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|---|
| Passage Unit (IV.21) | Lucan Pericope Targeted | Argument Function (inside Marcion’s Luke) | Structural / Irenaean Method Signal | Redaction / Dependence Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV.21.1–2 | Mission of the disciples (sending without provisions) | Show that Christ’s instructions presuppose Creator providence | Narrative detail → Torah/providence precedent (ravens, divine provision, wage law) | Strong signal of inherited template: small command converted into theological identity proof |
| IV.21.2–3 | Dust-shaking testimony | Establish presence of judicial framework | Minor narrative instruction becomes proof of judgment (“testimony implies tribunal”) | Classic internal-logic argument characteristic of AH III strategy |
| IV.21.3–5 | Feeding miracle | Continuity with prophetic miracles | Catena structure: manna → Elijah → Elisha → Christ | Highly schematic prophetic escalation suggests pre-assembled proof chain |
| IV.21.5–6 | Recognition of abundance miracle | Creator as consistent benefactor | Miracle interpreted as recapitulation (“in novis veterem”) | Strong recapitulation logic — closely aligned with Irenaean economy model |
| IV.21.6–7 | Peter’s confession (“Tu es Christus”) | Apostolic recognition presupposes prior scriptural expectation | Epistemological argument: recognition implies known identity | Typical Irenaean reasoning pattern rather than purely rhetorical defense |
| IV.21.7–8 | Passion prediction / secrecy command | Prophetic necessity governs narrative | Gospel event subordinated to prophetic script | Fulfillment schema rather than narrative psychology — likely inherited exegetical framing |
| IV.21.8–10 | Son of Man typology (Danielic) | Connect Christ to earlier divine manifestation | Typological escalation from prophetic imagery | Recapitulation structure strongly associated with Irenaean polemic |
| IV.21.10–12 | Martyrdom sayings | Align Gospel ethic with prophetic suffering tradition | Gospel maxim → Isaiah precedent → theological continuity | Repeated catena logic indicates formulaic anti-Marcion template |
| IV.21.12–end | Incarnation / bodily reality (anti-docetic section) | Defend physical birth against Marcionite interpretation | Physical realism + humiliation prophecies (Ps 22; Isa motifs) | Polemical insert resembling stock anti-heretical material integrated into commentary |
“Quis autem iste est qui et ventis et mari imperat? … agnorant substantiae auctorem suum” (Tert. Adv. Marc. IV.20) // “Unum et eundem Deum … qui fecit caelum et terram … ipsum ostendunt scripturae” (Iren. Adv. Haer. II.1; III.11); “ex his quae adhuc apud eos custodiuntur arguere” (Iren. AH III — programmatic statement).
Methodologically the chapter continues the recognizably Irenaean procedure: refutation conducted ex ipsis evangelicis testimoniis, i.e. from the material retained by Marcion rather than from rejected authorities. The control text is the Marcionite Gospel (Luke), whose miracle narratives are read against prophetic precedents. The argument that the calming of the sea proves identity with the Creator is constructed exactly as Irenaeus repeatedly argues — the same works predicted in prophets demonstrate continuity of agent and therefore identity of God (cf. AH III.16–18: prophetic anticipation → recognition of the same Christ). The typological appeal to Exodus, Psalms, Habakkuk, and Nahum parallels Irenaeus’s practice of aligning dominical acts with earlier scriptural acts to deny novelty. This reflects the announced Irenaean program: to argue against Marcion “ex his quae adhuc apud eos custodiuntur,” meaning the retained Gospel narrative itself becomes the weapon against Marcionite theology.
Structurally the chapter follows the familiar sequence found in Irenaeus: first demonstration of continuity with the Creator through cosmic authority (command over elements), then prophetic fulfilment, then exorcism and recognition by demons, followed by doctrinal clarification through narrative episodes (woman with the issue of blood). This progression mirrors Irenaean argumentative architecture in which cosmological identity grounds Christology, which then grounds exegetical interpretation of individual pericopes. The step-by-step movement through discrete gospel scenes resembles scholia built upon pericope units rather than purely rhetorical development; each episode functions as a discrete proof-unit, suggesting inherited exegetical scaffolding.
Historically and polemically the chapter reiterates the Irenaean thesis of Marcion as posterior innovator. The rhetorical question about a “novus dominator” echoes Irenaeus’s repeated claim that heretics introduce a new god inconsistent with prophetic revelation. Appeals to prophetic precedent (Moses at the Red Sea, Elijah, prophetic oracles) parallel Irenaeus’s insistence that the Creator’s prophetic economy establishes interpretive continuity. The demonological argument — demons recognize the true Son of the Creator — likewise reflects Irenaeus’s use of hostile witnesses to authenticate orthodox claims (AH II–III passim). The insistence that miracles fulfil earlier scriptural patterns also aligns with Irenaeus’s frequent argument that novelty would contradict prophetic foreknowledge.
Signs of inherited exegetical structure appear particularly in the chaining of prophetic citations tied directly to successive Gospel scenes. The commentary reads less like independent Latin rhetorical invention and more like adaptation of an earlier commentary tradition arranged around dominical logia or harmony-style narrative units. The repeated pattern — Gospel episode → prophetic precedent → logical deduction about divine identity — is characteristic of Irenaean exegesis and suggests dependence on an earlier anti-Marcionite framework in which Luke’s narrative served as the backbone for refutation.
Condensed conclusion: Chapter IV.20 strongly supports dependence on an earlier Irenaean anti-Marcionite framework. The methodology (arguing from the Marcionite Gospel itself), structural organization (prophetic typology linked sequentially to pericopes), and polemical aims (denial of novelty through continuity with the Creator) align closely with Irenaeus’s announced strategy and repeated exegetical techniques in Adversus Haereses.
