TUINITV.
Marcionites. See Marcion.
Marcites or Marcitae, a sect of heretics in the 2d century, who also called themselves the Perfecti, and made profession of doing everything with a great deal of liberty, and without fear. This doctrine they bor- rowed from Simon INIagus, who, however, was not their chief; for they were called Marcites, from one IMarcus, who conferred the priesthood and the administration of the sacraments on women.
Marck, Joiiann van, a distinguished Dutch theo- logian, was born Dec. 31, 1655, at Sneek, in Friesland, and educated at the University of Leyden. His early reputation was such that before the completion of his twenty-first year he was appointed to the professorship of theology at Franeker. In 1C82 he removed to Gron- ingen as professor primarius of theology and university preacher. In 1690 he accepted a theological chair at Leyden, and in 1720 succeeded the younger Spanheim as professor of ecclesiastical history. He died Jan. 80, 1731. He wrote several works on dogmatic theology, which are highly esteemed in the Keformed Church, and made various valuable contributions to the inter- pretation of the Scriptures. His principal works are, De Syhyllinis carminibus (Frankf. 1682, 8vo) : — Di Apoc- alypsin Commenturia seu analysis exegetica (Lugd. Bat. 1G89, ed. auct. 1099, 4to) : — In Canticum Salomonis Com- inenturius seu analysis exegetica cum analysi Psa. xlv (Lugd. 1703, 4to) : — In prcecipiuas quasdam partes Pen- tateuchi Commentarius, seu uUimorum Jacobi, reliquo- rum Bilhami et novissimoi'um Mosis analysis exegetica (Lugd. 1713, 4to) : — Cominentaiii seu ancdysis exegetica in Prophetas ininores (Amsterd. 1696-1701, 5 vols. 4to). This is a very complete and carefuUy-executed work. Walch characterizes it as one of the best of the com- mentaries on the minor prophets : — Sylloge disseiiatio- num philologico-exegcticarum ad selectos quosdam textus A'. 7'. (Rottcrd. 1721, 4to) : — Compendium theologia Chris- tiana didactico-elencticum (Amsterd. 1722, 4to) : — Fasci- culus dissertationum philologico-exegeticarum ad selectos textus V. et N. Testamenti (Lugd. 1724-27, 2 vols.), etc. A selection from his works was published at Groningen in 1748, in 2 vols. 4to. See Kitto, Cyclop, of Bibl. Lit. vol. iii, s. V. ; Darling, Cyclop. Bibliog. vol. ii, s. v.
Marckius. See Marck.
Marconville or Marcoviville, Jeax de, a French writer of note, who tiourislied in the second half of the 16th century at Paris, is the author of several works of interest to the theological student. Among them the following deserve special mention : L'origine des temples des Juifs, Chretiem, et Gentiles (Paris, 1563, Svo) : — La dicersites des opinions de I'homme (1563,8vo) : — Chretien avertissement aux refroidis et ecartes de la vraie et ancienne Eglise Catholique (1571, 8vo), a W'ork in which Marconville, though displaying great attach- ment to the Koman Catholic Church, condemns her con- duct towards the Protestants, See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generule, xxxii, 509.
Marcomanni, a Germanic tribe of the Suevic branch, dwelt from the Helvetian border to the Main, and from the Rhine to the Danube. They are iirst mentioned by Julius C;Esar in his Gallic wars (i, 51), who reckons them among the forces of Ariovistus, king of the Suevi. The conquests of the Romans brought them
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into dangerous proximity to the Marcomanni, and in= duced the latter to seek a new home in modern Bohemia. They were led by Marobodhus, a man of noble rank among them, trained in the Roman armies, and he became their king after the conquest of Bohemia. The Marcomanni quickly acquired iiitiuence, and were greatly strength- ened by alliances with aU the neighboring tribes, so that their power became threatening to the empire. Tiberius concluded a treaty of peace with them, wliich secured the empire against an attack, but turned against them the hatred of the remaining Germanic tribes. Led by Arminius, these enemies defeated the Marco- manni in A.D. 17, after which date their history pre- sents an almost uninterrupted succession of conflicts. They defeated the emperor Domitian (Dio Cassias, Ixvii, 7), and in A.D. 164 advanced to Aquileia, in Italy. The fruits of a decisive victory over them, won by the generals of INI. Aurelius, were lost bj^ a treaty which the emperor Commodus concluded with them (A.D. 180), and they continued to make frequent irruptions into the neighboring provinces of the empire, penetrating in A.D. 270 even to Milan, besieging Ancona, and threat- ening Rome itself. Their name gradually disappears from history during the 5th century-, wlien the migra- tion of more distant barbarians brought a succession of new peoples into their land.
It is not definitely known how or when the}' became acquainted with Christianity. Their frequent incur- sions into the empire doubtless brought them into con- tact with its disciples, some of whom must have been among their prisoners of war. A statement in the life of St. Ambrose, by Paulinus — which, however, is not con- firmed by any contemporaneous author — relates that in the time of that bishop an Italian Christian had visited the Marcomanni, and had awakened the interest of their queen in Christianity to an extent that led her to ap- ply to Ambrose for instruction. He sent, in compli- ance with her request, a w^ork in the form of a cate- chism, by which both she and the king were led to em- brace Christianity towards the close of the 4th century. See Schrockh, Kirchengesch. vii, 347 ; Hefele, Gesch. d. Einfiihrung des Christenthums im sud-westl. Deutschland, vol. vii ; Tacitus, Annals ; Dio Cassius, Hist. Rom. 1, 54, and Greek and Roman historians of this period. See also Herzog, Real-Encyklopddie, ix, 1 1 2 ; Wetzer u. Welte,. Kii-chen-Lex. s. v, (G, M.)