Marcionism

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US/ˈmɑrʃiəˌnɪzəm/US/ˈmɑrʃəˌnɪzəm/US/ˈmɑrsiəˌnɪzəm/UK/ˈmɑːʃiənɪzm/

noun

The teachings of Marcion of Sinope and his followers, a docetic form of early Christianity often but not universally considered Gnostic that rejected the spiritual authority of the Hebrew Tanakh (Old Testament) and the disciples and apostles other than Paul as serving the Demiurge.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounMarcionism (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableThe teachings of Marcion of Sinope and his followers, a docetic form of early Christianity often but not universally considered Gnostic that rejected the spiritual authority of the Hebrew Tanakh (Old Testament) and the disciples and apostles other than Paul as serving the Demiurge.

    Gnosticism and Marcionism offered two possible futures for the Jesus cult.

    2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 127
    1 more example

    Similarly, in Work on Myth, Blumenberg once again makes a plea for Marcion being regarded as Gnostic... and makes no attempt to define Marcionism's relation-difference to Valentinianism... It is important to see what is at stake here... For in Marcion the truncation of the biblical text is not based on lack of respect for tradition, but its reification, and the dualistic separation of creation from redemption is not attended by the kind of fascination with the why and wherefore of an evil creation that is typical of Valentinianism and modern myths of Romanticism and Idealism or their precursor and successor discourses.

    2001, Cyril O'Regan, Gnostic Return in Modernity, page 62
  2. uncountableChristianityGeneral rejection of the Old Testament, its God, and its teachings.
    1 more example

    In the year 144, the church declared Marcion of Sinope, a rich shipping magnate and part-time theologian, a heretic for declaring the God of the Hebrew scriptures to be inferior to the God of the New Testament. But despite this condemnation, popular Marcionism has continued ever since. You hear Christians lapse into it all the time with the lazy argument, "Oh, that's just the Old Testament", when confronted by the claim that the Bible is violent.

    2013 October 7, Giles Fraser, “How the Mail Got It Wrong, Again...”, in The Guardian

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
marcioniticmarcionitishmarcionitism

Origin

From Marcion + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 馬吉安主義 /马吉安主义
  • 馬吉安主義 /马吉安主义 (Mǎjí'ān zhǔyì)teachings of Marcion of Sinope
Finnish markionismi
  • markionismiteachings of Marcion of Sinope
French marcionisme
  • marcionismeteachings of Marcion of Sinope
German Marcionismus, Markionismus
  • Marcionismusteachings of Marcion of Sinope
  • Markionismusteachings of Marcion of Sinope
Polish marcjonizm
  • marcjonizmteachings of Marcion of Sinope
Portuguese marcionismo
  • marcionismoteachings of Marcion of Sinope

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

miRNAomics
Cite this entry
APA

Marcionism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Marcionism

MLA

“Marcionism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Marcionism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Marcionism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Marcionism.

Source: Marcionism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.