Who did Irenaeus of Lyons oppose?

Valentinus, Marcion of Sinope, and Basilides.

Irenaeus of Lyons

c. 130 – c. 202 · b. Smyrna · Bishop of Lyons

bishoptheologianmartyr

Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp, and author of Against Heresies, the foundational anti-Gnostic work. Bridge between apostolic and ante-Nicene eras.

Why Irenaeus matters

Most early Christians had vague theology. Irenaeus had a system. He's the first Father to lay out a comprehensive answer to 'what does Christianity actually teach' — against Marcion, against the Gnostics, against the spiritualised Christ-as-pure-idea heresies that were everywhere in his time. He invented apostolic-succession-as-argument: not as a power claim, but as a fact-checking tool. If your teacher's teacher's teacher didn't say it, it isn't apostolic. Every later orthodox theologian inherits his playbook.

Chain to Jesus

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Common questions

Who was Irenaeus of Lyons?: Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202) — Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp, and author of Against Heresies, the foundational anti-Gnostic work. Bridge between apostolic and ante-Nicene eras.
Who taught Irenaeus of Lyons?: Polycarp of Smyrna.
Who did Irenaeus of Lyons teach?: Hippolytus of Rome.
Who did Irenaeus of Lyons correspond with?: Pope Victor I.
Who did Irenaeus of Lyons meet?: Pope Eleutherius.
Who did Irenaeus of Lyons oppose?: Valentinus, Marcion of Sinope, and Basilides.

Works

Against Heresiesc. 180
Five-book refutation of Gnosticism — the earliest large-scale defense of apostolic Christianity.
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Sources for biography

Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.4 primary
Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.4-8, 5.20 primary

documented connections(8)

taught (incoming) Polycarp of Smyrna
Forward edge into the next era. Irenaeus in his Letter to Florinus describes hearing Polycarp preach in his youth at Smyrna.
Irenaeus, Letter to Florinus in Eusebius HE 5.20.4-8
taught by Polycarp of Smyrna
Irenaeus describes in his Letter to Florinus hearing Polycarp preach in his youth in Smyrna and remembering his testimony about John the Apostle. This is direct first-person testimony.
Irenaeus, Letter to Florinus (in Eusebius HE 5.20) · Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.4
opposed Valentinus
The bulk of Adversus Haereses is directed against the Valentinian system.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 1.1-9, 2 passim
opposed Marcion of Sinope
Irenaeus refutes Marcion's truncated canon and dualism.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 1.27, 3.3.4, 4.6
opposed Basilides
Irenaeus refutes the system of Basilides.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 1.24
corresponded Pope Victor I
Irenaeus wrote urging Victor not to break communion with the Asian churches over Easter dating.
Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.24
met Pope Eleutherius
Irenaeus carried a letter from the Gallic confessors to Eleutherius during the Montanist controversy.
Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.4
cited Justin Martyr
Irenaeus quotes Justin's lost work Against Marcion by name and follows Justin's anti-heretical scheme.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 4.6.2 · Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 5.26.2

tradition connections(1)

taught by (incoming) Hippolytus of Rome
Photius and later sources describe Hippolytus as a hearer of Irenaeus; some modern scholars treat the link as plausible but not directly attested.
Photius, Bibliotheca cod. 121 · ODCC s.v. Hippolytus