Ephrem's Exegesis Sounds Bizarrely Marcionite

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Post Reply
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Ephrem's Exegesis Sounds Bizarrely Marcionite

Post by Secret Alias »

[When] he was struck on the cheek, he exemplified the deed with the commandment, and taught, Whoever strikes you, turn the other to him. 14. Thus Moses led [the people] up from the level of iniquity and established [them] at the level of justice, "Do not strike your neighbour unjustly. If he strikes you, seek [vengeance] for yourself, but justly."6 But our Lord led [you] up from the level of justice and established [you] on the level of grace so that you would not seek [vengeance] from the one who strikes you on your cheek.1 But [instead], Turn the other to him.2 For why should the one who strikes a man, according to the justice of Moses, lose that which he was taught, Do not strike unjustly? For, even if he receives retribution through being avenged, he is nevertheless not guilty, for he has not done evil. Why should one who, on account of adding interest to the capital sum, lose that which was not required [of him] through that [precept] of our Lord? Because he forgave, is not the recompense of the first blow of necessity kept for him, because he was struck? And the recompense of the second blow is his, even if he was not struck, since he turned [the other cheek].

§15. Thus [the Lord] delivered from evil, as did Moses, but he did much more than Moses. Whoever avenges himself loses greatly. He did not wish that those loving things advantageous would be despoiled secretly, but through his patience taught them that glory which patience can acquire. How many were the vindicators [of patience], because it did not seek vengeance for itself. Indeed, when he was nailed to the cross, the luminary bodies by their becoming darkened became his vindicators. See then, that even if these expressions seem to be at variance with one another, they are nevertheless bound together in virtue of gain.

Let us begin with the first level. There is a gain for the one who does not strike his neighbour unjustly. There is an advantage for the one who does not seek to avenge himself in justice against the one afflicting him. But there is victory for the one who through grace resists a blow for a blow.5 He has not done evil, and consequently is not guilty. He has not avenged himself, and consequently he will receive recompense. He gave more [than required], and consequently he will be crowned'.
There is clearly a tripartite division in heaven. There is the god of Jesus or Jesus who is associated with grace, the god of Moses who is associated with justice and the 'evil one' who is clearly the Devil associated with evil. Isn't this the traditional Marcionite scheme? Both Jesus and Moses 'deliver from evil' but the one through grace, the other through justice. Sounds to me like two powers in heaven.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Post Reply