On 28 June the church remembers Irenaeus, bishop, teacher of the faith, c. 200.

But who was Irenaeus?

As a young boy in Smyrna (on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor) Irenaeus had listened to Polycarp, who in turn had known the apostle John. He studied at Rome before becoming a priest in Lyons, a large trading city in the Rhône valley which was growing in strategic importance in the West.

Irenaeus was aware of the heritage of the Christian faith, and of the need to affirm the tradition of Christianity in the face of opposition from emerging philosophical systems. He stood against heresy and incorrect interpretations of the gospel, particularly by the Gnostics, a faith movement that stressed secret knowledge and creation myths.

In 177 Irenaeus was sent to deliver letters to the Church in Rome. On his return a year later he discovered that Christians in the city of Lyons had been persecuted, and many, including the bishop, had died. Irenaeus, who was renowned as a peacemaker, was appointed as the next bishop.

In his writing and his debating Irenaeus sought to expose the inadequacies and discrepancies within Gnostic thought and he challenged Gnostic claims to secret gospel traditions. He put great emphasis upon the apostolic succession and the continuation of the teaching given to him by the Church Fathers. The Scriptures did not have any credence amongst opponents to Christianity. Irenaeus united two separate defences of the gospel by appealing both to Scripture and tradition and greatly strengthened the case for Christianity. He affirmed the Christian belief in God, and emphasized the unity of the Father and the Son in the work of salvation.

Irenaeus’ defence of Christianity against the threat from Gnosticism was largely successful. Because of his appeal to both the tradition of the Church and to the ‘Fathers of the Church’ he is known as the first Catholic theologian.

Irenaeus instigated the ‘Rule of Faith’, a short credal statement summarizing the message of the gospel, as a weapon against heresy: The whole church believes in one God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and the seas and all that is therein, and in one Christ Jesus the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation, and in the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets preached the dispensations and the comings and the virgin birth and the passion, and the rising from the dead and the assumption into heaven in his flesh of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. Irenaeus: Rule of Faith

Some sources indicate that Irenaeus was martyred, but we do not have enough evidence to determine the actual events surrounding his death. Irenaeus has been canonized by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

A Prayer

God of peace,
who through the ministry of your servant Irenæus
strengthened the true faith
and brought harmony to your Church:
keep us steadfast in your true religion,
and renew us in faith and love,
that we may always walk in the way that leads to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Revd Paul A. Carr and extract from Saints on Earth: A biographical companion to Common Worship by John H Darch and Stuart K Burns