Life and setting
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, wrote Against Heresies against several Gnostic movements and emphasized the public apostolic proclamation, the unity of Scripture, creation, incarnation and resurrection.
Second Century • Early Church
Irenaeus of Lyons
c. 130 – c. 202 • Bishop, theologian and anti-Gnostic writer
Why this person matters
He is a major witness to the emerging shape of the New Testament canon, the rule of faith and the continuity claimed between apostolic teaching and second-century churches.
What should not be sanitized
Modern readers should distinguish his historical descriptions of opponents from the opponents’ own lost writings and from later reconstructions of diverse Gnostic groups.