Justin Against Marcion: Defining the Christian Philosophpy

Description

In a period where Christianity was only beginning to form a definitive identity, Marcion played a remarkable and generative role. Andrew Hayes takes the measure of his impact on second-century Christianity through a close examination of the topics and structure of Justin Martyr's writings, especially the Dialogue with Trypho, demonstrating that Justin repeatedly described Christianity in a contra-Marcionite fashion. Arguing that the early part of the Dialogue is in fact a contra-Marcionite prelude to all the major themes in the rest of the piece, Hayes claims that the chief task Justin took for himself was to seize back from Marcion the terms of Christian self-definition. Marcion is thus far more important for Justin's work than the few places where he is explicitly named might suggest, and Hayes shows that these texts are far from anomalous: they reveal Justin's deeper agenda of presenting Marcion as a demonic instrument. Students of the second century, of Marcion and of Justin alike, will find much to reevaluate in these pages. Preface vii Abbreviations for Justin’s Works ix Introduction xi 1. Who Are the “Christians”? Persecution 11 Greco-Roman Perspectives 40 Teacher and Pupils 60 1 2. Reading between the Lines: The Conspicuousness of Marcion in the Dialogue The Dialogue: Introduction and Commentary 92 Repetition of Themes in the Dialogue 141 Philosophies and “Christians” 155 Conclusion 161 89 3. Case by Case Introduction 163 Politics 164 Who Are the Atheists? 177 Evidence of True Worship 189 Different Teacher, Different Confession 199 Conclusion 216 163 Bibliography 221 Ancient Literature Index 233 Author Index 235