most inconsitlerable exceptions the canon of
both the O. and N. T., then accepted by the Church, was coincident and conterminous with our own." But more than this, by the language which Irenasus uses, we find the Church of his daj^ harmonizing with and justifying the very highest claims that have ever been advanced in support of the inspired authority and infallible accu- racy of the canonical writings. The utterance which Irenjeus has made on this subject Romanists have sought to turn to account in their assertions of the authority of tradition as co-ordinate with that of Scripture. But though, as was natural in such an early ^vriter, Irenseus often refers to the apostolic traditions preserved in the churches, he never ascribes to these au authority inde- pentlent of Scripture.
12. Literature.— Beaven, Lifr o/'/m/a/i.'i ( Lond. 1841) ; Schaff, IrencEUs, in Ber Deulsfln Khrh, nfrcund, vol. v (Mercersb. 1852) ; Gervaise, La I /< */(- .s'. Irenee (Paris, 1723, 2 vols. 8vo) ; Stieren, art. '' Irenieus," in Ersch u. Gruber, Enci/klop, vol. ii, sec. xxiii ; jMassuet, Disserta- tiones in Irencei lihros, prefixed to his edition of the Op- era ; Deyling, Iremvus, evum/elicm veritatis confessor ac testis (Lips. 1721), .against Massuet; CeiMier, If isf. (j/eiie?: des Aitteui-s sacres et Eccles. i, 495 sq. ; Fabricius, Bibl. Groic. vii, 75 sq. ; Bohringer, Kirchenf/esch. in Bior/ra- phieii, vol. i ; IVIohler, Patrologie, vol. ii ; Ritter, Gesch. der Philos. i, 345 sq. ; Duncker, Des heil. Iren. Christol. i. Zmammenhanfie m. d. theol. und anthropol. Grundlehren darijestellt (1843, 8vo); Graul, D. christlich Kirche a. d. Schwelle d. Iren. Zeitalters (Lpz. 1860), a very valuable little work of 168 pages, in which "the position of Ire- nseus is sketched with a bold and firm hand ;" Schrockh, Kirchengeschichte, iii, 192 sq. ; Schaff, Church Ilistori/, vol. i (see Index); Neander, Church History, vo\.\ (see Index) ; Shedd, Ilistori/ of Doctrines (see Index) ; Har- rison, Whose are tlie Fathers? (see Index); Augusti, Dogmenf/esch. voL i and ii ; Baumgarten-Crusius, Do;;- menrjesch. (see Index) ; Bullet. Thmlog. 1869, Oct. 25, p. 319; ^ei'. de deux Mondes, 1865, February 15, art. viii; Christian Remembrancer, Jidv, 1853, p. 226 ; Herzog, Real-Enci/klopddie, vii, 46 sq. " (J. H. W.)
Irenasus, St., a Tuscan martyr, flourished in the second half of the 3d century. But very little is known of the history of his life. He suffered martyrdom dur- ing the persecutions under the emperor Aurelius (275), and is commemorated in the Roman Church July 3.— Tillemont, Menioires Eccles. vol. iv ; Hoefer, Nour. Biog. Generule, xxv, 948.
Irenasus, St., another martyr, was bishop of Sir- mium (now Sirmish, a Hungarian village), his native country, at the beginning of the 4th century. Many inducements were offered him by the then governor of the country, Probus, who, no doubt, acted under instruc- tions from the emperors Diocletian and Jlaximus, to re-
nounce Christianity, but, all proving futile, he was at last beheaded, after having been subjected to various tor- tures. Though but little is known of this Irenajus's per- sonal history, it is evident, from the efforts of the gov- ernor to secure his adhesion to the heathen practices, that he was a man of great influence. The date of his death is not accurately known. Some think it to be March 25, the day on which his death is commemora- ted bj- Romanists ; others put it April 6, A.D. 304. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generate, xxv, 948 ; Ceillier, Hist, des aut. sacr. iii, 27; liutleT, Lives of the Saints, iii, 651 sq. ; Real-Encyklop. f. d. Kathol. IJeutschlaml, v, 715 sq. (J.H.W.)
Irenasus, bishop of Tyre, flourished in the first half of the 5th century. He was originally a count of the empire, and first took jjart in ecclesiastical affairs at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431, where he represented the emperor Theodosius as assistant to Candidius, to settle the controversy between Cyril and Nestorius, and their respective followers. Both he and Candidius favored Nestorius, and, failing to prevent his condemnation at the council, did their utmost, on their return to court, to counteract on the emperor's mind the influence and de- cision of the Cyrillians against Nestorius. For a time they succeeded well, as their representations "bore on their ver\' face the impress of truth." But the Cyrillian party predominating, and John, the secretary of Cj-ril, appearing himself at court to counteract the efforts of IreiKieus and Candidius, the feeble sovereign was soon turned in favor of the Cyrillian party, and Irenseus him- self was banished from the court about A.D. 435. He at once betook himself to his friends, the Oriental bish- ops, and by them -was raised to the bishopric of Tj're m 444. The emjierornow issued an edict condemning the Nestorians, and, in addition, it was ordered that Irenfeus should be deposed from the bishopric, and deprived of his clerical character. In 448 the sentence was finally executed. After his retirement Irena-us WTote a history of the Nestorian struggle, mider the title of Tragoedia sell Commentarii de 7-ebus in Synodo Ephesina ac in Ori- y-nte gestis. The original, which was written in Greek, is lost, and only parts of it remain to us in a Latin trans- lation published by Christian Lupus, under the inaccu- rate title of Variorum Patrum Epistolce ad Concilium Ephesinum pertinentis (Louv. 1682). See Mansi, Saa: Concil. Nov. Collect, v, 417, 731 ; Tillemont, Mem. Eccles. xiv ; Cave, Hist. Litt. sub. ann. 444 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gen. xxv, 949 ; Neander, Ch. Hist, ii, 468 sq. (J. H. W.)