Internal Conflicts · Episode 1 · live on YouTube
Why Was Marcion Cast Out For Asking What You're Asking?
Around 144 AD, Marcion argued the Father Jesus revealed could not be the god of the flood. The church cast him out — Miriam helps name what that cost feels like.
Key beats
- Marcion cold-open (optional) — the question spoken in 144 AD.
- James introduces Miriam — the felt question.
- Book burning and canon fights — names defined in dialogue.
- Outro teases Eli for Episode 3 (Elijah lens).
Sources & further reading
We're not asking you to take our word for it — here is where this comes from. The scholarship on Marcion and the making of the canon is public, and we'd rather you read it.
- , Adversus Marcionem (Against Marcion). The primary ancient source on Marcion — five books written against him, c. 207 AD.
- , Marcion: The Gospel of the Alien God. The landmark modern study (English translation); Harnack reconstructs Marcion's project and canon.
- , Marcion and the Making of a Heretic. Cambridge University Press — a leading contemporary reassessment of Marcion and his critics.
- , Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford University Press — on the early contests over which texts and which God the church would keep.
- , The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. Oxford / Clarendon Press — how the New Testament canon actually took shape.
A fuller, footnoted PDF of these sources travels with the free primer — a calm place to check every claim for yourself. It's part of the primer.