The Smoking Gun of Irenaeus's Against Marcion as the Text Beneath Both Tertullian and Epiphanius?

The historical context and connections between early Christian texts can often shed light on the development of orthodox doctrines and the combat against perceived heresies. One particularly intriguing case involves the relationship between Irenaeus’s Against Marcion and the later works of Tertullian and Epiphanius. This examination can potentially reveal a continuum in the anti-Marcionite polemics that stretches from Irenaeus through Tertullian to Epiphanius.

The Context of Anti-Marcionite Writings

Marcion of Sinope was a significant figure in early Christianity, known for his radical views that included a rejection of the Old Testament and the portrayal of the God of the Hebrew Bible as different from the God revealed in Jesus Christ. His teachings prompted a strong reaction from early church fathers, who sought to refute his theology and protect the integrity of Christian doctrine.

Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers, is known to have promised a work titled Against Marcion. While it is debated whether this work was ever completed or fully preserved, its proposed existence has led scholars to consider its potential influence on later anti-Marcionite texts.

Tertullian's Against Marcion

Tertullian, writing in the early third century, produced multiple editions of his Against Marcion. He explicitly states that his text is the third of three rewritten treatises on the subject, reflecting revisions and expansions:

"Nothing I have previously written against Marcion is any longer my concern. I am embarking upon a new work to replace an old one. My first edition, too hurriedly produced, I afterwards withdrew, substituting a fuller treatment. This also, before enough copies had been made, was stolen from me by a brother, at that time a Christian but afterwards an apostate, who chanced to have copied out some extracts very incorrectly, and shewed them to a group of people. Hence the need for correction. The opportunity provided by this revision has moved me to make some additions. Thus this written work, a third succeeding a second, and instead of third from now on the first, needs to begin by reporting the demise of the work it supersedes, so that no one may be perplexed if in one place or another he comes across varying forms of it." (Against Marcion, Preface to Book 1)

Epiphanius's Panarion

Epiphanius, writing in the late fourth century, also engaged in anti-Marcionite polemics. In his Panarion, he discusses his efforts against Marcion and indicates that he had previously written a treatise on the subject:

"Some years ago, to find what falsehood this Marcion had invented and what his silly teaching was, I took up his very books which he had <mutilated>, his so-called Gospel and Apostolic Canon. From these two books I made a series of <extracts> and selections of the material which would serve to refute him, and I wrote a sort of outline for a treatise, arranging the points in order, and numbering each saying one, two, three (and so on)." (Panarion, Chapter 42)

Epiphanius mentions appending his previous treatise, suggesting a continuity and perhaps even a direct borrowing from earlier works:

"I am also going to append the treatise which I had written against him before, at your instance, brothers, hastening to compose this one."

The Connection to Irenaeus

Adolf von Harnack, a prominent scholar of early Christianity, posited a continuum between Epiphanius, Tertullian, and Irenaeus’s proposed Against Marcion. Harnack suggested that Epiphanius and Tertullian were both influenced by Irenaeus’s framework and perhaps even by a lost work of Irenaeus:

"Epiphanius' contribution to our knowledge of the Apostolikon of Marcion is not extensive: some time before he elaborated chapter 42 of his Panarion against Marcion, he had once obtained that Apostolikon along with the corresponding Gospel and transcribed 78 passages from this and 40 passages from that in order to refute the heretic from his own works, which had already been planned by Irenaeus and executed by Tertullian before him."

Parallels and Implications

The parallels between Tertullian and Epiphanius in their anti-Marcionite writings, such as their shared use of specific texts and arguments, suggest a deeper connection to Irenaeus’s lost work. For instance, both Tertullian and Epiphanius start with similar critiques and utilize comparable passages from Luke to refute Marcion. This indicates that they may have been drawing from a common source or tradition initiated by Irenaeus.

If Irenaeus’s Against Marcion served as the foundational text for both Tertullian and Epiphanius, it underscores the enduring influence of Irenaeus in shaping orthodox responses to Marcionism. It also highlights the methodical nature of early Christian polemics, where successive authors built upon and refined the arguments of their predecessors to safeguard orthodox doctrine.

Conclusion

The continuity and potential literary dependence between Irenaeus’s proposed Against Marcion, Tertullian’s Against Marcion, and Epiphanius’s Panarion reveal the collaborative effort in early Christianity to counter heretical teachings. By examining these connections, scholars can gain a deeper understanding of how early Christian orthodoxy was constructed and defended against rival interpretations, particularly those of Marcion. This interconnectedness underscores the complexity and strategic nature of early theological debates and the efforts to preserve doctrinal purity.