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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 4 · Chapter 7

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

Recapitulation of the foregoing argument, showing that Abraham, through the revelation of the Word, knew the Father, and the coming of the Son of God. For this cause, he rejoiced to see the day of Christ, when the promises made to him should be fulfilled. The fruit of this rejoicing has flowed to posterity, viz., to those who are partakers in the faith of Abraham, but not to the Jews who reject the Word of God.

Section 1

1. Therefore Abraham also, knowing the

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Father

through

the

Word

,

who

made

heaven

and

earth

,

confessed

Him

to

be

God

;

and

having

learned

,

by

an

announcement

[

made

to

him

]

,

that

the

Son

of

God

would

be

a

man

among

men

,

by

whose

advent

his

seed

should

be

as

the

stars

of

heaven

,

he

desired

to

see

that

day

,

so

that

he

might

himself

also

embrace

Christ

;

and

,

seeing

it

through

the

spirit

of

prophecy

,

he

rejoiced

.

Wherefore

Simeon

also

,

one

of

his

descendants

,

carried

fully

out

the

rejoicing

of

the

patriarch

,

and

said

:

“

Lord

,

now

lettest

Thou

Thy

servant

depart

in

peace

.

For

mine

eyes

have

seen

Thy

salvation

,

which

Thou

hast

prepared

before

the

face

of

all

people

:

a

light

for

the

revelation

of

the

Gentiles

,

and

the

glory

of

the

people

Israel

.

”

And

the

angels

,

in

like

manner

,

announced

tidings

of

great

joy

to

the

shepherds

who

were

keeping

watch

by

night

.

Moreover

,

Mary

said

,

“

My

soul

doth

magnify

the

Lord

,

and

my

spirit

hath

rejoiced

in

God

my

salvation

;

”

—

the

rejoicing

of

Abraham

descending

upon

those

who

sprang

from

him

,

—

those

,

namely

,

who

were

watching

,

and

who

beheld

Christ

,

and

believed

in

Him

;

while

,

on

the

other

hand

,

there

was

a

reciprocal

rejoicing

which

passed

backwards

from

the

children

to

Abraham

,

who

did

also

desire

to

see

the

day

of

Christ’s

coming

.

Rightly

,

then

,

did

our

Lord

bear

witness

to

him

,

saying

,

“

Your

father

Abraham

rejoiced

to

see

my

day

;

and

he

saw

it

,

and

was

glad

.

”

Section 2

2. For not alone upon Abraham’s account did He say these things, but also that He might point out how all who have known God from the beginning, and have foretold the advent of Christ, have received the revelation from the Son Himself; who also in the last times was made visible and passible, and spake with the human race, that He might from the stones raise up children unto Abraham, and fulfil the promise which God had given him, and that He might make his seed as the stars of heaven, as John the Baptist says: “For God is able from these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Now, this Jesus did by drawing us off from the religion of stones, and bringing us over from hard and fruitless cogitations, and establishing in us a faith like to Abraham. As Paul does also testify, saying that we are children of Abraham because of the similarity of our faith, and the promise of inheritance.

Section 3

3. He is therefore one and the same God, who called Abraham and gave him the promise. But He is the Creator, who does also through Christ prepare lights in the world, [namely] those who believe from among the Gentiles. And He says, “Ye are the light of the world;” that is, as the stars of heaven. Him, therefore, I have rightly shown to be known by no man, unless by the Son, and to whomsoever the Son shall reveal Him. But the Son reveals the Father to all to whom He wills that He should be known; and neither without the goodwill of the Father nor without the agency of the Son, can any man know God. Wherefore did the Lord say to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye have both known Him, and have seen Him.” From these words it is evident, that He is known by the Son, that is, by the Word.

Section 4

4. Therefore have the Jews departed from God, in not receiving His Word, but imagining that they could know the Father [apart] by Himself, without the Word, that is, without the Son; they being ignorant of that God who spake in human shape to Abraham, and again to Moses, saying, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people in Egypt, and I have come down to deliver them.” For the Son, who is the Word of God, arranged these things beforehand from the beginning, the Father being in no want of angels, in order that He might call the creation into being, and form man, for whom also the creation was made; nor, again, standing in need of any instrumentality for the framing of created things, or for the ordering of those things which had reference to man; while, [at the same time,] He has a vast and unspeakable number of servants. For His offspring and His similitude do minister to Him in every respect; that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Word and Wisdom; whom all the angels serve, and to whom they are subject. Vain, therefore, are those who, because of that declaration, “No man knoweth the Father, but the Son,” do introduce another unknown Father.

Notes

70
Gen. xvii. 17.
71
The text has oculorum, probably by mistake for populorum.
72
Luke ii. 29, etc.
73
Luke ii. 8.
74
Luke i. 46.
75
Gen. xv. 5.
76
Matt. iii. 9.
77
Rom. iv. 12; Gal. iv. 28.
78
Matt. v. 14.
79
John xiv. 6, 7.
80
Gen. xviii. 1.
81
Ex. iii. 7, 8.
82
Massuet here observes, that the fathers called the Holy Spirit the similitude of the Son.
83
Matt. xi. 27; Luke x. 22.