The principle
common to these and other like heretics (who ignored or misconstrued
many passages of Scripture which plainly declare the completeness and
truth of our Lord’s humanity) was that matter is inherently and
by its very nature evil. Mani, therefore, and the rest were
easily led to think shame of attributing to Christ a real, tangible,
visible body. For the doctrines of Mani, see note on I. 57.
Valentinus was a Gnostic, who lived at Rome (whither he came from
Alexandria) between 140 and 160 a.d.
Marcion became known as a heresiarch in the papacy of Eleutherius
(177–190 a.d.). For the doctrines
of Valentinus and Marcion, see Robertson’s Church History,
Bk. I. ch. iv.