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.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Irenaeus gave the church its first large-scale answer to the question, 'how do we know this is apostolic Christianity?' Against Gnostics, Marcionites, and private spiritual teachers, he arg...
- Best first read
- Against Heresies
- Primary source
- Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.4
Irenaeus gave the church its first large-scale answer to the question, 'how do we know this is apostolic Christianity?' Against Gnostics, Marcionites, and private spiritual teachers, he argued from public scripture, public teaching, and the churches founded by the apostles. Apostolic succession in his hands was not just a power claim; it was a way of checking whether a teacher was inventing a new religion under Christian names. Later orthodoxy inherited that instinct from him.
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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