The idea that Jesus came recently is marcionite

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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Giuseppe
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The idea that Jesus came recently is marcionite

Post by Giuseppe »


Furthemore, the interpreters of the Holy Scriptures, especially of the Gospels, are so familiar with them that they often regard most of their features as natural. Consequently, they do not ask the fundamental question, 'why?'. In this context, it should be reminded that 'there is no other beginning of philosophy than wondering' (Plato, Theaet. 155d), so that all true scholarship begins in wondering. If the interpreters, especially educates ones, start their analyses with the idea that they know quite much about the Gospels, they may be unprepared for perceiving many of the features as in fact surprising or even astonishing.

(Adamczewski, The Gospel of Mark A Hypertextual Commentary, p.29, my bold)

The effect surprise is in action also with the immediate entry of Jesus in proto-Mark:

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God

...And in Mark:

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan

Celsus despised the Christians as a recent sect. Marcion saw in this fact the evidence of a new god who revealed himself only recently. In modern apologetics, the apologists insist too much often on the surprising "novelty" of the Christianity etc. Even there, the marcionite influence is evident.

Since the recent coming of Jesus is a Gospel feature and a theological marcionite motive recognized also by Celsus, then we should doubt a priori about the presence of this belief among the early Christians.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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