Commemoration of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, pastor

Today, June 28th, is the day in the church calendar which celebrates Irenaeus of Lyon, an early church father (c. A+D 130 - 202) who battled the Gnostics.

In terms of background, it is believed that Irenaeus was native of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey) who studied in Rome and later became pastor in Lyons, France. Around 177, while Irenaeus was away from Lyons, a fierce persecution of Christians led to the martyrdom of his bishop. Upon Irenaeus' return, he became bishop of Lyons.

Among Irenaeus' most famous writings is a work condemning heresies, especially that bewildering array of loosely-affiliated heresies called gnosticism (which is making a huge 21st century comeback, by the way). Since most gnostics taught all that matter is fundamentally flawed and evil and that our central goal in life is denying the material and embracing the spiritual only, Irenaeus in turn defended the worthiness of earthly creation and matter to be the creation of the true and only God and upheld the incarnation of Christ was a crucial event in salvation history.

Irenaeus also affirmed the teachings of the Scriptures handed down to and through him as being normative for the Church. He also defended the Chrsitian faith as "Apostolic" against the Gnostics who claimed a separate, secret Christian tradition apart from the apostles. Irenaeus insisted that it was the apostles and the Scriptures they wrote which gave true knowledge of Christ and the Father and our salvation.

Here is a small bit of his writing on that subject:

We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith. For it is unlawful to assert that they preached before they possessed "perfect knowledge," as some do even venture to say, boasting themselves as improvers of the apostles. For, after our Lord rose from the dead, [the apostles] were invested with power from on high when the Holy Spirit came down [upon them], were filled from all [His gifts], and had perfect knowledge: they departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things [sent] from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven to men, who indeed do all equally and individually possess the Gospel of God. Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.

These have all declared to us that there is one God, Creator of heaven and earth, announced by the law and the prophets; and one Christ the Son of God. If any one do not agree to these truths, he despises the companions of the Lord; nay more, he despises Christ Himself the Lord; yea, he despises the Father also, and stands self-condemned, resisting and opposing his own salvation, as is the case with all heretics.

                       Source: Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 1.