Saint Irenaeus of Lyons: Against Heresies

by Irenaeus of Lyons

"Saint Irenaeus of Against Heresies" is a seminal work defending orthodox Christian faith against various heretical teachings. Irenaeus offers a robust theological counter to Gnostic beliefs and affirms the core doctrines of Christianity, making it a foundational text for understanding early church orthodoxy.

202 pages, Hardcover

Published March 21, 2025

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.

Reviews

[Ole Andreas Teistedal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tung start, men det blir fort halleluja stemning, og spennende teologi fra slutten av andre bok. Skal sies at jeg har lest «ulest» sin versjon som er en kortere versjon av hans fem bøker.

[Stephen Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written by St. Irenaeus, a student of Polycarp, who was a student of the Apostle John. This 5 part work was started and completed in the late 2nd century, and it mainly serves to expose the different Christian heresies of the time and refute them, hence “Against Heresies.” Gnosticism is by far the most discussed heresy, but it also covers Marcionism, Ebionism, and others. The first book explains the heresies, the second proves them to be self refuting under their own system, and the last 3 prove and explain Christian fundamentals to “complete the dismantling of ‘false knowledge,’ equipping us to stand firm against all heresy.” I was very fatigued working through the first two due to the sheer volume of delusions that Irenaeus must detail to thoroughly explain the heresies the early church had to deal with. The third and especially 4th part were the parts I most thoroughly enjoyed, due to it being about actual truth. Irenaeus is such an interesting figure for me to read from due to his connection to the apostles. He recalls several times being instructed from the apostles’ students and these students recalling stories of their teachers. Near the beginning of the third book, Irenaeus describes a story of John accidentally meeting a known heretic, Cerinthius, and promptly sprinting out, exclaiming: “let us flee …the enemy of truth is inside!” I love reading tales such as these, but that’s not all that’s there. He spends a lot of the book trying to use symbolism in the Old Testament to prove certain revelations in the New. This lands a lot of the time but sometimes it just sounds bonkers. Also sometimes the time period really comes through when he writes how the sun is small or that dreams are purely spiritual, with no biological involvement. All in all, if you are interested in learning about the environment at this point in church history, there’s a lot there and you will enjoy it.

[Sheryl Warren]

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