Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

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Joseph D. L.
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Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Joseph D. L. »

I can't remember if it was a Carrier lecture or Xoroaster from way, way back when where one of them said that the merchant class was referred to as chrestus and that when Tacitus wrote that Nero blamed the chrestians for the fire he was in fact blaming the merchants.

Thoughts? Makes Marcion being the owner of a ship yard (popular for merchants) rather conspicuous.
Giuseppe
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

The connection of Marcion with a ship may have an anti-petrine point, since the Ship of Saint Peter is famous as allegory of the catholic church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque_of_St._Peter

Since in my view Turmel has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the Beloved Disciple in proto-John is Marcion, then there is a curious episode who may be read as an implicit renunciation, by Peter, of the rights of property on that boat, since the Beloved Disciple remains on it.


John 21:4-8:
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[a]

Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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Joseph D. L.
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Joseph D. L. »

I've already gone over the connection between the mariner and the church elsewhere. It's one reason why I consider Marcion to be a new Noah.

Was Marcion a chrestus is what I am getting at.
Giuseppe
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

I wonder if the logion about the Christians being already happy in this life, may have some implication about the richness of Marcion: he is rich (Chrestus?) because he is a follower of Chrestus, and viceversa.

I am assuming that Chrestus means also good, useful in materialistic terms.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

But then I think that the richness of Marcion is only an anti-Marcionite defamation.

Rich merchant from Orient: the same meaning of "Levantine", a person from the Orient who is particularly known for his cunning and ability to deceive. Particularly in commercial activities.

It is also a racist term used often in the Fascist propaganda during the last war.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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Joseph D. L.
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Joseph D. L. »

Looks like Ethan already brought it up.
Ethan wrote: Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:12 pm I also refined the meaning behind the name 'Chrestus' , Mithradites was named Chrestus in recognition of his aids to Sailors and traders and this name appears in Hebrew, Yaqar (h3368) & Qar(7119), used to described the wares(the goods) of the Merchants, see Ezekiel 27:22,. χρηστῶν (LXX), this word means' one who gives/serviceable' (Merchant). Another translation of 'Chrestus ' is tachbulah (Good-counsel/speculator) (תַּחְבֻּלוֹת) (h8458) and the Septuagint sometimes translates this into ' κυβερνῆταί ' (Cybernaut) ( sailor , seaman or merchant). The Jews in the Roman Empire were primarily Merchants.
the word “chrestai” in Greek that, according to one etymology, means “goodness;” and, as well, “traders” and “speculators - William A. Jurgens-
It is still in use today in urban Rome, ' la cresta' ' means ‘profiteer’, ‘to demand an extortionate price’

Tac. Ann. 15. 44: This name derives from a speculator, who was executed by the procurator Pontius Pilatus under the government of Tiberius
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Joseph D. L.
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Joseph D. L. »

Kind of a weird turnabout with lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven and Jesus cleansing the Temple of the money changers, i.e. merchants, which happens in all of the canonical Gospels and Marcion.
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

Joseph D. L. wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:06 pm Kind of a weird turnabout with lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven and Jesus cleansing the Temple of the money changers, i.e. merchants, which happens in all of the canonical Gospels and Marcion.
suggestive points.

I wonder how Marcion would have interpreted the cleansing of the Temple, if there was that episode in his Gospel. Surely the Temple was NOT the house of his alien Father.

The warning to go not in the synagogue? To become merchants of treasures in Heaven?
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

Surely this parable is gnostic of origin:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

— Matthew 13:45-46

Marcion gave a lot of money to persuade the Catholics to abandon their faith.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
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Re: Was the term chrestus applied to the merchant class?

Post by Giuseppe »

The cleansing of the temple is absent in Marcion as reconstructed here.

http://gnosis.org/library/marcion/Gospel5.html#Nobleman

Hence the cleansing of the temple is addressed against Marcion:
  • it attacks the merchands (=the marcionites?)
  • it reiterates that Jesus's father is YHWH and not an alien Father of which Jesus is the Son ("Bar-Abbas").
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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