Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64 42.11.6–42.11.16

From here, then, he begins, and again he does not keep to the order, but cuts some things away, as I said before, and adds others here and there, not walking straight but wandering through everything by tampering. And it is this: 1. “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing as Moses commanded” — “that this may be a testimony to you,” instead of the Saviour's words, “for a testimony to them.” 2. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” 3. “The Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath.” 4. “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” And instead of “he came down with them,” he has “he came down among them.” 5. “And all the crowd sought to touch him. And he lifted up his eyes,” and so on. 6. “In the same way your fathers did to the prophets.” 7. “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 8. “Blessed is he who is not offended in me” is altered; for he had it as though addressed to John. 9. “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face.’” 10. “And having entered the house of the Pharisee, he reclined. The woman who was a sinner, standing behind at his feet, wet his feet with her tears, and anointed and kissed them.” 11. And again: “She wet my feet with her tears, and anointed and kissed them.” 12. He did not have “his mother and his brothers,” but “your mother and your brothers.” 13. “As they sailed he fell asleep; and he awoke and rebuked the wind and the sea.” 14. “And as they went, the crowds pressed him. And a woman touched him and was healed of her flow of blood; and the Lord said, ‘Who touched me?’” And again: “Someone touched me; for I perceived power going out from me.” 15. “Looking up to heaven he blessed them.” 16. “Saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things, and after three days be raised.’” 17. “And behold, two men were talking with him, Elijah and Moses, in glory.” 18. “From the cloud a voice: ‘This is my Son, the …’” … “were not able to cast it out,” “and [he said] to them, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I bear with you?’” 20. “For the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 21. “Have you not even read this, what David did? He went into the house of God.” 22. “I thank you, Lord of heaven.” But he did not have “and of the earth,” nor did he have “Father.” But he is refuted, for below he had “Yes, Father.” 23. He said to the lawyer, “What is written in the law?” And after the lawyer's answer he answered, “You have spoken rightly; do this, and you will live.” 24. And he said, “Which of you will have a friend, and go to him at midnight asking for three loaves?” And further: “Ask, and it will be given. For which of you, if his son asks his father for a fish, will give him a serpent instead of a fish, or a scorpion instead of an egg? If then you, being evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more the Father?” 25. The passage about Jonah the prophet has been cut away. For he had, “This generation — no sign will be given to it,” but he did not have the passage about Nineveh and the queen of the south and Solomon. 26. Instead of “you pass over the judgment of God,” he had “you pass over the calling of God.” 27. “Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.” 28. He did not have “Therefore the Wisdom of God said, ‘I send them prophets,’” nor the passage about the blood of Zechariah and Abel and the prophets, that it will be required of this generation. 29. “I say to my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body; but fear him who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna.” But he did not have, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies, and not one of them is forgotten by God?” 30. Instead of “will confess before the angels of God,” he says “before God.” 31. He does not have “God clothes the grass.” 32. “But your Father knows that you need these things,” these very things. 33. “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” 34. Instead of “your Father,” he had “the Father.” 36. “The master of that servant will come and will put his portion with the unbelievers.” 37. “Lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer.” 38. It was cut away from “Some came telling him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices,” to where he speaks of the eighteen who died at the tower in Siloam, and “unless you repent,” and what follows, to the parable of the fig tree, of which the vinedresser said, “I dig and put on manure, and if it does not bear, cut it down.” 39. “This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound.” 40. Again he cut away, “Then you will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,” and instead of this he made, “when you see all the righteous in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast” — he made it “held” — “outside; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 41. Again he cut away, “They will come from east and west and recline in the kingdom,” and “the last will be first,” and “The Pharisees came, saying, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you,’” and “He said, ‘Go and tell that fox,’” as far as where he said, “it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside Jerusalem,” and “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets and stones those sent,” and “How often I wanted to gather your children as a bird,” and “your house is left to you,” and “you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed.’” 42. Again he cut away the whole parable of the two sons, the one who took his share of the property and spent it wastefully, and the other. 43. “The law and the prophets until John, and everyone forces his way.” 44. About the rich man and Lazarus the poor man, that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom. 45. “But now he is comforted here,” this same Lazarus. 46. Abraham said, “They have Moses and the prophets, [let them hear] them, since they will not listen even to one raised from the dead.” 47. He cut away, “Say, ‘We are worthless servants; we have done what we ought to do.’” 48. When the ten lepers met him. He cut this away, and made it, “He sent them away, saying, ‘Show yourselves to the priests,’” and he put other things in place of others, saying, “There were many lepers in the days of Elisha the prophet, and none was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 49. “Days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man.” 50. “Someone said to him, ‘Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And he said, ‘Do not call me good. One is good, God.’” He added “the Father,” and instead of “you know the commandments” he says “I know the commandments.” 51. “And as he drew near to Jericho, a blind man cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.’ And when he was healed he said, ‘Your faith has saved you.’” 52. He cut away, “Taking the Twelve he said, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written in the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. For he will be delivered and killed, and on the third day he will rise.’” All this he cut away. 53. He cut away the chapter about the donkey and Bethphage, and the one about the city and the temple, because it was written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, and you are making it a den of robbers.” 54. “And they sought to lay hands on him, and they were afraid.” 55. Again he cut away the passage about the vineyard and the tenants, and “What then is this: ‘The stone which the builders rejected’?” 56. He cut away, “That the dead are raised Moses showed at the bush, as he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And he is God of the living and not of the dead.” 57. He did not have this: “That the dead are raised Moses also showed, saying, God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob, God of the living.” 58. Again he cut away, “Not a hair of your head will perish.” 59. Again he cut away, “Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains,” and what follows, because of what comes next in the passage, “until everything written is fulfilled.” 60. “He conferred with the captains how he might hand him over to them.” 61. “And he said to Peter and the rest, ‘Go and prepare, that we may eat the Passover.’” 62. “And he reclined, and the twelve apostles with him, and he said, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’” 63. He cut away, “For I tell you, I will not eat it from now on until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 65. “He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed.” 66. “And Judas drew near to kiss him, and said.” 67. He cut away what Peter did when he struck and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. 68. “Those who held him mocked him, beating and striking him and saying, ‘Prophesy, who is it that struck you?’” 69. He added, after “We found this man perverting the nation,” “and destroying the law and the prophets.” 70. An addition after “forbidding to pay tribute”: “and [leading astray] the women and the children.” 71. “And having come to the place called Place of the Skull, [they crucified] him, and divided his garments, and the sun was darkened.” 72. He cut away, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” 73. “And crying out with a loud voice he breathed his last.” 74. “And behold, a man named Joseph, taking down the body, wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a tomb hewn out of rock.” 75. “And the women, having returned, rested on the sabbath according to the law.” 76. “Those in shining clothing said, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still with you, that the Son of Man must suffer and be delivered.’” 77. He cut away what was said to Cleopas and the other when he met them: “O foolish and slow to believe what the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary for him to suffer these things?” And instead of “in what the prophets spoke,” he made it “in what I spoke to you.” But he is refuted, since “when he broke the bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” 78. “Why are you troubled? See my hands and my feet, for a spirit does not have bones, as you see that I have.”

Further, we append these things against the aforementioned heresiarch to this treatise of ours composed against him. We found again in his possession, as in a selection of his own choosing, some of the letters of the apostle Paul, not all of them but certain ones (their names are listed by us at the end of the whole treatise, as the Apostolikon is presented among them); and these too are mutilated in keeping with

his tampering … just as in the gospel he placed first under that name there are remnants of the true gospel …, if one must tell the truth, yet he falsified everything by his terrible contriving. The letter to the Romans: fourth in his collection, but first in the Apostle. 1 (28). “As many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under law will be judged by law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.” 2 (29). “For circumcision is of value if you practise the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.” 3 (30). “Having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law.” 4 (31). “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” 5 (32). “So the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” 6 (33). “That the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.” 7 (34). “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” 8 (35). “For he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law.” To the Thessalonians 1: fifth in his collection, eighth in ours. To the Thessalonians 2: sixth in his, ninth in ours. The letter to the Ephesians: seventh in his, fifth in ours. 1 (36). “Remember that you were once Gentiles, called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, made in the flesh by hands, that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and godless in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by his blood. For he is our peace, who has made both one,” and so on. 2 (37). “Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” 3 (38). “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to the wife, and the two shall become one flesh” — against “to the wife.” The letter to the Colossians: eighth in his, seventh in ours. 1 (39). “Let no one then judge you in food or in drink or in respect of a festival or new moon or sabbaths, which is a shadow of things to come.” To the Philippians: ninth in his, thirteenth or fourteenth in ours. To the Philippians: tenth in his, sixth in ours. The letter to the Laodiceans: first in his collection, (40). “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” From the letter to the Galatians: first in his, fourth in ours. 1. “Learn that the righteous shall live by faith. For as many as [are of works of the law] are under a curse; but he who does them shall live by them.” 2. “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” … “but the one from the promise, through the free woman.” 3. “And I testify again that a man who is circumcised is bound to keep the whole law.” 4. Instead of “a little leaven leavens the whole lump,” “corrupts.” 5. “For the whole law is fulfilled for you: ‘You shall love your [neighbour] as yourself.’” 6. “Now the works of the flesh are plain, which are: impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing; I warn you of these, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 7. “And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions.” 8. “For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law.” The first letter to the Corinthians: second in Marcion's own collection, and second in ours. 1 (9). “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the understanding I will set aside.’” 2 (10). “So that, as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” 3 (11). “Of the rulers of this age, who are passing away.” 4 (12). “For it is written, ‘He who catches the wise in their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are futile.’” 5 (13). “For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.” 6 (14). “Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ it says, ‘shall become one flesh.’” 7 (15). Altered: for instead of “in the law” he says “in the law of Moses,” and before this he says, “Or does not the law say these things?” 8 (16). “Is it for oxen that God is concerned?” 9 (17). “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed, and the rock was Christ. But with most of them he was not pleased. Now these things became examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.’ Let us not put Christ to the test,” as far as where he says, “These things happened to them as types, but were written for us,” and so on. 10 (18). “What then do I say? That a sacred offering is anything, or that an idol offering is anything? But that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.” Marcion added “sacred offering.” 11 (19). “A man ought not to wear long hair, since he is the glory and image of God.” 12 (20). “But God has blended the body together.” 13 (21). Marcion, in error, added after “but in church I would rather speak five words with my mind,” the words “because of the law.” 14 (22). “In the law it is written, ‘By people of other tongues and by other lips I will speak to this people.’” 15 (23). “Let the women keep silent in church; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them be subject, as the law also says.” 16 (24). On the resurrection of the dead: “Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you,” and that “if Christ has not been raised, [our preaching] is in vain,” and so on; “so we preach and so you believed,” “that Christ died and was buried and has been raised on the third day”; “and when this mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” The second letter to the Corinthians: third in his collection and in ours. 1 (25). “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him; that is why through him [we utter] the Amen to God.” 2 (26). “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake; because God, who said, ‘Out of darkness light shall shine.’” 3 (27). “Having the same spirit of faith, we too believe, and so we speak.” But he cut out “according to what is written.”

This is Marcion's falsified compilation, which has the form and outline of the Gospel according to Luke, and of Paul the apostle not

the whole, not all his letters, but only those to the Romans and to the Ephesians and to the … and to the Laodiceans and to the Galatians, and the first and second to the Corinthians, and the first and second to the Thessalonians, and to Philemon and to the Philippians;

and the first and second to Timothy and to Titus and to the Hebrews … of those presented by him, since they are not complete but as though counterfeited.

And this same compilation … is tampered with on every side, and in certain words has additions made up, not for benefit, but for inferior and harmful strange sayings against the sound faith, from the thunderstruck mind of this same … beast.

We have laboured and taken pains over these things from the scripture he uses, mentioned above, the Apostle and the Gospel according to Luke, so that all who try to answer his error may know that the altered words were inserted by tampering,

and that whatever is not found in its proper places has been stolen by his audacity; for the brute thought that these alone were opposed to his fabricated opinion.

The third aim of our careful work … is to gather whatever has been found both in his text and in ours that agrees and indicates the Saviour's coming in the flesh, bears witness to the agreement of the new covenant with the old, and to the confession of the Son of God in the gospel, who confesses God as maker of heaven and earth, and that he himself spoke in the Law and in the prophets, and that he is his own Father.

And this is the brief compilation of our aforementioned treatise, set out as scholia and memoranda from copies of Marcion, written word for word by us as a sort of foundation.