Irenaeus’ Use of Scripture in Christian Apologetics
by Kim Guilliams, MA
Introduction
St. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons, used copious references to Scripture in his treatise Against Heresies, a refutation of Gnostic heretical beliefs in his day.
He is one of the earliest Christian apologists to “defend the true Christian faith” by systematically expounding on the texts of the Apostles as prooftexts of God’s truth.[1]
He quotes extensively from both the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures, attributing to them the same level of authority, although he wrote around AD 180, around 200 years before the official canonization of the New Testament by Church Council. Irenaeus quoted from the Old Testament 502 times, with:“Irenaeus was one of the earliest Christian apologists to ‘defend the true Christian faith’ by systematically expounding on the texts of the Apostles as prooftexts of God’s truth.”
“a strong preference for the Prophetic Books (216 times) over Pentateuch (152 times), the Historical Books (23 times), and the Poetical Books (111 times). In order of frequency, the books of Isaiah( 113), Psalms(98), and Genesis (70) are dominantly quoted.”[2]
However:
“His citations from the New Testament are more numerous than those from the Old Testament. In his Adversus Haereses, he quotes 1,075 passages: 626 from the Gospels, 54 from Acts, 280 from the Pauline Epistles (except from Philemon), 15 from the Catholic Epistles (except 2 Peter, 3 John or Jude) and 29 from the Book of Revelation.[3]
In Books I and II, Irenaeus concentrated on the “refutation of the gnostic heresies” and their “false interpretations of scripture,” and in books III, IV, and V, he laid out “substantial contributions to . . . the earliest systematic theological treatise” on the person and work of Jesus Christ.[4]
Let’s look at Irenaeus’ use of Scripture in his work Against Heresies and analyze how he used it in his role as a Christian Apologist.
The Refutation of Heresy
The first and primary use of Scripture in Against Heresies is “the refutation of heresy,” which we find in Books I and II.[5]
Irenaeus prefaced Book I with the reason for his writing. “I have judged it needful . . . to declare unto thee . . . portentous and deep mysteries” of the Gnostic disciples of Valentinus, to “avoid the depth of these men’s folly.”[6]
In quoting Scripture, he hoped to “provide thee with resources for demonstrating its falsehoods.”[7]
He understood that “all Christian teaching must be in harmony with the teaching of the Apostles,” so he used the Scriptures to refute the beliefs and actions of the Gnostics in his day.[8]
“Irenaeus recognized that he could not reach everyone, but he could equip other believers to understand the ‘false tales and vain genealogies’ of the heretics, learn from the Scriptures what the Truths of the Lord were, and follow Irenaeus’ example in refuting erroneous doctrine wherever they encountered it.”In Book I, he expounded on “their differences, and doctrines, and successions . . . and heresies” and refuted their “impious and irreligious tenets.”[9]
In Book II, Irenaeus set out to “overthrow the whole of their Rule . . . by exposing and overturning [what] they affirm openly.”
He refuted the Gnostics by referring to “the preaching of the Apostles, and the teaching of the Lord, and the announcement of the Prophets, and that which is put into our mouths by the Apostles.”
These categories–the Prophets, the Lord, and the Apostles–encompassed for Irenaeus the Old Testament, the four Gospels, and the New Testament books associated with Apostolic teachings, including Acts and the Epistles.
Irenaeus’s reason for refuting the heretics publicly was two-fold. First, he desired “to draw back them that err, and convert them to the Church of God.”[10]
He wanted to “confut[e] all the Heretics” by using the “discourses of our Lord” to “convinc[e] some of them by the very doctrine of Christ” to “cease from that kind of error.”
Irenaeus expressed that he desired to “turn[] them towards the Harbour of Truth . . . [and] so cause them to receive their own salvation.”[11]
Therefore, he taught the words of the Lord and “expound[ed] the Apostle” Paul, who is “a Preacher of the Truth,” in order to “refute [heretics] in many ways; if haply they might by those many ways be refuted, and converted to the truth, and saved.”[12]
His method of refuting error was to explain the Scriptures.“Irenaeus was not only concerned about the salvation of the heretics but also about the faith of those who believed in Christ but were in danger of being led astray by false doctrine.”
His second reason for refuting the heretics publicly was to equip other believers to “regularly refute [false arguments] and find answers to them.”[13]
Irenaeus stated that his books trained “both ourselves and thee to the refutation of all Heretics.”[14]
Irenaeus recognized that he could not reach everyone, but he could equip other believers to understand the “false tales and vain genealogies” of the heretics, learn from the Scriptures what the Truths of the Lord were, and follow Irenaeus’ example in refuting erroneous doctrine wherever they encountered it.[15]
To Defend and Declare the Christian Faith
The second use of Scripture in Against Heresies is found in Books III, IV, and V. Irenaeus’ purpose in this more systematic explanation of theology was to “to defend and declare” the Christian faith.[16]
Irenaeus wrote that these latter books were special, “tracing out those Scriptures: so out of the Divine writings will our arguments be set within reach of all who love the Truth.”[17]
He desired to lay out “the only true and life-giving Faith; which the Church hath received from the Apostles,” therefore “sett[ing] forth the sentence of the Apostles on” heretics.[18]
He laid out the tenets of Christianity by “adduc[ing] evidence from the Scriptures.”[19] Irenaeus considered the words of Jesus and the Apostles to be Scriptural evidence of the truth of Christianity.
He used “the words of our Lord” to “establish [his] previous statements” and followed by “expounding the Apostle” Paul, who is “a Preacher of the Truth.”[20]
To Encourage Young Believers
He wrote that his reason for defending the faith (in addition to refuting heresies, which we wrote about above) was to confirm faith in young believers.
Irenaes wanted to defend Christianity in order “to confirm . . . the mind of the Novices, that they may keep unshaken the faith.”[21]
Irenaeus was not only concerned about the salvation of the heretics but also about the faith of those who believed in Christ but were in danger of being led astray by false doctrine. “By using the words of the Prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Apostles, we can refute those who teach false doctrine in order that we might win them over to Christ.”
He reminded his reader that Satan has been sent “to deceive and destroy those, who keep not steadily braced that faith which they received.”[22]
He warned against the beguiling teachings of the heretics, calling them “evil expounders of good words,” people who subvert many . . . from Him by whom this universe was framed.”[23]
In an effort to prevent this subversion, Irenaeus used the “Lord’s discourses” and the “teaching also of Paul” to “shew the wildness of [the heretics’] folly” so that people would not be led astray by their erroneous interpretations of Scripture.[24]
Conclusion – Still Relevant
Although over 1,800 years have passed since Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies, his method of apologetics is just as necessary to combat today’s heresies.
By using the words of the Prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Apostles, we can refute those who teach false doctrine in order that we might win them over to Christ, equip mature Christians to defend the faith, and encourage young believers to remain steadfast in the faith delivered to us through the Church in the Holy Scriptures.
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References
[1] Margaret M. Beirne, “St Irenaeus and the Scriptures,” Phronema 34, no. 2 (2019): 59.
[2] Ho-Woo Lee, 한국기독교신학논총,v 42, Dec 2005, 162-63.
[3] Bruce Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997), 154.
[4] Beirne, “St. Irenaeus,” 85-86.
[5] Andre Benoit, Saint Irenee: Introduction al Letude de sa Theologie, (Paris: Presses Uneversitaires de France, I960), 77, quoted in Ho-Woo Lee, 한국기독교신학논총,v 42, Dec 2005, 159.
[6] Irenaeus, Five Books of St. Irenaus, Bishop of Lyons: Against Heresies with the Fragments that Remain of His Other Works, trans. John Keble (Oxford: Crossreach Publications, 2018), 7.
[7] Irenaeus, Five Books, 7.
[8] Cornelius Van Til, Christianity in Conflict, ed. Steve Vanderhill. (Philadelphia: Westminster Campus Bookstore, 1996), quoted in Ho-Woo Lee, 한국기독교신학논총,v 42, Dec 2005, 165.
[9] Irenaeus, Five Books, 39.
[10] Ibid 166.
[11] Ibid. 115.
[12] Ibid, 165.
[13] Irenaeus, Five Books, 166
[14] Ibid. 165.
[15] Ibid, 6.
[16] Lee, “Use of Scripture, 169.
[17] Irenaeus, Five Books, 77.
[18] Ibid, 77, 115.
[19] Ibid, 115.
[20] Ibid, 165.
[21] Irenaeus, Five Books, 166
[22] Ibid, 21.
[23] Ibid, 6.
[24] Ibid. 165.
Image Credit
H. Ireneüs van Lyon, anonymous, 1600-1699. The Rijksmuseum. RP-P-1907-47.