Marcion is commonly associated with the Gnostics; he had, in
fact, adopted some of their most characteristic positions. He
rejected the Old Testament, and he distinguished the God of the
Old Testament, who js the Creator of our world, from the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Gnostic elements of his
teaching have no special importance: they are not very original,
and are not consistently worked out. The moving forces which
determined his position came from another quarter. He furnishes,
therefore, a distinct illustration of the times, and of the
influences then at work in the world. Marcion came from Sinope
in Pontus, where his father, according to some authorities, was
a bishop. He is said to have been himself connected in some way
with shipping, and appears to have possessed means. It is also
said that before he left the East he spent some time in ascetic
retirement. Later writers say that he departed from Sinope under
scandal on account of some immorality; but neither Irenaeus nor
Tertullia