Marcionite

Marcionites were adherents of Marcionism, a dualistic religious system that emerged in the 2nd century AD. The central figure of this movement was Marcion of Sinope, a wealthy shipowner and theologian. Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament, the creator of the material world, was a lesser, wrathful deity distinct from the benevolent, spiritual God revealed by Jesus Christ.

According to Marcion's theology, the creator God, often referred to as the Demiurge, was responsible for the flawed and suffering nature of the physical universe. He believed that this God had created humanity and the law, which were inherently imperfect. Jesus Christ, Marcion argued, was sent by the true, loving God to liberate humanity from the dominion of the Demiurge and his law.

Marcion's teachings led to a distinctive canon of scripture. He rejected the entire Old Testament and most of the New Testament, accepting only a modified version of the Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's epistles. He believed that other texts were corrupted by Jewish influences. This selective canon was a significant point of contention with the emerging orthodox Christian church.

The Marcionite movement spread rapidly and established churches in various parts of the Roman Empire. However, it was consistently opposed by early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Epiphanius, who condemned Marcion's doctrines as heretical. Despite its initial influence, Marcionism eventually declined and disappeared by the late 4th century, absorbed by or suppressed by the growing orthodox Christian Church.