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Against Heresies

St Irenaeus of Lyons · ANF translation (1885)

This work is presented in 5 parts. Start reading

Contents

Book I
Preface.
Chapter I.—Absurd ideas of the disciples of Valentinus as to the origin, name, order, and conjugal…
Chapter II.—The Propator was known to Monogenes alone. Ambition, disturbance, and danger into which…
Chapter III.—Texts of Holy Scripture used by these heretics to support their opinions.
Chapter IV.—Account given by the heretics of the formation of Achamoth; origin of the visible world from…
Chapter V.—Formation of the Demiurge; description of him. He is the creator of everything outside of the…
Chapter VI.—The threefold kind of man feigned by these heretics: good works needless for them, though…
Chapter VII.—The mother Achamoth, when all her seed are perfected, shall pass into the Pleroma,…
Chapter VIII.—How the Valentinians pervert the Scriptures to support their own pious opinions.
Chapter IX.—Refutation of the impious interpretations of these heretics.
Chapter X.—Unity of the faith of the Church throughout the whole world.
Chapter XI.—The opinions of Valentinus, with those of his disciples and others.
Chapter XII.—The doctrines of the followers of Ptolemy and Colorbasus.
Chapter XIII.—The deceitful arts and nefarious practices of Marcus.
Chapter XIV.—The various hypotheses of Marcus and others. Theories respecting letters and syllables.
Chapter XV.—Sige relates to Marcus the generation of the twenty-four elements and of Jesus. Exposure of…
Chapter XVI.—Absurd interpretations of the Marcosians.
Chapter XVII.—The theory of the Marcosians, that created things were made after the image of things invisible.
Chapter XVIII.—Passages from Moses, which the heretics pervert to the support of their hypothesis.
Chapter XIX.—Passages of Scripture by which they attempt to prove that the Supreme Father was unknown…
Chapter XX.—The apocryphal and spurious Scriptures of the Marcosians, with passages of the Gospels which…
Chapter XXI.—The views of redemption entertained by these heretics.
Chapter XXII.—Deviations of heretics from the truth.
Chapter XXIII.—Doctrines and practices of Simon Magus and Menander.
Chapter XXIV.—Doctrines of Saturninus and Basilides.
Chapter XXV.—Doctrines of Carpocrates.
Chapter XXVI.—Doctrines of Cerinthus, the Ebionites, and Nicolaitanes.
Chapter XXVII.—Doctrines of Cerdo and Marcion.
Chapter XXVIII.—Doctrines of Tatian, the Encratites, and others.
Chapter XXIX.—Doctrines of various other Gnostic sects, and especially of the Barbeliotes or Borborians.
Chapter XXX.—Doctrines of the Ophites and Sethians.
Chapter XXXI.—Doctrines of the Cainites.
Book II
Preface.
Chapter I.—There is but one God: the impossibility of its being otherwise.
Chapter II.—The world was not formed by angels, or by any other being, contrary to the will of the most…
Chapter III.—The Bythus and Pleroma of the Valentinians, as well as the God of Marcion, shown to be…
Chapter IV.—The absurdity of the supposed vacuum and defect of the heretics is demonstrated.
Chapter V.—This world was not formed by any other beings within the territory which is contained by the…
Chapter VI.—The angels and the Creator of the world could not have been ignorant of the Supreme God.
Chapter VII.—Created things are not the images of those Æons who are within the Pleroma.
Chapter VIII.—Created things are not a shadow of the Pleroma.
Chapter IX.—There is but one Creator of the world, God the Father: this the constant belief of the Church.
Chapter X.—Perverse interpretations of Scripture by the heretics: God created all things out of nothing,…
Chapter XI.—The heretics, from their disbelief of the truth, have fallen into an abyss of error: reasons…
Chapter XII.—The Triacontad of the heretics errs both by defect and excess: Sophia could never have…
Chapter XIII.—The first order of production maintained by the heretics is altogether indefensible.
Chapter XIV.—Valentinus and his followers derived the principles of their system from the heathen; the…
Chapter XV.—No account can be given of these productions.
Chapter XVI.—The Creator of the world either produced of Himself the images of things to be made, or the…
Chapter XVII.—Inquiry into the production of the Æons: whatever its supposed nature, it is in every…
Chapter XVIII.—Sophia was never really in ignorance or passion; her Enthymesis could not have been…
Chapter XIX.—Absurdities of the heretics as to their own origin: their opinions respecting the Demiurge…
Chapter XX.—Futility of the arguments adduced to demonstrate the sufferings of the twelfth Æon, from the…
Chapter XXI.—The twelve apostles were not a type of the Æons.
Chapter XXII.—The thirty Æons are not typified by the fact that Christ was baptized in His thirtieth…
Chapter XXIII.—The woman who suffered from an issue of blood was no type of the suffering Æon.
Chapter XXIV.—Folly of the arguments derived by the heretics from numbers, letters, and syllables.
Chapter XXV.—God is not to be sought after by means of letters, syllables, and numbers; necessity of…
Chapter XXVI.—“Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth.”
Chapter XXVII.—Proper mode of interpreting parables and obscure passages of Scripture.
Chapter XXVIII.—Perfect knowledge cannot be attained in the present life: many questions must be…
Chapter XXIX.—Refutation of the views of the heretics as to the future destiny of the soul and body.
Chapter XXX.—Absurdity of their styling themselves spiritual, while the Demiurge is declared to be animal.
Chapter XXXI.—Recapitulation and application of the foregoing arguments.
Chapter XXXII.—Further exposure of the wicked and blasphemous doctrines of the heretics.
Chapter XXXIII.—Absurdity of the doctrine of the transmigration of souls.
Chapter XXXIV.—Souls can be recognised in the separate state, and are immortal although they once had a…
Chapter XXXV.—Refutation of Basilides, and of the opinion that the prophets uttered their predictions…
Book III
Preface.
Chapter I.—The apostles did not commence to preach the Gospel, or to place anything on record until they…
Chapter II.—The heretics follow neither Scripture nor tradition.
Chapter III.—A refutation of the heretics, from the fact that, in the various Churches, a perpetual…
Chapter IV.—The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of…
Chapter V.—Christ and His apostles, without any fraud, deception, or hypocrisy, preached that one God,…
Chapter VI—The Holy Ghost, throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, made mention of no other God or…
Chapter VII.—Reply to an objection founded on the words of St. Paul (2 Cor. iv. 4). St. Paul…
Chapter VIII.—Answer to an objection, arising from the words of Christ (Matt. vi. 24). God alone is to…
Chapter IX.—One and the same God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is He whom the prophets foretold, and…
Chapter X.—Proofs of the foregoing, drawn from the Gospels of Mark and Luke.
Chapter XI—Proofs in continuation, extracted from St. John’s Gospel. The Gospels are four in number,…
Chapter XII.—Doctrine of the rest of the apostles.
Chapter XIII—Refutation of the opinion, that Paul was the only apostle who had knowledge of the truth.
Chapter XIV.—If Paul had known any mysteries unrevealed to the other apostles, Luke, his constant…
Chapter XV.—Refutation of the Ebionites, who disparaged the authority of St. Paul, from the writings of…
Chapter XVI.—Proofs from the apostolic writings, that Jesus Christ was one and the same, the only…
Chapter XVII.—The apostles teach that it was neither Christ nor the Saviour, but the Holy Spirit, who…
Chapter XVIII.—Continuation of the foregoing argument. Proofs from the writings of St. Paul, and from…
Chapter XIX.—Jesus Christ was not a mere man, begotten from Joseph in the ordinary course of nature, but…
Chapter XX.—God showed himself, by the fall of man, as patient, benign, merciful, mighty to save. Man is…
Chapter XXI.—A vindication of the prophecy in Isa. vii. 14 against the misinterpretations of Theodotion,…
Chapter XXII.—Christ assumed actual flesh, conceived and born of the Virgin.
Chapter XXIII.—Arguments in opposition to Tatian, showing that it was consonant to divine justice and…
Chapter XXIV.—Recapitulation of the various arguments adduced against Gnostic impiety under all its…
Chapter XXV.—This world is ruled by the providence of one God, who is both endowed with infinite justice…
Book IV
Preface.
Chapter I.—The Lord acknowledged but one God and Father.
Chapter II.—Proofs from the plain testimony of Moses, and of the other prophets, whose words are the…
Chapter III.—Answer to the cavils of the Gnostics. We are not to suppose that the true God can be…
Chapter IV.—Answer to another objection, showing that the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the city…
Chapter V.—The author returns to his former argument, and shows that there was but one God announced by…
Chapter VI.—Explanation of the words of Christ, “No man knoweth the Father, but the Son,” etc.; which…
Chapter VII.—Recapitulation of the foregoing argument, showing that Abraham, through the revelation of…
Chapter VIII.—Vain attempts of Marcion and his followers, who exclude Abraham from the salvation…
Chapter IX.—There is but one author, and one end to both covenants.
Chapter X.—The Old Testament Scriptures, and those written by Moses in particular, do everywhere make…
Chapter XI.—The old prophets and righteous men knew beforehand of the advent of Christ, and earnestly…
Chapter XII.—It clearly appears that there was but one author of both the old and the new law, from the…
Chapter XIII.—Christ did not abrogate the natural precepts of the law, but rather fulfilled and extended…
Chapter XIV.—If God demands obedience from man, if He formed man, called him and placed him under laws,…
Chapter XV.—At first God deemed it sufficient to inscribe the natural law, or the Decalogue, upon the…
Chapter XVI.—Perfect righteousness was conferred neither by circumcision nor by any other legal…
Chapter XVII.—Proof that God did not appoint the Levitical dispensation for His own sake, or as…
Chapter XVIII.—Concerning sacrifices and oblations, and those who truly offer them.
Chapter XIX.—Earthly things may be the type of heavenly, but the latter cannot be the types of others…
Chapter XX.—That one God formed all things in the world, by means of the Word and the Holy Spirit: and…
Chapter XXI.—Abraham’s faith was identical with ours; this faith was prefigured by the words and actions…
Chapter XXII.—Christ did not come for the sake of the men of one age only, but for all who, living…
Chapter XXIII.—The patriarchs and prophets by pointing out the advent of Christ, fortified thereby, as…
Chapter XXIV.—The conversion of the Gentiles was more difficult than that of the Jews; the labours of…
Chapter XXV.—Both covenants were prefigured in Abraham, and in the labour of Tamar; there was, however,…
Chapter XXVI.—The treasure hid in the Scriptures is Christ; the true exposition of the Scriptures is to…
Chapter XXVII—The sins of the men of old time, which incurred the displeasure of God, were, by His…
Chapter XXVIII.—Those persons prove themselves senseless who exaggerate the mercy of Christ, but are…
Chapter XXIX.—Refutation of the arguments of the Marcionites, who attempted to show that God was the…
Chapter XXX.—Refutation of another argument adduced by the Marcionites, that God directed the Hebrews to…
Chapter XXXI.—We should not hastily impute as crimes to the men of old time those actions which the…
Chapter XXXII.—That one God was the author of both Testaments, is confirmed by the authority of a…
Chapter XXXIII.—Whosoever confesses that one God is the author of both Testaments, and diligently reads…
Chapter XXXIV.—Proof against the Marcionites, that the prophets referred in all their predictions to our…
Chapter XXXV.—A refutation of those who allege that the prophets uttered some predictions under the…
Chapter XXXVI.—The prophets were sent from one and the same Father from whom the Son was sent.
Chapter XXXVII.—Men are possessed of free will, and endowed with the faculty of making a choice. It is…
Chapter XXXVIII.—Why man was not made perfect from the beginning.
Chapter XXXIX.—Man is endowed with the faculty of distinguishing good and evil; so that, without…
Chapter XL.—One and the same God the Father inflicts punishment on the reprobate, and bestows rewards on…
Chapter XLI.—Those persons who do not believe in God, but who are disobedient, are angels and sons of…
Book V
Preface.
Chapter I.—Christ alone is able to teach divine things, and to redeem us: He, the same, took flesh of…
Chapter II.—When Christ visited us in His grace, He did not come to what did not belong to Him: also, by…
Chapter III.—The power and glory of God shine forth in the weakness of human flesh, as He will render…
Chapter IV.—Those persons are deceived who feign another God the Father besides the Creator of the…
Chapter V.—The prolonged life of the ancients, the translation of Elijah and of Enoch in their own…
Chapter VI.—God will bestow salvation upon the whole nature of man, consisting of body and soul in close…
Chapter VII.—Inasmuch as Christ did rise in our flesh, it follows that we shall be also raised in the…
Chapter VIII.—The gifts of the Holy Spirit which we receive prepare us for incorruption, render us…
Chapter IX.—Showing how that passage of the apostle which the heretics pervert, should be understood;…
Chapter X.—By a comparison drawn from the wild olive-tree, whose quality but not whose nature is changed…
Chapter XI.—Treats upon the actions of carnal and of spiritual persons; also, that the spiritual…
Chapter XII.—Of the difference between life and death; of the breath of life and the vivifying Spirit:…
Chapter XIII.—In the dead who were raised by Christ we possess the highest proof of the resurrection;…
Chapter XIV.—Unless the flesh were to be saved, the Word would not have taken upon Him flesh of the same…
Chapter XV.—Proofs of the resurrection from Isaiah and Ezekiel; the same God who created us will also…
Chapter XVI.—Since our bodies return to the earth, it follows that they have their substance from it;…
Chapter XVII.—There is but one Lord and one God, the Father and Creator of all things, who has loved us…
Chapter XVIII.—God the Father and His Word have formed all created things (which They use) by Their own…
Chapter XIX.—A comparison is instituted between the disobedient and sinning Eve and the Virgin Mary, her…
Chapter XX.—Those pastors are to be heard to whom the apostles committed the Churches, possessing one…
Chapter XXI.—Christ is the head of all things already mentioned. It was fitting that He should be sent…
Chapter XXII.—The true Lord and the one God is declared by the law, and manifested by Christ His Son in…
Chapter XXIII.—The devil is well practised in falsehood, by which Adam having been led astray, sinned on…
Chapter XXIV.—Of the constant falsehood of the devil, and of the powers and governments of the world,…
Chapter XXV.—The fraud, pride, and tyrannical kingdom of Antichrist, as described by Daniel and Paul.
Chapter XXVI.—John and Daniel have predicted the dissolution and desolation of the Roman Empire, which…
Chapter XXVII.—The future judgment by Christ. Communion with and separation from the divine being. The…
Chapter XXVIII.—The distinction to be made between the righteous and the wicked. The future apostasy in…
Chapter XXIX.—All things have been created for the service of man. The deceits, wickedness, and apostate…
Chapter XXX.—Although certain as to the number of the name of Antichrist, yet we should come to no rash…
Chapter XXXI.—The preservation of our bodies is confirmed by the resurrection and ascension of Christ:…
Chapter XXXII.—In that flesh in which the saints have suffered so many afflictions, they shall receive…
Chapter XXXIII.—Further proofs of the same proposition, drawn from the promises made by Christ, when He…
Chapter XXXIV.—He fortifies his opinions with regard to the temporal and earthly kingdom of the saints…
Chapter XXXV.—He contends that these testimonies already alleged cannot be understood allegorically of…
Chapter XXXVI.—Men shall be actually raised: the world shall not be annihilated; but there shall be…

Source & edition

Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, ed. A. Roberts, J. Donaldson & A. C. Coxe (Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885). Public domain (published before 1931).

Digital text: CCEL. Footnotes and editorial index markers from the print edition are omitted for readability.

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