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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 2 · Preface

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

Preface

Section 1

1. In the first book, which immediately precedes

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 31 Book 2 · Chapter 1 ›

this

,

exposing

“

knowledge

falsely

so

called

,

”

I

showed

thee

,

my

very

dear

friend

,

that

the

whole

system

devised

,

in

many

and

opposite

ways

,

by

those

who

are

of

the

school

of

Valentinus

,

was

false

and

baseless

.

I

also

set

forth

the

tenets

of

their

predecessors

,

proving

that

they

not

only

differed

among

themselves

,

but

had

long

previously

swerved

from

the

truth

itself

.

I

further

explained

,

with

all

diligence

,

the

doctrine

as

well

as

practice

of

Marcus

the

magician

,

since

he

,

too

,

belongs

to

these

persons

;

and

I

carefully

noticed

the

passages

which

they

garble

from

the

Scriptures

,

with

the

view

of

adapting

them

to

their

own

fictions

.

Moreover

,

I

minutely

narrated

the

manner

in

which

,

by

means

of

numbers

,

and

by

the

twenty

-

four

letters

of

the

alphabet

,

they

boldly

endeavour

to

establish

[

what

they

regard

as

]

truth

.

I

have

also

they

think

and

teach

that

creation

at

large

was

formed

after

the

image

of

their

invisible

Pleroma

,

and

what

they

hold

respecting

the

Demiurge

,

declaring

at

the

same

time

the

doctrine

of

Simon

Magus

of

Samaria

,

their

progenitor

,

and

of

all

those

who

succeeded

him

.

I

mentioned

,

too

,

the

multitude

of

those

Gnostics

who

are

sprung

from

him

,

and

noticed

the

points

of

difference

between

them

,

their

several

doctrines

,

and

the

order

of

their

succession

,

while

I

set

forth

all

those

heresies

which

have

been

originated

by

them

.

I

showed

,

moreover

,

that

all

these

heretics

,

taking

their

rise

from

Simon

,

have

introduced

impious

and

irreligious

doctrines

into

this

life

;

and

I

explained

the

nature

of

their

“

redemption

,

”

and

their

method

of

initiating

those

who

are

rendered

“

perfect

,

”

along

with

their

invocations

and

their

mysteries

.

I

proved

also

that

there

is

one

God

,

the

Creator

,

and

that

He

is

not

the

fruit

of

any

defect

,

nor

is

there

anything

either

above

Him

,

or

after

Him

.

Section 2

2. In the present book, I shall establish those points which fit in with my design, so far as time permits, and overthrow, by means of lengthened treatment under distinct heads, their whole system; for which reason, since it is an exposure and subversion of their opinions, I have so entitled the composition of this work. For it is fitting, by a plain revelation and overthrow of their conjunctions, to put an end to these hidden alliances, and to Bythus himself, and thus to obtain a demonstration that he never existed at any previous time, nor now has any existence.

Notes

1
1 Tim. vi. 20.
2
[Note this “Americanism.”]
3
[Note this “Americanism.”]
4
This passage is very obscure: we have supplied “et,” which, as Harvey conjectures, may have dropped out of the text.