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Irenaeus of Lyons

125CE-202CE

  • Unlike many of his peers, he was brought up in a Christian household. Instead of converting as an adult.
  • He is considered one of the most influential church fathers.
  • He is the first person to claim Polycarp (69CE-155CE) "heard" the disciple John. A detail never recorded by Polycarp, anyone who wrote to Polycarp, nor is John referenced in Polycarp's eulogy.
  • Some scholars claim Ignatius knew John because he supposedly knew Polycarp. Even though the letters of Ignatius are widely considered spurious or pseudepigraphical. The only surviving letter of Polycarp mentions Ignatius but the letter is considered interpolated.
  • He was the first to claim Papias of Hierapolis (60CE-130CE) was a "hearer" of John.
  • Irenaeus composed Against Heresies around 180CE. Where he refutes various Gnostic ideologies such as those Valentinian Gnostics, he also argues for monotheism, and against Marcion's theology.
  • Until the Nag Hammadi was discovered in 1945CE, Against Heresies was the best-surviving description of Gnosticism.
  • Irenaeus was the first to name the gospels and asserted Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are canonical.
  • Itrenaus was the first to claim Pope Linus was appointed by Paul and Perer in Against Heresies 3.3.2-3. There is very little information on Linus.
  • Against Heresies 3.11.7 acknowledges that many heterodox Christians use only one gospel while 3.11.9 acknowledges that some use more than four.
  • Irenaeus argues against the Gnostics by using scripture to add several years after his baptism by referencing 3 visits to Jerusalem.
      The first is when Jesus makes wine out of water, he goes up to the Paschal feast-day, after which he withdraws and is found in Samaria.
      The second is when Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for Passover and cures the paralytic, after which he withdraws over the sea of Tiberias.
      The third mention is when he travels to Jerusalem, eats the Passover, and suffers on the following day.
  • Irenaeus quotes scripture (John 8:57), to suggest that Jesus ministers while in his 40s and died in his 50s.