Irenaeus of Lyons
c. 130 – c. 202 · Bishop of Lyons
Also known as Irenaeus · Eirenaios
Feast: 28 June (Catholic) · 23 August (Orthodox)
Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp, and author of Against Heresies, the foundational anti-Gnostic work. Bridge between apostolic and ante-Nicene eras.
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.
Notable works
- ·Against Heresies · 180
Primary sources
- ·Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.4
- ·Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.4-8, 5.20
Book of the day
Against Heresies
Irenaeus of LyonsA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. The key text for public apostolic tradition, anti-gnostic argument, and the chain from John to Polycarp to Irenaeus.
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