Back Irenaeus van Lyon Afrikaans إيرينيئوس Arabic ايريناوس ARZ San Irenéu AST Lionlu İriney Azerbaijani Ириней Лионски Bulgarian Ireneu de Lió Catalan Irenej z Lyonu Czech Irenæus Danish Irenäus von Lyon German
Irenaeus of Lyon | |
|---|---|
| Doctor of the Church | |
 20th-century Greek icon depicting Saint Irenaeus | |
| Diocese | Lyon |
| See | Lyon |
| Predecessor | Pothinus |
| Successor | Zechariah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 125 AD |
| Died | c. 202 AD (aged c. 77) Lugdunum, Gallia Lugdunensis, Roman Empire |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | June 28 (Latin Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism); August 23 (Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches); Monday after fourth Sunday of the Exaltation of the Cross (Armenian Apostolic Church)[1] |
| Venerated in | Latin Catholic Church and Eastern Catholicism Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Assyrian Church of the East Lutheranism Anglicanism |
| Title as Saint | Bishop of Lyon, Venerable, Hieromartyr, Church Father, Doctor of the Church |
Theology career | |
| Notable work | Against Heresies |
| Theological work | |
| Era | Patristic Age |
| Language | Greek |
| Tradition or movement | Trinitarianism |
| Main interests | Theodicy, millennialism |
| Notable ideas | Irenaean theodicy Recapitulation theory of atonement |
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| Part of a series on |
| Catholic philosophy |
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Irenaeus | |
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| Influences | Clement, Ignatius,[2] Justin Martyr, Papias, Polycarp, The Shepherd of Hermas |
| Influenced | Agapius, Augustine,[3] Basil the Great, Epiphanius, Hippolytus, Tertullian |
| Part of a series on |
| Theodicy |
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Irenaeus (/ɪrɪˈneɪəs/ or /ˌaɪrɪˈniːəs/; Ancient Greek: Εἰρηναῖος, romanized: Eirēnaîos; c. 125 – c. 202 AD)[4] was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by opposing Gnostic interpretations of Christian Scripture and defining proto-orthodoxy.[5] Originating from Smyrna, he had seen and heard the preaching of Polycarp,[6] who in turn was said to have heard John the Evangelist.[5]
Chosen as bishop of Lugdunum, now Lyon, his best-known work is Against Heresies, often cited as Adversus Haereses, a refutation of gnosticism, in particular that of Valentinus.[7] To counter the doctrines of the gnostic sects claiming secret wisdom, he offered three pillars of orthodoxy: the scriptures, the tradition said to be handed down from the apostles, and the teaching of the apostles' successors.[7][8][9] He is the earliest surviving witness to regard all four of the now-canonical gospels as essential.[10]
Irenaeus is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the Catholic Church by Pope Francis in 2022.[11]
- ^ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2002, p. 513-14
- ^ Against Heresies 5.28.4
- ^ Altaner, Bertold (1949), “Augustinus und Irenäus”. Theologische Quartalschrift, 129: 162–172.
- ^ Jurgens 1970, p. 84.
- ^ a b Poncelet 1910.
- ^ Eusebius 1890, Book V Chapter 5.
- ^ a b Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 852.
- ^ Durant 1972.
- ^ Wingren n.d.
- ^ Brown 1997, p. 14.
- ^ Francis, Pope (21 January 2022). "Decree of the Holy Father for the conferral of the title of Doctor of the Church on Saint Irenaeus of Lyon". The Vatican Press Agency. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
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