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Against Heresies
Irenaeus of Lyons
Book 4 · Chapter 12 About this work A five-book account and refutation of competing Christian movements that also develops Irenaeus’s positive theology of creation, Scripture, apostolic tradition, incarnation, salvation, and recapitulation in Christ.
Author Irenaeus of Lyons
Date c. AD 175–185
Origin Lyons, Gaul
Genre Heresiology It clearly appears that there was but one author of both the old and the new law, from the fact that Christ condemned traditions and customs repugnant to the former, while He confirmed its most important precepts, and taught that He was Himself the end of the Mosaic law. Section 1 1 . For the tradition of the elders
‹ Book 4 · Chapter 11 Book 4 · Chapter 13 ›themselves
,
which
they
pretended
to
observe
from
the
law
,
was
contrary
to
the
law
given
by
Moses
.
Wherefore
also
Esaias
declares
:
“
Thy
dealers
mix
the
wine
with
water
,
”
showing
that
the
elders
were
in
the
habit
of
mingling
a
watered
tradition
with
the
simple
command
of
God
;
that
is
,
they
set
up
a
spurious
law
,
and
one
contrary
to
the
[
true
]
law
;
as
also
the
Lord
made
plain
,
when
He
said
to
them
,
“
Why
do
ye
transgress
the
commandment
of
God
,
for
the
sake
of
your
tradition
?
”
For
not
only
by
actual
transgression
did
they
set
the
law
of
God
at
nought
,
mingling
the
wine
with
water
;
but
they
also
set
up
their
own
law
in
opposition
to
it
,
which
is
termed
,
even
to
the
present
day
,
the
pharisaical
.
In
this
[
law
]
they
suppress
certain
things
,
add
others
,
and
interpret
others
,
again
,
as
they
think
proper
,
which
their
teachers
use
,
each
one
in
particular
;
and
desiring
to
uphold
these
traditions
,
they
were
unwilling
to
be
subject
to
the
law
of
God
,
which
prepares
them
for
the
coming
of
Christ
.
But
they
did
even
blame
the
Lord
for
healing
on
the
Sabbath
-
days
,
which
,
as
I
have
already
observed
,
the
law
did
not
prohibit
.
For
they
did
themselves
,
in
one
sense
,
perform
acts
of
healing
upon
the
Sabbath
-
day
,
when
they
circumcised
a
man
[
on
that
day
]
;
but
they
did
not
blame
themselves
for
transgressing
the
command
of
God
through
tradition
and
the
aforesaid
pharisaical
law
,
and
for
not
keeping
the
commandment
of
the
law
,
which
is
the
love
of
God
.
Section 2 2 . But that this is the first and greatest commandment , and that the next [ has respect to love ] towards our neighbour , the Lord has taught , when He says that the entire law and the prophets hang upon these two commandments . Moreover , He did not Himself bring down [ from heaven ] any other commandment greater than this one , but renewed this very same one to His disciples , when He enjoined them to love God with all their heart , and others as themselves . But if He had descended from another Father , He never would have made use of the first and greatest commandment of the law ; but He would undoubtedly have endeavoured by all means to bring down a greater one than this from the perfect Father , so as not to make use of that which had been given by the God of the law . And Paul in like manner declares , “ Love is the fulfilling of the law : ” and [ he declares ] that when all other things have been destroyed , there shall remain “ faith , hope , and love ; but the greatest of all is love ; ” and that apart from the love of God , neither knowledge avails anything , nor the understanding of mysteries , nor faith , nor prophecy , but that without love all are hollow and vain ; moreover , that love makes man perfect ; and that he who loves God is perfect , both in this world and in that which is to come . For we do never cease from loving God ; but in proportion as we continue to contemplate Him , so much the more do we love Him .
Section 3 3 . As in the law , therefore , and in the Gospel [ likewise ] , the first and greatest commandment is , to love the Lord God with the whole heart , and then there follows a commandment like to it , to love one’s neighbour as one’s self ; the author of the law and the Gospel is shown to be one and the same . For the precepts of an absolutely perfect life , since they are the same in each Testament , have pointed out [ to us ] the same God , who certainly has promulgated particular laws adapted for each ; but the more prominent and the greatest [ commandments ] , without which salvation cannot [ be attained ] , He has exhorted [ us to observe ] the same in both .
Section 4 4 . The Lord , too , does not do away with this [ God ] , when He shows that the law was not derived from another God , expressing Himself as follows to those who were being instructed by Him , to the multitude and to His disciples : “ The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses ’ seat . All , therefore , whatsoever they bid you observe , that observe and do ; but do not ye after their works : for they say , and do not . For they bind heavy burdens , and lay them upon men’s shoulders ; but they themselves will not so much as move them with a finger . ” He therefore did not throw blame upon that law which was given by Moses , when He exhorted it to be observed , Jerusalem being as yet in safety ; but He did throw blame upon those persons , because they repeated indeed the words of the law , yet were without love . And for this reason were they held as being unrighteous as respects God , and as respects their neighbours . As also Isaiah says : “ This people honoureth Me with their lips , but their heart is far from Me : howbeit in vain do they worship Me , teaching the doctrines and the commandments of men . ” He does not call the law given by Moses commandments of men , but the traditions of the elders themselves which they had invented , and in upholding which they made the law of God of none effect , and were on this account also not subject to His Word . For this is what Paul says concerning these men : “ For they , being ignorant of God’s righteousness , and going about to establish their own righteousness , have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God . For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth . ” And how is Christ the end of the law , if He be not also the final cause of it ? For He who has brought in the end has Himself also wrought the beginning ; and it is He who does Himself say to Moses , “ I have surely seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt , and I have come down to deliver them ; ” it being customary from the beginning with the Word of God to ascend and descend for the purpose of saving those who were in affliction .
Section 5 5 . Now , that the law did beforehand teach mankind the necessity of following Christ , He does Himself make manifest , when He replied as follows to him who asked Him what he should do that he might inherit eternal life : “ If thou wilt enter into life , keep the commandments . ” But upon the other asking “ Which ? ” again the Lord replies : “ Do not commit adultery , do not kill , do not steal , do not bear false witness , honour father and mother , and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself , ” — setting as an ascending series ( velut gradus ) before those who wished to follow Him , the precepts of the law , as the entrance into life ; and what He then said to one He said to all . But when the former said , “ All these have I done ” ( and most likely he had not kept them , for in that case the Lord would not have said to him , “ Keep the commandments ” ) , the Lord , exposing his covetousness , said to him , “ If thou wilt be perfect , go , sell all that thou hast , and distribute to the poor ; and come , follow me ; ” promising to those who would act thus , the portion belonging to the apostles ( apostolorum partem ) . And He did not preach to His followers another God the Father , besides Him who was proclaimed by the law from the beginning ; nor another Son ; nor the Mother , the enthymesis of the Æon , who existed in suffering and apostasy ; nor the Pleroma of the thirty Æons , which has been proved vain , and incapable of being believed in ; nor that fable invented by the other heretics . But He taught that they should obey the commandments which God enjoined from the beginning , and do away with their former covetousness by good works , and follow after Christ . But that possessions distributed to the poor do annul former covetousness , Zaccheus made evident , when he said , “ Behold , the half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have defrauded any one , I restore fourfold . ”
