Irenaeus - His Life and Teachings

Irenaeus was a man used mightly by God during a time where Gnosticism was starting to get a strong foot hold within the church. Using scripture, apostolic tradition and logic he battled against the falsehoods being presented by what he would considered heretics. Show notes: Primary SourcesIrenaeus, Against Heresies (Latin: Adversus Haereses) — Available in English translation (Roberts-Donaldson, ANF vol. 1) at New Advent and Early Christian Writings.Irenaeus, Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching — Translated by J. Armitage Robinson; available in various editions.Eusebius, Church History, Book 5 — Contains the letter from the churches of Lyons and Vienne, and references to Irenaeus's life and letters. Available at New Advent.The Martyrdom of Polycarp — Available at Early Christian Writings.Secondary Sources & ContextBehr, John. Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity. Oxford University Press, 2013.Minns, Denis. Irenaeus: An Introduction. T&T Clark, 2010.Osborn, Eric. Irenaeus of Lyons. Cambridge University Press, 2001.Wingren, Gustaf. Man and the Incarnation: A Study in the Biblical Theology of Irenaeus. Wipf & Stock, 2004 (reprint).NotesAll quotations from Against Heresies are from the Roberts-Donaldson translation (ANF vol. 1), with book, chapter, and section numbers provided for reference in the podcast.Irenaeus's original Greek text survives only in fragments; most of Against Heresies is preserved in a Latin translation from the late second or early third century.The date of Irenaeus's death (c. 202) and the tradition of his martyrdom are attested by Jerome (De Viris Illustribus 35) but are not confirmed by earlier sources.The Quartodeciman controversy and Irenaeus's letter to Victor are described by Eusebius, Church History 5.23–24.This episode includes AI-generated content.