- Marcionite (n.)
- 1540, early Christian sect, named for Gnostic Marcion of Sinope (c. 140), who denied any connection between the Old Testament and the New. They contrasted the barbaric and incompetent creator in the Old Testament, who favored bandits and killers, with the "higher god" of Christ. They also emphasized virginity and rejection of marriage. They flourished, especially in the East, until late 4c.
