Luke 4:40-44

For a side-by-side English translation of the text of Marcion's Gospel and Luke 4, see Luke Chapter 4

Summary:

From Ernest Evans on Adv. Marcion IV: Appendix 2: Omitting chapters I and 2, and most of 3 and 4 [the nativity, the baptism and temptation, with the genealogy, and all reference to Bethlehem and Nazareth], Marcion's gospel [Mcg] began with 3:1, In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, and 4:31, God descended into Capernaum, a city of Galilee.

Details:

Luke 4:40-41 – They Knew That He Was the Christ

Having already mentioned the casting out of the unclean spirit (Mcg 4:33-36) in chapter 7, Tertullian begins his chapter 8 with Lk 4:40-41:

Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. [4:40]  And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. [4:41]

The following textual variation in Lk 4:41 is noted in the NET:

Most mss (A Q Θ Ψ 0102 Ë1,13 Ï) read “the Christ, the Son of God.” But the earliest and best mss, along with several other witnesses (א B C D L W Ξ 33 579 700 1241 2542 lat sa), lack “the Christ” here. It is likely that later scribes wished to bring the demons’ confession in line with what Luke says they knew later in the verse.

If the first use of “Christ” in Lk 4:41 is a late addition then it is possible that Mcg did not contain it, again following Bezae. From what Tertullian says this does appear to be the case, as he refers to the healing of others in Lk 4:40, and then writes:

We will come, however, to the kinds of cures. To liberate men, then, from evil spirits, is a cure of sickness. Accordingly, wicked spirits (just in the manner of our former example) used to go forth with a testimony, exclaiming, "Thou art the Son of God," [4:41a] -- of what God, is clear enough from the case itself. But they were rebuked, and ordered not to speak [4:41b]; precisely because Christ willed Himself to be proclaimed by men, not by unclean spirits, as the Son of God -- even that Christ alone to whom this was befitting, because He had sent beforehand men through whom He might become known, and who were assuredly worthier preachers.

Here we see that, according to Tertullian, Mcg had: "Thou art the Son of God," but omitting “Christ.” Mcg may not have had the second use of “Christ” in Mcg 4:41 either, as Tertullian states that: “But they were rebuked, and ordered not to speak”  but does not mention that “they knew that he was Christ” [4:41c]. Head believes that Marcion must have removed this phrase:

In this episode the crucial phrase from 4:41: 'because they knew that he was the Christ'  was omitted – Jesus could not be the Messiah predicted in the OT.

As it is clear from earlier that in Lk 4:41 the demons knew who Jesus was, this phrase is simply used to identify why he ordered them not to speak. Is the use of the words “the Christ”  here as important as Head believes? It does not seem so in the parallel passage in Mark, which also does not contain these words, and instead reads:

And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. [Mk 1:34]

The NET gives the same ending for this verse, but then notes similar variants here to those (above) in Lk 4:41:

The mss vary on what is read at the end of v. 34. Some have “they knew him to be the Christ,” with various Greek constructions (ᾔδεισαν αὐτὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι [hdeisan auton Criston einai] in B L W Θ Ë1 28 33vid 565 2427 al; ᾔδεισαν τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι [hdeisan ton Criston auton einai] in [א2] C [Ë13 700] 892 1241 [1424] pc); codex D has “they knew him and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons,” reproducing exactly the first half of the verse.

These first two longer readings are predictable expansions to an enticingly brief statement; the fact that there are significant variations on the word order and presence or absence of τόν argues against their authenticity as well. D’s reading is a palpable error of sight. The reading adopted in the translation is supported by א* A 0130 Ï lat. This support, though hardly overwhelming in itself, in combination with strong internal evidence, renders the shorter reading fairly certain.

It therefore seems that, in both Mark and Luke, the original text did not mention that the demons “knew that he was the Christ.”  Tertullian does not mention this phrase, suggesting that it was not in his copy of Luke either. It is therefore likely that it was not in Mcg, but not likely that Marcion removed it.

Luke 4:42-44 – Other Places

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. [4:42]  And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. [4:43]  And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. [4:44]

Tertullian refers to most of Mcg 4:42-43:

"He departed, and went into a desert place." [4:42a] … When "stayed" [4:42b] by the crowds, He said, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also." [4:43]

He does not mention Mcg 4:44, so we cannot tell from this what he read here. However, this passage has a parallel in Mark, with Mk 1:38-39a being very close to Lk 4:43-44:

And he said unto them, Let us go [elsewhere] into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. [Mk 1:38]  And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, [Mk 1:39a]

As Tertullian does refer to Mcg 4:43, the presence of this parallel means that we have no reason to doubt that all three verses were in Mcg.

Next Chapter: Luke 5, 4:27