Irenaeus

Bishop of Lyon, theologianAlso: Irenaeus of Lyon, Irenaeus of Lyons

A Christian from Asia Minor who heard Polycarp in his youth and became bishop of Lyon after the persecution of 177. His five books Against Heresies set the faith of the churches, the four Gospels and the succession of bishops against Gnostic teaching.

Irenaeus says that in his early youth he saw Polycarp, and in a letter that Eusebius quotes he recalls the place where the old bishop sat and taught “in lower Asia” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.4) (Eusebius, Church History 5.20.5–7). By 177 he was a presbyter at Lyon. The imprisoned Christians of that city sent him to Rome with a letter commending him to bishop Eleutherus (Eusebius, Church History 5.4.1–2), and after the death of Pothinus he became bishop (Eusebius, Church History 5.5.8).

He wrote Against Heresies while Eleutherius was bishop of Rome (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.3). When Victor of Rome, about 190, moved to break communion with the churches of Asia over the date of Easter, Irenaeus wrote to dissuade him, reminding him that Polycarp and Anicetus had differed on the same point and remained at peace; Eusebius remarks that he lived up to his name, which means “peaceful” (Eusebius, Church History 5.24.11–18). See Irenaeus Sets Out the Rule of Faith and the Martyrs of Lyon and Vienne.

In the timeline

The Martyrs of Lyon and Vienne

Mob violence against the Christians of Lyon and Vienne ends in trials before the governor. The aged bishop Pothinus dies in prison, and the slave Blandina and others are killed in the amphitheatre. The survivors describe it in a letter to Asia.

Irenaeus Sets Out the Rule of Faith

Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, writes five books against the followers of Valentinus and Marcion. Against their claim to a secret tradition he sets three public tests: the faith the churches confess, the four Gospels, and the succession of bishops from the apostles.

In the timeline

Primary sources

Against Heresies

Church History