Rhodo Against the Marcionites

At this time Rhodo too, an Asian by birth, who had been taught at Rome by Tatian, as he himself relates (we came to know Tatian earlier), composed various books, and among the rest he took the field against the heresy of Marcion. He relates that in his day it had split into different opinions, and he describes those who caused the split and exactly refutes the falsehoods each of them devised. [a] Hear, then, what he writes: “That is why they disagree even among themselves, holding to an opinion that does not hang together. For from their herd, Apelles, who prides himself on his way of life and his old age, confesses one first principle, but says the prophecies come from an opposing spirit. He was persuaded by the sayings of a possessed virgin named Philumene. [b] Others, like the sailor Marcion himself, bring in two first principles; Potitus and Basilicus are among these. [c] These followed the wolf of Pontus, and, like him, could not find how things are to be divided, so they turned to the easy way and declared two principles, flatly and without proof. Others again, drifting from them into something worse, posit not only two but three natures. Their founder and chief is Syneros, as those who put forward his school say.”

The same writer records that he also came into discussion with Apelles, saying: “For the old man Apelles, when he met with us, was refuted, since he said many things wrongly. So he said that one should not examine the doctrine at all, but each should stay as he had believed; for he declared that those who had set their hope on the Crucified would be saved, if only they were found in good works. But the most obscure thing of all in his teaching, as we said before, was what he held about God. For he spoke of one principle, as our doctrine also does.” Then, after setting out his whole opinion, he adds: “When I said to him, ‘Where does this proof of yours come from? How can you say there is one principle? Tell us,’ he said that the prophecies refute themselves, because they have said nothing true at all; for they are inconsistent and false and contradict themselves. But how there is one principle, he said he did not know; he was simply moved to hold it. [d] Then, when I adjured him to tell the truth, he swore he was speaking the truth when he said that he did not know how there is one unbegotten God, but that he believed it. I laughed and condemned him, because, while calling himself a teacher, he did not know how to establish what he taught.”

In the same work, addressing Callistio, the same writer acknowledges that he had been Tatian’s disciple at Rome. He says too that Tatian had prepared a book of Problems; and since Tatian promised in it to set out what is obscure and hidden in the divine Scriptures, Rhodo himself announces that he will give the solutions to Tatian’s problems in a work of his own. There is also a commentary of his on the six days of creation. [e] This Apelles, for his part, committed countless impieties against the law of Moses, blaspheming the divine words in many writings and taking no small pains, as it seemed, to refute and overthrow them. So much, then, about these men.