{"id":5611,"date":"2024-06-28T08:28:49","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T08:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/learn\/st-irenaeus-of-lyon-the-legacy-of-the-early-church-father-and-doctor-of-unity\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T08:28:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T08:28:49","slug":"st-irenaeus-of-lyon-the-legacy-of-the-early-church-father-and-doctor-of-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/st-irenaeus-of-lyon-the-legacy-of-the-early-church-father-and-doctor-of-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Irenaeus of Lyon: the legacy of the early Church father and doctor of unity"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ad_1]
\n
\u0418\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u0438\u043a <\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n St. Irenaeus of Lyon. \/ Credit: Wolfymoza via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

On June 28, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who as a boy sat at the feet of Polycarp, eagerly listening to the sermons of the early Christian bishop and disciple of the apostle John.<\/p>\n

The boy Irenaeus grew up to write vastly influential documents that witnessed to the early Church\u2019s understanding of topics ranging from the Old Testament to the Eucharist. <\/p>\n

Though he has long been considered an early Church father, Pope Francis named him the 27th doctor of the Church in 2022, more than 1,800 years after his death, naming him \u201cDoctor Unitatis,\u201d or Doctor of Unity.<\/p>\n

While his work was foundational to the Church, Irenaeus did not consider himself a scholar, and his most famous work, \u201cAgainst Heresies,\u201d written in about 185 A.D., stemmed from a pastoral desire to defend the Church from the rampant heresy of Gnosticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not expect from me \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 rhetorical skill, which I have never learned, nor power in writing, which I have not acquired, nor beauties of language and style, which I am not acquainted with,\u201d the Doctor of Unity wrote, as quoted in Cyril Richardson\u2019s anthology \u201cEarly Christian Fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though he was buried in a crypt after his death in about 202 A.D., the tomb was destroyed in 1562 along with his relics. Though his physical remains are gone, along with any original copies of his writing, his image is detailed in icons made of gold leaf hammered onto wood boards, his translated writings are perused and annotated by scholars, and his legacy continues to guide the Church today.<\/p>\n

A spiritual bridge<\/h2>\n

Irenaeus was born a Greek in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, in the ancient Greek coastal city of Smyrna, in what is now modern-day Turkey, \u043c\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0443<\/a> 115 and 125 A.D. or 130 and 140 A.D. He became bishop of Lyon but traveled to Rome.<\/p>\n

\u201cSt. Irenaeus of Lyon, who came from the East, exercised his episcopal ministry in the West: He was a spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians,\u201d Pope Francis wrote in the 2022 \u0434\u0435\u043a\u0440\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/a> naming Irenaeus a Church doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name, Irenaeus, expresses that peace which comes from the Lord and which reconciles, restoring unity,\u201d the pope noted. <\/p>\n

While he ardently condemned heresies, Irenaeus wrote a letter in about 190 A.D. to Pope Victor, respectfully protesting his intention to excommunicate a group of churches in Asia Minor for observing the paschal feast on the Jewish date. <\/p>\n

Irenaeus wrote only in Greek, but the oldest copies of his writings are mostly Latin translations, or snippets of his writings as cited by other early Church authors such as Eusebius. <\/p>\n

Though the original copies of his writings are lost to history, the two complete writings<\/a> still in existence are a scrupulously accurate Latin translation of \u201cDetection and Overthrow of the False Knowledge,\u201d commonly called \u201cAgainst Heresies,\u201d and a Latin translation of \u201cProof of the Apostolic Preaching,\u201d where Irenaeus expounded on Old Testament prophecies to show the truth of the Gospels. <\/p>\n

Much of Irenaeus\u2019 work was lost for a time until he was brought back into the view of the Church by Erasmus in 1526, just after the start of the Protestant Reformation. <\/p>\n

He likely died near the year 202 A.D., and though he is sometimes known as a martyr, there is little evidence to suggest that he was martyred. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on June 28, while Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate it on Aug. 23. <\/p>\n

Legacy and writings <\/h2>\n

In his best-known work \u201cAgainst Heresies,\u201d Irenaeus countered Gnosticism, an esoteric sect that believed that people are saved by acquiring secret knowledge, that creation was inherently bad, and that Christ was not truly God but a created being.<\/p>\n

But in \u201cAgainst Heresies,\u201d Irenaeus also gave a coherent summary of the Christian faith that provides modern Christians with an understanding of what the early Church believed at about 160 years after the death of Christ from someone who knew a disciple of the apostle John. <\/p>\n

Irenaeus was also the first on record to cite all the books in the Church\u2019s current New Testament with the exception of three small books: Jude, 3 John, and Philomen.  <\/p>\n

Ireneaus also developed Paul\u2019s conception of pedagogy<\/a>, the idea that through the Old Testament, God prepared humanity for the coming of Christ, gradually teaching the Israelites in view of the fullness of his plan, which would be revealed later. <\/p>\n

In \u201cAgainst Heresies,\u201d he wrote on the Eucharist as well, saying: \u201cFor since we are his members, and are nourished by [his] creation \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 he declares that the cup, [taken] from the creation, is his own blood, by which he strengthens our blood, and he has firmly assured us that the bread, [taken] from the creation, is his own body, by which our bodies grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

[ad_2]<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[ad_1] Source St. Irenaeus of Lyon. \/ Credit: Wolfymoza via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) On June 28, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who as a boy sat at the feet of Polycarp, eagerly listening to the sermons of the early Christian bishop and disciple of the apostle John. The boy Irenaeus grew [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-5611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1719563333_thissaint-irenaeus-detail-1.jpg?fit=900%2C600&quality=80&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8167,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/is-edith-stein-a-doctor-of-the-church-no-but-she-could-be-one-soon\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":0},"title":"Is Edith Stein a doctor of the Church? No, but she could be one soon","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"9 \u0430\u0432\u0433\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0430, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), pictured in 1938-1939. \/ Credit: Public Domain CNA Staff, Aug 9, 2024 \/ 06:00 am (CNA). Aug. 9 is the feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein. A convert from Judaism at the age\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1723213251_edith-stein-ca.-1938-1939.jpg?fit=900%2C600&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1723213251_edith-stein-ca.-1938-1939.jpg?fit=900%2C600&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1723213251_edith-stein-ca.-1938-1939.jpg?fit=900%2C600&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1723213251_edith-stein-ca.-1938-1939.jpg?fit=900%2C600&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68047,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/pope-leo-xiv-declares-st-john-henry-newman-doctor-of-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":1},"title":"Pope Leo XIV Declares St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"31 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pope Leo XIV reads his homily at Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Nov. 1, 2025. \/ Vatican Media Vatican City, Nov 1, 2025 \/ 08:45 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has declared St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope Leo XIV Declares St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Declares-St.-John-Henry-Newman-Doctor-of-the-Church.webp?fit=1200%2C686&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Declares-St.-John-Henry-Newman-Doctor-of-the-Church.webp?fit=1200%2C686&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Declares-St.-John-Henry-Newman-Doctor-of-the-Church.webp?fit=1200%2C686&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Declares-St.-John-Henry-Newman-Doctor-of-the-Church.webp?fit=1200%2C686&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Declares-St.-John-Henry-Newman-Doctor-of-the-Church.webp?fit=1200%2C686&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11592,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/roman-catholic-vs-catholic\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":2},"title":"‘Roman Catholic’ Vs. ‘Catholic’: What’s The Difference?","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"1 \u043d\u043e\u044f\u0431\u0440\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Explore the differences between \"Roman Catholic\" and \"Catholic\" to clarify their meanings and implications for Christian unity today.","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian Education"","block_context":{"text":"Christian Education","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/whats-the-difference-between-roman-catholic-and-catholic.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/whats-the-difference-between-roman-catholic-and-catholic.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/whats-the-difference-between-roman-catholic-and-catholic.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/whats-the-difference-between-roman-catholic-and-catholic.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/whats-the-difference-between-roman-catholic-and-catholic.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5639,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/exploring-the-symbolism-of-the-tree-of-life-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":3},"title":"Exploring the Symbolism of the Tree of Life in the Bible","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"8 \u0438\u044e\u043b\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Join us on a captivating journey that sheds light on the Tree of Life, its unique importance, and its fascinating place in religious folklore.","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Bible Mysteries"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Mysteries","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/bible-mysteries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240629-111053.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240629-111053.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240629-111053.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240629-111053.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240629-111053.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6381,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/bible-mysteries-is-jesus-the-son-of-god-or-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":4},"title":"Bible Mysteries: is jesus the son of god, or god?","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"1 \u0430\u0432\u0433\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0430, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Discover the truth behind the identity of Jesus - is he the Son of God or God Himself? Explore the concept of Jesus being the Son of God, how he was identified as such, and the profound meaning and significance behind this title.","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Bible Mysteries"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Mysteries","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/bible-mysteries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/20240709-115027.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/20240709-115027.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/20240709-115027.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/20240709-115027.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/20240709-115027.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4958,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/understanding-not-of-this-world-bible-study\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":5},"title":"Understanding ‘Not of This World’: Bible Study","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"18 \u0438\u044e\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Discover the deep meaning of \"Not of This World\" in the Bible. What do these verses reveal about our spiritual journey and heavenly home? Explore now.","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Bible Study"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Study","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/bible-study\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240608-065753.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240608-065753.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240608-065753.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240608-065753.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20240608-065753.webp?fit=1200%2C675&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5611"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=5611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}