The Early Christian Who Rejected God

Marcion of Sinope famously claimed the creator God of the Old Testament was a cruel, lesser deity. He believed Jesus came to reveal a completely different, benevolent god that humanity had never known before.

During the second century, Marcion became one of the most influential figures in early Christianity by challenging the unity of the scriptures. He argued that the harsh judge described in Jewish texts could not be the same father figure mentioned by Jesus. Because of these radical views, he was officially excommunicated and labeled a heretic. His bold attempt to redefine the divine forced early church leaders to formalize which books belonged in the Bible.