The Apologists · AD 130–180
Cerdo the Syrian
fl. c. 138 – 144 (death unrecorded) · Teacher at Rome, repeatedly readmitted and finally expelled · Forerunner of Marcion · Syria → Rome
The Apologists
Who Cerdo the Syrian was
A Syrian Gnostic who came to Rome under bishop Hyginus and taught that the God proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets was not the Father of Jesus Christ — the just versus the good, the doctrine Marcion would systematize. Irenaeus reports that Cerdo would repeatedly enter the church, confess, and be caught teaching in secret, until he was finally excommunicated. He is the acknowledged bridge between the earlier Samaritan gnosis and full Marcionism — a heresiarch remembered chiefly as the man from whom Marcion learned.
Also listed in heretics & schismatics.
Common questions
When was Cerdo active?
Cerdo the Syrian is dated fl. c. 138 – 144 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Cerdo in the Apologists (AD 130–180). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Cerdo?
Cerdo the Syrian is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Irenaeus of Lyon and Augustine of Hippo. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Cerdo from?
The archive associates Cerdo the Syrian with Syria, Rome. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Cerdo’s contemporaries?
The archive links Cerdo the Syrian to 4 other figures, including Hyginus of Rome, Marcion of Sinope, Menander of Samaria and Simon Magus. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Against Heresies I.27.1
c. AD 180Cerdo was one who took his system from the followers of Simon, and came to live at Rome under Hyginus… He taught that the God proclaimed by the law and the prophets was not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.Irenaeus of Lyon · I.27.1 · source text
Against Heresies III.4.3 (his comings and goings under Hyginus)
c. AD 180Cerdo... coming frequently into the Church, and making public confession, thus remained, one time teaching in secret, and then again making public confession; but at last, having been denounced for corrupt teaching, he was excommunicated.Irenaeus of Lyon · Against Heresies III.4.3 · source text
On Heresies 21 (the Cerdonians)
c. AD 428Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 95 · Domitian’s reprisals, AD 95
- AD 96 · Rome writes to Corinth: 1 Clement, AD 96
- AD 112 · Pliny writes Trajan, AD 112
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Cerdo, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.