Wednesday, November 19, 2014

13. Marcion's adapted the teaching of his teacher Cerdo based developed from one gospel to another, the Gospel of Luke

That ur-gospel of Cerdo is identified by later Church Fathers as containing references to Matthew:
Cerdo was one who took his system from the followers of Simon, and came to live at Rome in the time of Hyginus, who held the ninth place in the episcopal succession from the apostles downwards. He taught that the God proclaimed by the law and the prophets was not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the former was known, but the latter unknown; while the one also was righteous, but the other benevolent. Marcion of Pontus succeeded him, and developed his doctrine. In so doing, he advanced the most daring blasphemy against Him who is proclaimed as God by the law and the prophets, declaring Him to be the author of evils, to take delight in war, to be infirm of purpose, and even to be contrary to Himself. But Jesus being derived from that father who is above the God that made the world, and coming into Judæa in the times of Pontius Pilate the governor, who was the procurator of Tiberius Cæsar, was manifested in the form of a man to those who were in Judæa, abolishing the prophets and the law, and all the works of that God who made the world, whom also he calls Cosmocrator. Besides this, he mutilates the Gospel which is according to Luke, [Irenaeus Adv Haer 27:1,2]
When you actually think about what is being implied here, the implication is that Cerdo's doctrine was associated with another gospel - undoubtedly Luke - which implies that the teachings passed on to Marcion made reference to things also said in Matthew.  We will see more examples of this later in our investigation.


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