purpose of the appearance of his body and his nourishment? [Marcion] said, "That he might hide his greatness and make them believe that he was corporeal, because they were not capable of [grasping] it." von Harnack's point is that this piece of evidence seems to support the idea that the Marcionite text said that the bread was 'the type of my flesh'


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