Background
Information as to his life is scarce, and in some measure inexact. Though his exact birth date is unknown, Irenaeus was born of Greek parents in Smyrna, Asia Minor (now İzmir, Turkey).
( Saint Irenaeus was the first great Christian theologian...)
Saint Irenaeus was the first great Christian theologian. Born in Asia Minor in about 130 A.D., he became Bishop of Lyons and died as a martyr early in the third century. His main work, Adversus Haereses (Against the Heresies), is as relevant today as it was eighteen hundred years ago. It is a critique of Gnosticism, the 'anti-body' heresy, which, far from dying out, continues to flourish as the main threat to the Christian faith in our own day. With serenity and good humor, Irenaeus unfolds the unity of God's purpose in creation and redemption, in Old and New Testaments. The flesh and blood which Gnosticism so despised has been assumed by God in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and glorified in the Resurrection and the Eucharist. In this book, quotations from Saint Irenaeus have been arranged thematically in order to show the unity of his Christian view of the world. The texts have been selected and are introduced by the late Hans Urs von Balthasar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Catholic theologians of this century. They are translated by John Saward. "Everything in Irenaeus is bathed in a warm and radiant joy, a wise and majestic gentleness. His words of struggle are hard as iron and crystal clear, ... so penetrating that they cannot fail to enlighten the unbiased observer." Hans Urs von Balthasar
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( A Classic Includes Active Table of Contents Include...)
A Classic Includes Active Table of Contents Includes Religious Illustrations Inasmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies, which, as the apostle says, minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith, and by means of their craftily-constructed plausibilities draw away the minds of the inexperienced and take them captive, I have felt constrained, my dear friend, to compose the following treatise in order to expose and counteract their machinations. These men falsify the oracles of God, and prove themselves evil interpreters of the good word of revelation. They also overthrow the faith of many, by drawing them away, under a pretence of superior knowledge, from Him who rounded and adorned the universe; as if, forsooth, they had something more excellent and sublime to reveal, than that God who created the heaven and the earth, and all things that are therein. By means of specious and plausible words, they cunningly allure the simple-minded to inquire into their system; but they nevertheless clumsily destroy them, while they initiate them into their blasphemous and impious opinions respecting the Demiurge; and these simple ones are unable, even in such a matter, to distinguish falsehood from truth. Aeterna Press
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A Classic Includes Active Table of Contents Includes Religious Illustrations THE work of Irenæus Against Heresies is one of the most precious remains of early Christian antiquity. It is devoted, on the one hand, to an account and refutation of those multiform Gnostic heresies which prevailed in the latter half of the second century; and, on the other hand, to an exposition and defence of the Catholic faith. Aeterna Press
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(The complete text of Against the Heresies, with fragments...)
The complete text of Against the Heresies, with fragments of other writings. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons wrote around 180 to uphold against Gnosticism the Christian rule of faith that he had received. To vindicate the Incarnation of God in human flesh, Irenaeus described and attacked their principal doctrine, the evil origin of the natural world. Affirming the unity of Old and New Testaments, the goodness of the Creator and the created world, and finally the mystery by which human beings are perfected through participation in the divine life, the saint produced an outstanding example of early Christian biblical theology. Irenaeus stands among the best examples of the early Church fathers, for whom the doctrines of Christianity safeguard the confession of God's saving love revealed through His Incarnation as Jesus Christ. Unlike other reprints, this version is completely re-typeset, while preserving original page-numbering. Published by Ex Fontibus Company.
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(One of the great early Christian writings of the second c...)
One of the great early Christian writings of the second century, "The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching" is a book all true believers can glean from. In writing to his friend, Irenaeus unfolds the Christian faith by quoting extensively from the Old Testament. He describes it as a "manual of essentials, that by little you may attain to much, learning in short space all the members of the body of the truth, and receiving in brief the demonstration of the things of God." Truly a remarkable piece of literature, impregnated with the truth of the Gospel, this book should be food for the hungry soul desiring more of God. May you be surely blessed as you partake in this book!
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(St Irenaeus, the most important theologian of the second ...)
St Irenaeus, the most important theologian of the second century, lays the foundation for all future Christian thinkers. Here he recounts all the various deeds of God, culminating in the exaltation of His crucified Son, Jesus Christ, and the bestowal of His Holy Spirit and the gift of a new heart of flesh.
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( As a boy, St. Irenaeus of Lyons received instruction fr...)
As a boy, St. Irenaeus of Lyons received instruction from men like St. Polycarp of Smyrna who had heard the Apostles preaching firsthand. By the late second century A.D., Irenaeus had grown into the Churchs leading bishop and theologian. He was justly famous for fighting the prominent heresies of his day, but thats not all: Pope Benedict XVI said that his work went far beyond the confutation of heresy: in fact, one can say that he emerges as the first great Church theologian who created systematic theology. Irenaeus occupies privileged position in all the history of the Church, both for his great antiquity and the simple elegance of his thought. Bl. Pope John Paul II said that interest in him is the heart of contemporary patristic revival. In 1857, Cambridge University Press published a critical edition of all the works of St. Irenaeus then extant: his five tremendous books Against Heresies and the several dozen fragments of his other writings that have come down to us. A contemporary reviewer in 1858 wrote that the text generally is quite the best we have. In 1970, over one hundred years later, W. A. Jurgens wrote that the standard text is still that of W. W. Harvey. You will find Harveys edition referenced in the footnotes of the Catechism and the documents of Vatican II to this day, his readings and notes are discussed in scholarly circles. This new facsimile reprint of Harveys famous work, made from the best-quality photographs and hand-restored for easy legibility will put the works of Irenaeus into the hands of a new generation of scholars for an eminently affordable price.
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Information as to his life is scarce, and in some measure inexact. Though his exact birth date is unknown, Irenaeus was born of Greek parents in Smyrna, Asia Minor (now İzmir, Turkey).
In Smyrna, Irenaeus received a brilliant education, studying poetry, philosophy, rhetoric and other sciences that were considered necessary for a secular youth. Later he moved to Rome and studied under Justin Martyr.
Sometime prior to 177 A. D. Irenaeus moved Lyons. The same year, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius ordered a violent persecution of Christians in France, but Irenaeus escaped it because at the time he was on a journey to Rome, apparently carrying a letter to the church at Rome. Irenaeus returned to France after the persecution had subsided, and he was made bishop of Lyons in 178, replacing the previous bishop, who had died or been killed in the persecution.
The significance of Irenaeus is found in his writings. There are fragments of many works, but two major works survive intact: Against Heresies and Proof of Apostolic Preaching.
Against Heresies is a treatise against Marcionism and Gnosticism, and especially Valentinianism, a particular form of Gnosticism that was popular in Lyons. In this treatise, Irenaeus seeks to protect his flock from heresy and to convert those who hold the Gnostic error. Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library in 1945, most of what was known of Gnosticism was from Irenaeus.
In Against Heresies, Irenaeus also quotes from every New Testament book except 3 John, so it is an important document to show the ancient church’s acceptance of New Testament Scripture. However, Against Heresies also refers to The Shepherd of Hermas as “Scripture” and treats the book of 1 Clement as authoritative. Still, in Irenaeus we can see that the canon was beginning to coalesce.
Irenaeus’ The Proof of Apostolic Preaching (or The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching) is a summary of Christian preaching with an emphasis on the fact the Christ fulfills Old Testament prophecy.
In 190 or 191, he exerted influence on Pope Victor I not to excommunicate the Christian communities of Asia Minor which persevered in the practice of the Quartodeciman celebration of Easter.
Nothing is known of the date of his death, which must have occurred at the end of the second or the beginning of the third century. According to the history he suffered martyrdom under Septimius Severus. His feast day is celebrated in the West on June, 28 and in the East on August, 23.
( A Classic Includes Active Table of Contents Include...)
( A Classic Includes Active Table of Contents Include...)
(One of the great early Christian writings of the second c...)
(St Irenaeus, the most important theologian of the second ...)
(The complete text of Against the Heresies, with fragments...)
( Saint Irenaeus was the first great Christian theologian...)
( As a boy, St. Irenaeus of Lyons received instruction fr...)
Quotations:
The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.
Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.
The glory of God is the human person fully alive.
Through a tree we were made debtors to God; so through a tree we have our debt canceled.
As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord.