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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 4 · Chapter 22

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

Christ did not come for the sake of the men of one age only, but for all who, living righteously and piously, had believed upon Him; and for those, too, who shall believe.

Section 1

1. Now in the last days, when

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the

fulness

of

the

time

of

liberty

had

arrived

,

the

Word

Himself

did

by

Himself

“

wash

away

the

filth

of

the

daughters

of

Zion

,

”

when

He

washed

the

disciples

’

feet

with

His

own

hands

.

For

this

is

the

end

of

the

human

race

inheriting

God

;

that

as

in

the

beginning

,

by

means

of

our

first

[

parents

]

,

we

were

all

brought

into

bondage

,

by

being

made

subject

to

death

;

so

at

last

,

by

means

of

the

New

Man

,

all

who

from

the

beginning

[

were

His

]

disciples

,

having

been

cleansed

and

washed

from

things

pertaining

to

death

,

should

come

to

the

life

of

God

.

For

He

who

washed

the

feet

of

the

disciples

sanctified

the

entire

body

,

and

rendered

it

clean

.

For

this

reason

,

too

,

He

administered

food

to

them

in

a

recumbent

posture

,

indicating

that

those

who

were

lying

in

the

earth

were

they

to

whom

He

came

to

impart

life

.

As

Jeremiah

declares

,

“

The

holy

Lord

remembered

His

dead

Israel

,

who

slept

in

the

land

of

sepulture

;

and

He

descended

to

them

to

make

known

to

them

His

salvation

,

that

they

might

be

saved

.

”

For

this

reason

also

were

the

eyes

of

the

disciples

weighed

down

when

Christ’s

passion

was

approaching

;

and

when

,

in

the

first

instance

,

the

Lord

found

them

sleeping

,

He

let

it

pass

,

—

thus

indicating

the

patience

of

God

in

regard

to

the

state

of

slumber

in

which

men

lay

;

but

coming

the

second

time

,

He

aroused

them

,

and

made

them

stand

up

,

in

token

that

His

passion

is

the

arousing

of

His

sleeping

disciples

,

on

whose

account

“

He

also

descended

into

the

lower

parts

of

the

earth

,

”

to

behold

with

His

eyes

the

state

of

those

who

were

resting

from

their

labours

,

in

reference

to

whom

He

did

also

declare

to

the

disciples

:

“

Many

prophets

and

righteous

men

have

desired

to

see

and

hear

what

ye

do

see

and

hear

.

”

Section 2

2. For it was not merely for those who believed on Him in the time of Tiberius Cæsar that Christ came, nor did the Father exercise His providence for the men only who are now alive, but for all men altogether, who from the beginning, according to their capacity, in their generation have both feared and loved God, and practised justice and piety towards their neighbours, and have earnestly desired to see Christ, and to hear His voice. Wherefore He shall, at His second coming, first rouse from their sleep all persons of this description, and shall raise them up, as well as the rest who shall be judged, and give them a place in His kingdom. For it is truly “one God who” directed the patriarchs towards His dispensations, and “has justified the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith.” For as in the first we were prefigured, so, on the other hand, are they represented in us, that is, in the Church, and receive the recompense for those things which they accomplished.

Notes

327
Isa. iv. 4.
328
John xiii. 5.
329
This spurious quotation has been introduced before. See book iii. 20. 4.
330
Eph. iv. 9.
331
So Harvey understands the obscure Latin text, “id quod erat inoperatum conditionis.”
332
Matt. xiii. 17.
333
Rom. iii. 30.