The Marcionite prologues to the Pauline epistles.
Written by the heresiarch Marcion?
Attributed author(s).
Marcion.
These Latin prologues to the Pauline epistles are found in various
Latin manuscripts, including codex Fuldensis, century VI, but their
composition probably dates to very much earlier. The text itself
is that of Daniel J. Theron, Evidence
of Tradition, pages 79-83. The translations are my own.
Confer the Old Latin
prologues to the gospels, also extant in Latin.
Prologue to the epistle to the Romans:
Romani sunt in partibus Italiae.
hi praeventi sunt a falsis apostolis et sub nomine domini nostri
Iesu Christi in legem et prophetas erant inducti. hos revocat
apostolus ad veram evangelicam fidem scribens eis a Corintho.
The Romans are in the regions of Italy.
They had been reached by false apostles and under the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ they were led away into the law and the prophets.
The apostle calls them back to the true evangelical faith, writing
to them from Corinth.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Corinthians:
Corinthii sunt Achaei. et hi similiter
ab apostolis audierunt verbum veritatis et subversi multifarie a
falsis apostolis, quidam a philosophiae verbosa eloquentia, alii a
secta legis Iudiciae* inducti. hos revocat ad veram et evangelicam
sapientiam scribens eis ab Epheso per Timotheum.
* Justin Kerk has pointed out to me in a blog comment that the term
Iudiciae appears to be a typological error for
Iudaicae. The text that Theron offers has
the former; whether it is an error on his part for the latter or simply
a textual variant I do not know. Other hardcopy sources, including
the book on the canon by Alexander Souter, have
Iudaicae.
The Corinthians are Achaeans. And they
similarly heard from the apostles the word of truth and then were
subverted in many ways by false apostles, some led away by the verbose
eloquence of philosophy, others by a sect of the Jewish law.
He calls them back to the true and evangelical wisdom, writing
to them from Ephesus through Timothy.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Corinthians:
Post actam paenitentiam consolatorias
scribit eis a Troade et conlaudans eos hortatur ad meliora.
After penitence was made, he writes a
consolatory letter to them from Troas, and in praising them he
exhorts them on to better things.
Prologue to the epistle to the Galatians:
Galatae sunt Graeci. hi verbum veritatis
primum ab apostolo acceperunt, sed post discessum eius temptati sunt
a falsis apostolis, ut in legem et circumcisionem verterentur.
hos apostolus revocat ad fidem veritatis scribens eis ab Epheso.
The Galatians are Greeks. They at first
accepted the word of truth from the apostle, but after his departure
they were tempted by false apostles to be converted to the law
and circumcision. The apostle calls them back to the faith of truth,
writing to them from Ephesus.
Prologue to the epistle to the Ephesians:
Ephesii sunt Asiani. hi accepto verbo
veritatis persteterunt in fide. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis
ab urbe Roma de carcere per Tychicum diaconum.
The Ephesians are Asians. They persisted in
the faith after the word of truth was accepted. The apostle praises
them, writing to them from the city of Rome, from prison, through
Tychicus the deacon.
Prologue to the epistle to the Philippians:
Philippenses sunt Machedones. hi accepto
verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide, nec receperunt falsos apostolos.
hos apostolus conlaudat scribens eis a Roma de carcere per
Epaphroditum.
The Philippians are Macedonians. They
persisted in the faith after the word of truth was accepted, nor did
they receive false apostles. The apostle praises them, writing to them
from Rome, from prison, through Epaphroditus.
Prologue to the epistle to the Colossians:
Colossenses et hi sicut Laudicenses
sunt Asiani. et ipsi praeventi erat a pseudoapostolis, nec ad hos
accessit ipse apostolus, sed et hos per epistulam recorrigit.
audierant enim verbum ab Archippo qui et ministerium in eos accepit.
ergo apostolus iam ligatus scribit eis ab Epheso.
The Colossians, they too are Asians, just
as the Laodiceans. And they themselves1 had been reached by
pseudo-apostles, nor did the apostle himself approach them, but even
them2 he corrects through an epistle. For they had heard
the word from Archippus, who also accepted the ministry to them.
The apostle therefore, already arrested, writes to them from
Ephesus.
1 Or they themselves also.
2 Or them too.
Prologue to the first epistle to the Thessalonians:
Thessalonicenses sunt Machedones in
Christo Iesu qui accepto verbo veritatis persteterunt in fide etiam
in persecutione civium suorum; praeterea nec receperunt ea quae a
falsis apostolis dicebantur. hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis
ab Athenis.
The Thessalonians are Macedonians in Christ
Jesus who, after the word was accepted, still persisted in the faith
in the persecution by their fellow citizens; furthermore, they did
not receive those things which were said by the false apostles.
The apostle praises them, writing to them from
Athens.
Prologue to the second epistle to the Thessalonians:
Ad Thessalonicenses scribit et notum
facit eis de temporibus novissimis et de adversarii detectione.
scribit ab Athenis.
To the Thessalonians he writes and makes
note to them concerning the last times and of the detection of the
adversary. He writes from Athens.
Prologue to the first epistle to Timothy:
Timotheum instruit et docet de
ordinatione episcopatus et diaconii et omnis ecclesiasticae
disciplinae.
He instructs Timothy and teaches him
concerning the ordination to the episcopate and to the diaconate
and concerning all aspects of ecclesiastical
discipline.
Prologue to the second epistle to Timothy:
Item Timotheo scribit de exhortatione
martyrii et omnis regulae veritatis et quid futurum sit temporibus
novissimis et de sua passione.
Likewise he writes to Timothy concerning
the exhortation of martyrdom and all aspects of the rule of truth,
and what will be in the last times, and concerning his own
passion.
Prologue to the epistle to Titus:
Titum commonefacit et instruit de
constitutione presbyterii et de spiritali conversatione et
hereticis vitandis qui in scripturis Iudaicis credunt.
He warns and intructs Titus concerning
the constitution of the presbytery and concerning spiritual
conversation and heretics to be avoided who believe in the
Jewish scriptures.
Prologue to the epistle to Philemon:
Philemoni familiares litteras facit
pro Onesimo servo eius. scribit autem ei a Roma de carcere.
He composes a familiar letter to Philemon
on behalf of Onesimus his servant. He writes to him, however, from
Rome, from prison.
It was De Bruyne who first made the argument that these prologues were
of Marcionite origin, and many have adopted his position, one of whom
was the esteemed Adolf Harnack, who writes in appendix
I to §2 of Part I of The Origin
of the New Testament (footnotes from Harnack renumbered):
These Prologues were first recognised as really Marcionite by
De Bruyne (Rev[ue] Bénéd[ictine], 1907, Jan.,
pp. 1-16), who thus made a particularly important
contribution to our knowledge of the history of the New Testament. He has
absolutely proved that these Prologues belong together (those to the Pastoral
Epistles are of a different character); that they are to be ascribed to the
Marcionites; and from them came into the Church.1 The uniform character
of the Prologues, taken in conjunction with the fact that "lex et circumcisio"
(Gal.) = "lex et prophetĉ" (Rom.) = "secta legis Judaicĉ," suffices to
assure us on this point. The Prologues accordingly
reject as false the Christianity that upholds the Old Testament, and call the
great Church a Jewish sect. They evidently identify the original Apostles, or
all missionaries of their party,2 with the Jewish opponents of St Paul,
and describe as false every mission before that of St Paul. Where such missions
had taken place, Paul must "revocare" or "recorrigere" (Rom., Laod., Col.).
Where missions had followed him, he must likewise "revocare" (Gal., Cor.). It is,
however, especially characteristic that all the epistles (except the epistula
familaris to Philemon) have been searched only for information as to the
attitude of the respective Churches towards the "verbum veritatis" (Gal.,
Cor., Thess., Phil.) or to the "fides veritatis" (Gal.), the "vera evangelica
sapientia" (Cor.), the "vera evangelica fides" (Rom.), and the "fides"
(Thess., Phil.). Under these suitably varying expressions Pauline Christianity
(assumed to be independent of the Old Testament) is always to be
understood.3 This point of view is simply imposed upon Thessalonians
and Philippians. In the Prologue to Colossians "verbum" without the epithet
"veritatis" probably means the false Gospel.
1 This view is accepted by Wordsworth-White
(Novum Testamentum Latine, ii. 1, 1913, pp. 41 f. ).—The order of
the ten epistles was here originally, as the discoverer has acutely shown,
that of the Marcionites.
2 The false apostles that, according to the prologue to Cor.,
"multifarie" led astray the Corinthians, are certainly in the first place
Peter and Apollos.
3 We note by the way that "veritas" ("verus") is a genuine
Marcionite watchword, derived from the Epistle to the Galatians, the most
important epistle for Marcion (Gal. ii. 5: ἡ
ἀλήθεια τοῦ
εὐαγγελίου).
These Prologues show that the Marcionite "Apostolus" influenced the "Apostolus"
of the Church, and one feels that this must have happened at a very early period.
They have not yet been found in Greek form; but something can be said in favour
of a Greek original. The notices
concerning the places where each letter was written deserve attention seeing
that they are so ancient. Since Philippians and Philemon are described as having
been written from Rome, it is allowable to question whether the words in the
prologue to Colossians: "Apostolus ligatus (surely the Roman captivity is
meant) scribit eis ab Epheso" are in order, although they do suit an hypothesis
that has been revived only lately that Colossians was written in Ephesus.
Perhaps we should read "a Roma per Epaphram" (confusion of "Epaphras"
and "Ephesus"). These Prologues were not written for the educated, but for quite
simple people; the writer even thinks it necessary to write: "Romani sunt in
partibus Italiĉ." No Western could have done this. The geographical notices
would suit the hypothesis that the Prologues were originally composed for
Christians of Pontus.
One clue to a Marcionite origin is the mention of the Laodiceans in
the Colossian prologue, since Marcion held that the Pauline epistle to
the Ephesians was actually sent to the Laodiceans. Tertullian notes in
Against Marcion 5.17.1a:
Ecclesiae quidem veritate
epistulam istam ad Ephesios habemus emissam, non ad Laodicenos;
sed Marcion ei titulum aliquando interpolare gestiit quasi
et in isto diligentissimus explorator. nihil autem de titulis
interest. cum ad omnes apostolus scripserit dum ad quosdam.
We have it by the truth of the church
that this epistle was sent to the Ephesians, not to the Laodiceans.
But Marcion indeed wished to interpolate the title into it
as if he were a most diligent investigator even in this matter.
But concerning the titles there is nothing of interest, since
when the apostle wrote to some he wrote to all.
Harnack therefore takes it upon himself to reconstruct an original
Laodicean prologue from remnants of the Colossian prologue, as follows:
Laudiceni sunt Asiani.
hi praeventi erant a pseudoapostolis....
ad hos non accessit ipse apostolus....
hos per epistulam recorrigit....
The Laodiceans are Asians.
They had been reached by pseudoapostles....
The apostle himself did not approach them....
He corrects through an epistle....
Note that in the Colossian prologue, reproduced here for
convenience...:
Colossenses et hi sicut Laudicenses
sunt Asiani. et ipsi praeventi erat a pseudoapostolis, nec ad hos
accessit ipse apostolus, sed et hos per epistulam recorrigit.
audierant enim verbum ab Archippo qui et ministerium in eos accepit.
ergo apostolus iam ligatus scribit eis ab Epheso.
The Colossians, they too are Asians, just
as the Laodiceans. And they themselves had been reached by
pseudo-apostles, nor did the apostle himself approach them, but even
them he corrects through an epistle. For they had heard
the word from Archippus, who also accepted the ministry to them.
The apostle therefore, already arrested, writes to them from
Ephesus.
...the words et hi (they too)
imply the previous discussion of another church of Asians, and that
et ipsi may well mean they themselves
also, implying another church that was reached by pseudo-apostles,
and that the word nec (nor) may
well imply another church that the apostle did not approach, and that
the words et hos may well mean them
too, implying another church corrected by letter. This
other church may well be the Laodiceans.
Refer to my page on the epistle
to the Laodiceans, and also to my page on the
Old Latin prologues to the
gospels.
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