Irenaeus of Lyons
Home > Church Fathers > Irenaeus of Lyons Irenaeus of Lyons At a Glance Gospel Genre: (5/5) ***** Reliability of Dating: (5/5) ***** Length of Text: Greek Original Language: Ancient Translations: Modern Translations: English Estimated Range of Dating: 175-185 A.D. Chronological List of Early Christian Writings Discuss this text on the Early Writings forum. Text Against Heresies, Book I Against Heresies, Book II Against Heresies, Book III Against Heresies, Book IV Against Heresies, Book V Roberts-Donaldson English Translation: Fragments from Lost Writings Fragments of Irenaeus in Eusebius CCEL English Translation: The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching Resources Roberts-Donaldson Introduction Handbook of Patrology: St. Irenaeus The Ecole Glossary: Irenaeus Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Irenaeus Wace Introduction to Irenaeus Taking Irenaeus Seriously Offsite Links Glenn Davis: Irenaeus Books Eric Francis Osborn, Irenaeus of Lyons (Cambridge Univ Pr 2001) Dominic J. Unger, St. Irenaeus of Lyons : Ancient Christian Writers (Paulist Press 1992) Mary Ann Donovan, One Right Reading? : A Guide to Irenaeus (Liturgical Press 1997) Robert McQueen Grant, Irenaeus of Lyons (Routledge 1997) Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings Information on Irenaeus of Lyons Irenaeus of Lyons wrote his Against Heresies c. 175-185 CE. His work is invaluable to modern scholarship in the attempt to recover the content of Gnostic teachings in the second century. Irenaeus also provides the first explicit witness to a four-fold gospel canon. Mary Ann Donovan writes (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 3, p. 457): Irenaeus' major extant writing is the Adversus Haereses (the full title of which is the Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge falsely so-called). Its composition is dated ca. 180 from the succession lists in which the author names Eleutherus (ca. 174 - ca. 189) as current bishop of Rome (Haer. 3.3.3), although it seems from remarks Irenaeus makes in the prefaces to Haer. 3 and 4 that he followed the practice of sending on the separate books of the work as they were completed. The other complete extant work is the Demonstration [or Proof] of the Apostolic Preaching. It was written after at least the earlier books of Adversus Haereses, to which reference is made in chap. 99. An Armenian version of this long-lost work was discovered in 1904, and Smith (1952: 4-11) discusses its textual history. Eusebius (ca. 263-ca. 339) is the principal source for our knowledge of the lost works of Irenaeus. These include at least the treatises "On the Ogdoad" and "Concerning Knowledge" and letters "On Schism" and "On the Monarchy [of God]" (Eus. Hist. Eccl. 5.20.1), as well as the full text of the letter to Victor already mentioned [c. 188 to c. 198]. Some of the fragments presented by Roberts-Donaldson are suspect. Johannes Quasten writes, "The fragments which Ch. M. Pfaff published in 1715, allegedly from manuscripts in Turin, were proved to be forgeries by A. Harnack (TU 20,3. Leipzig, 1900)." (Patrology, v. 1, p. 293) I present my own collection of quotes from Eusebius, with the original Greek and the English translation in the Loeb Classical Library, as a reliable source for the fragments of Irenaeus. There is also a fragment of a letter sent by Irenaeus to Pope Victor preserved in Syriac that is generally accepted as authentic. There is an effort to bring the Latin text of Irenaeus online, requesting volunteers to help with proofreading. Some Contemporary Texts Treatise on the Resurrection (170-200 A.D.) Letter of Peter to Philip (170-220 A.D.) Thought of Norea (170-230 A.D.) Athenagoras of Athens (175-180 A.D.) Irenaeus of Lyons (175-185 A.D.) Rhodon (175-185 A.D.) Theophilus of Caesarea (175-185 A.D.) Galen (175-190 A.D.) Celsus (178 A.D.) Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings Please buy the CD to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff! Early Christian Writings is copyright © Peter Kirby <E-Mail&gt. Follow @mrpeterkirby MLA Style Kirby, Peter. "Irenaeus of Lyons." Early Christian Writings. <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/irenaeus.html>. 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