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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 5 · Chapter 4

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

Those persons are deceived who feign another God the Father besides the Creator of the world; for he must have been feeble and useless, or else malignant and full of envy, if he be either unable or unwilling to extend external life to our bodies.

Section 1

1. Those persons who feign the existence of

‹ Book 5 · Chapter 3 Book 5 · Chapter 5 ›

another

Father

beyond

the

Creator

,

and

who

term

him

the

good

God

,

do

deceive

themselves

;

for

they

introduce

him

as

a

feeble

,

worthless

,

and

negligent

being

,

not

to

say

malign

and

full

of

envy

,

inasmuch

as

they

affirm

that

our

bodies

are

not

quickened

by

him

.

For

when

they

say

of

things

which

it

is

manifest

to

all

do

remain

immortal

,

such

as

the

spirit

and

the

soul

,

and

such

other

things

,

that

they

are

quickened

by

the

Father

,

but

that

another

thing

[

viz

.

the

body

]

which

is

quickened

in

no

different

manner

than

by

God

granting

[

life

]

to

it

,

is

abandoned

by

life

,

—

[

they

must

either

confess

]

that

this

proves

their

Father

to

be

weak

and

powerless

,

or

else

envious

and

malignant

.

For

since

the

Creator

does

even

here

quicken

our

mortal

bodies

,

and

promises

them

resurrection

by

the

prophets

,

as

I

have

pointed

out

;

who

[

in

that

case

]

is

shown

to

be

more

powerful

,

stronger

,

or

truly

good

?

Whether

is

it

the

Creator

who

vivifies

the

whole

man

,

or

is

it

their

Father

,

falsely

so

called

?

He

feigns

to

be

the

quickener

of

those

things

which

are

immortal

by

nature

,

to

which

things

life

is

always

present

by

their

very

nature

;

but

he

does

not

benevolently

quicken

those

things

which

required

his

assistance

,

that

they

might

live

,

but

leaves

them

carelessly

to

fall

under

the

power

of

death

.

Whether

is

it

the

case

,

then

,

that

their

Father

does

not

bestow

life

upon

them

when

he

has

the

power

of

so

doing

,

or

is

it

that

he

does

not

possess

the

power

?

If

,

on

the

one

hand

,

it

is

because

he

cannot

,

he

is

,

upon

that

supposition

,

not

a

powerful

being

,

nor

is

he

more

perfect

than

the

Creator

;

for

the

Creator

grants

,

as

we

must

perceive

,

what

He

is

unable

to

afford

.

But

if

,

on

the

other

hand

,

[

it

be

that

he

does

not

grant

this

]

when

he

has

the

power

of

so

doing

,

then

he

is

proved

to

be

not

a

good

,

but

an

envious

and

malignant

Father

.

Section 2

2. If, again, they refer to any cause on account of which their Father does not impart life to bodies, then that cause must necessarily appear superior to the Father, since it restrains Him from the exercise of His benevolence; and His benevolence will thus be proved weak, on account of that cause which they bring forward. Now every one must perceive that bodies are capable of receiving life. For they live to the extent that God pleases that they should live; and that being so, the [heretics] cannot maintain that [these bodies] are utterly incapable of receiving life. If, therefore, on account of necessity and any other cause, those [bodies] which are capable of participating in life are not vivified, their Father shall be the slave of necessity and that cause, and not therefore a free agent, having His will under His own control.