In examining historical figures from the patristic era of Christianity, A. Cleveland Coxe stated, “Those were times of heroism, not of words; an age, not of writers, but of soldiers; not of talkers, but of sufferers. Curiosity is baffled, but faith and love are fed by these scanty relics of primitive antiquity” (1). That is surely what Christians find in examining the life of Irenaeus of Lyon.

In Part 1 of this article series, we discovered that Irenaeus proved in life to be a follower of Jesus Christ who, under God, preserved, protected, and promoted the faith with such zeal that though centuries have passed, his legacy still speaks today. “The faith once for all delivered to the saints” remains the same and needs to be “contended for” in every age (Jude 3). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8) and a historical figure like Irenaeus serves as an example for us of what it means to not only believe the truth about Jesus but to live in light of it to the very end of our lives. Having considered the facts of his life in history, we can now consider his contributions to the life of faith today.

The Lasting Impact of the Life of Irenaeus

The nature of Irenaeus’ ministry was concretely involved with the lives of the people to whom he ministered and this seems to have added to the contribution they make to the Christian faith.  His two most significant works are Against Heresies, known also by the title, Exposure and Refutation of Knowledge Falsely So Called, and a work titled the Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching. Coxe well summarizes the theme of Against Heresies as follows: “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 defense of the Catholic faith”(2).  These two principles are the major theological contributions that Irenaeus’ writings had upon Christianity in his day and on down through the centuries. His examination and deconstruction of a plethora of Gnostic beliefs and systems is probably one of the most extensive ever undertaken by a writer.

A Model of the Truth in Love

Again Coxe writes, “ He condescended to study these diseases of the human mind like a wise physician; and, sickening as was the process of classifying and describing them, he made this also his laborious task, that he might enable others to withstand and to overcome them”(3).  Irenaeus himself said, “The man, however, who would undertake their conversion, must possess an accurate knowledge of their systems or schemes of doctrine. For it is impossible for any one to heal the sick, if he has no knowledge of the disease of the patients”(4).  His main weapons in refutation of errors and Christian apologetics are the use of reasoned arguments and the authority of the Scriptures (5).  Strikingly, at one point in Against Heresies, he includes a sort of question and response handbook for equipping Christians to refute various Gnostic heresies.  

The “Rule of Christian Faith”

Irenaeus quotes extensively from the OT and NT Scriptures and “his inclusion of New Testament Scriptures is particularly useful to historians as a proof that many of the books that compose this part of the Bible were already authoritative at that time”(6).  Out of his apologetic writing comes the early formation in church history of what is commonly called “the rule of Christian faith.” For Irenaeus, this comprised 1) the authority of the Scriptures above all, 2) the unity of the universal church’s tradition in understanding those Scriptures,  and 3) the rejection of anything new or additional in terms of knowledge or revelation for the faith. 

These elements come through in various quotes of his such as follows: “The heretics follow neither scripture nor tradition,” (7) and, “the truth is to be found nowhere else but in the catholic church,  the sole depository of apostolical doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles,”(8) and, “Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life”(9, italics added).

Essentially, already in the 2nd century, Irenaeus puts forth the understanding that among adherents to Christianity, or among false teaching posing as Christianity, if something is new, it is not true.  “Irenaeus points out that teachers several church-generations removed from the apostles could not extrapolate special knowledge from the apostles’ teachings that Polycarp (and, by extension, Irenaeus) would not be aware of”(10).

The Message as Greater than Any Man

A final quote from Irenaeus on this matter should suffice: “As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. …Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches, however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these (for no one is greater than the Master); nor, on the other hand, will he who is deficient in power of expression inflict injury on the tradition. For the faith being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one, who can say but little diminish it”(11).  Though the Christian faith has a diversity of teachers, it will always maintain a uniformity of doctrine.  Though the skill of various Christian teachers vary, the content of the message will always contain the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).  Therefore, the aim of Christians today in transmitting the faith should not be to create new doctrines, but to understand that the gospel counters and corrects false beliefs to cast an alternative vision of life in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Christ Above All

Also, from the writings of Irenaeus, one can see an outgrowth of sound theology regarding God’s ultimate plan set forth in Christ from before the foundation of the world. Essentially, he sets forth a clarity on God’s intention behind the incarnation of Christ not only as plan B in response to human sinfulness but rather as plan A in God’s purpose to create a humanity that is united to God in the person of Jesus Christ. Gonzalez, explaining Irenaeus on this matter says, “The situation in paradise, as described in Genesis, was not the goal of creation, but its beginning. From this perspective, the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is not merely a response to sin. On the contrary, God’s initial purpose included being united with humankind”(25).  Gonzalez further explains, “The focal point of that history is the incarnation, not only because through it God’s word has straightened the twisted history of humankind, but also because from the very beginning the union of the human with the divine was the goal of history”(13).  This theology of Irenaeus on a proper understanding of Christ and the incarnation accords wonderfully with the Apostle Peter’s words, “Jesus Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.” (1 Peter 1:20). 

What Irenaeus was helping to keep the right side up is the understanding that Christ and his new creation is the telos of all humanity and of all creation. An understanding of Christ that reduces him only to mankind’s reset back to Eden, or pathway to self-fulfillment, or self-empowerment, or for the realization of the American-dream, or ticket out of all temporal troubles, has wrongly inverted the goal of the gospel. By learning from Irenaeus on his view of the incarnation, the church today will be helped in keeping a God-centered and God-glorifying ending to faith in Jesus Christ.

A Voice From the Past

The life of Irenaeus illustrates a follower of Christ who labored to preserve, protect, and promote the gospel. His life shows the necessity of theology for missions and the proper fruit of missions coming from theology.  Today, Christians hear through the life of Irenaeus the encouragement to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).