Five Books of St. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons: Against Heresies with the Fragments that Remain of His Other Works

by Irenaeus of Lyons

A foundational work of early Christian theology, "Five Books of St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons" is also referred to as "Against Heresies." The work, which was written in the second century by St. Irenaeus of Lyons, methodically disproves Gnosticism and other heresies of the day in order to uphold the traditional Christian faith. Irenaeus highlights the value of the Church's unity and apostolic heritage. He clarifies fundamental Christian beliefs and the persistence of the authentic teachings transmitted from the apostles through in-depth argumentation and textual allusions. This founding work is still crucial to comprehending the evolution of Christian theology and early Christian thinking.

737 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

St. Irenaeus (2nd cenutry C.E. – c. 202) was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire (now Lyon, France). He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology. Irenaeus' best-known book, Adversus Haereses or Against Heresies (c. 180) is a detailed attack on Gnosticism, which was then a serious threat to the Church, and especially on the system of the Gnostic Valentinus.