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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 4 · Chapter 29

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

Refutation of the arguments of the Marcionites, who attempted to show that God was the author of sin, because He blinded Pharaoh and his servants.

Section 1

1. “But,” say they,

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 28 Book 4 · Chapter 30 ›

“

God

hardened

the

heart

of

Pharaoh

and

of

his

servants

.

”

Those

,

then

,

who

allege

such

difficulties

,

do

not

read

in

the

Gospel

that

passage

where

the

Lord

replied

to

the

disciples

,

when

they

asked

Him

,

“

Why

speakest

Thou

unto

them

in

parables

?

”

—

“

Because

it

is

given

unto

you

to

know

the

mystery

of

the

kingdom

of

heaven

;

but

to

them

I

speak

in

parables

,

that

seeing

they

may

not

see

,

and

hearing

they

may

not

hear

,

understanding

they

may

not

understand

;

in

order

that

the

prophecy

of

Isaiah

regarding

them

may

be

fulfilled

,

saying

,

Make

the

heart

of

this

people

gross

and

make

their

ears

dull

,

and

blind

their

eyes

.

But

blessed

are

your

eyes

,

which

see

the

things

that

ye

see

;

and

your

ears

,

which

hear

what

ye

do

hear

.

”

For

one

and

the

same

God

[

that

blesses

others

]

inflicts

blindness

upon

those

who

do

not

believe

,

but

who

set

Him

at

naught

;

just

as

the

sun

,

which

is

a

creature

of

His

,

[

acts

with

regard

]

to

those

who

,

by

reason

of

any

weakness

of

the

eyes

cannot

behold

his

light

;

but

to

those

who

believe

in

Him

and

follow

Him

,

He

grants

a

fuller

and

greater

illumination

of

mind

.

In

accordance

with

this

word

,

therefore

,

does

the

apostle

say

,

in

the

Second

[

Epistle

]

to

the

Corinthians

:

“

In

whom

the

this

world

hath

blinded

the

minds

of

them

that

believe

not

,

lest

the

light

of

the

glorious

Gospel

of

Christ

should

shine

[

unto

them

]

.

”

And

again

,

in

that

to

the

Romans

:

“

And

as

they

did

not

think

fit

to

have

God

in

their

knowledge

,

God

gave

them

up

to

a

reprobate

mind

,

to

do

those

things

that

are

not

convenient

.

”

Speaking

of

antichrist

,

too

,

he

says

clearly

in

the

Second

to

the

Thessalonians

:

“

And

for

this

cause

God

shall

send

them

the

working

of

error

,

that

they

should

believe

a

lie

;

that

they

all

might

be

judged

who

believed

not

the

truth

,

but

consented

to

iniquity

.

”

Section 2

2. If, therefore, in the present time also, God, knowing the number of those who will not believe, since He foreknows all things, has given them over to unbelief, and turned away His face from men of this stamp, leaving them in the darkness which they have themselves chosen for themselves, what is there wonderful if He did also at that time give over to their unbelief, Pharaoh, who never would have believed, along with those who were with him? As the Word spake to Moses from the bush: “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, unless by a mighty hand.” And for the reason that the Lord spake in parables, and brought blindness upon Israel, that seeing they might not see, since He knew the [spirit of] unbelief in them, for the same reason did He harden Pharaoh’s heart; in order that, while seeing that it was the finger of God which led forth the people, he might not believe, but be precipitated into a sea of unbelief, resting in the notion that the exit of these [Israelites] was accomplished by magical power, and that it was not by the operation of God that the Red Sea afforded a passage to the people, but that this occurred by merely natural causes (sed naturaliter sic se habere).

Notes

411
Ex. ix. 35.
412
Matt. xiii. 11–16; Isa. vi. 10.
413
2 Cor. iv. 4.
414
Rom. i. 28.
415
2 Thess. ii. 11.
416
Ex. iii. 19.