Irenaeus wrote a five book anthology collectively named Against Heretics. The first two books are filled entirely and exclusively with appeals to and expositions of Scripture to counter false teachings that had infiltrated the Church. Up to the beginning of the third book there was no appeal to Church authority or any magisterium as a basis of argument.
Â
One of the most pernicious heresies in the early church was Gnosticism. Gnosticism was particularly pernicious in that it spurned accountability public knowledge, dismissing it as allegory. Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge of the divine mysteries. Starting in book three Irenaeus constructs a Gnostic argument against Gnosticism. This was later misunderstood to be a doctrine of Church Supremacy over God’s revelation.
Â
Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 3)
Â
Â
A refutation of the heretics, from the fact that, in the various Churches, a perpetual succession of
bishops was kept up.
Â
Irenaeus notes properly that in the various major churches that there existed at that time an unbroken succession of bishops that can be traced back to the apostolic founders. He then proceeds to make the argument that “ifthe apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to the perfect apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches themselves.” Irenaeus reference to “perfect” refers to an enlightened Gnostic elite, and his reference to “known hidden mysteries” and “privily from the rest” refer to secret knowledge. Irenaeus was arguing that any Gnostic mysteries from Christ would have passed through the apostles to the bishop who were appointed to be their successors. The IF here signifies that this is hypothetical argument. Irenaeuis is not making an argument in support of Gnosticism but arguing that the Gnostic method applied to the Church actually leads to thepublic knowledge of the faith delivered once and for all to the saints in which there is a chain of custody in its transmission
Â
1 . It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church , who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world; and we are in a position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches, and [to demonstrate] the succession of these men to our own times; those who neither taught nor knew of anything like what these [heretics] rave about.Forif the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to the perfect apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches themselves. For they were desirous that these men should be very perfect and blameless in all things, whom also they were leaving behind as their successors, delivering up their own place of government to these men; which men, if they discharged their functions honestly, would be a great boon [to the Church l, but if they should fall away, the direst calamity.
Â
In the following text Irenaeus givesbrief documentation of the chain of custody of the gospel as it traveled from Jesus to the apostles through the various Church Fathers who were bishops to the various churches.
Â
2. Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an
evil self -pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles , of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul ; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church , on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere.
Â
3.The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric. This man, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes. Nor was he alone [in this], for there were many still remaining who had received instructions from the apostles. In the time of this Clement, no small dissension having occurred among the brethren at Corinth, the Church in Rome dispatched a most powerful letter to the Corinthians, exhorting them to peace, renewing their faith, and declaring the tradition which it had lately received from the apostles, proclaiming the one God, omnipotent, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Creator of man, who brought on the deluge, and called Abraham, who led the people from the land of Egypt, spoke with Moses, set forth the law, sent the prophets, and who has prepared fire for the devil and his angels. From this document, whosoever chooses to do so, may learn that He, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, was preached by the Churches , and may also understand the tradition of the Church, since this Epistle is of older date than these men who are now propagating falsehood, and who conjure into existence another god beyond the Creator and the Maker of all existing things.To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then, sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred ; then Hyginus ; after him, Pius ; then after him, Anicetus . Soter having succeeded Anicetus , Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the apostles , hold the inheritance of the episcopate. In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles , and the preaching of the truth , have come down to us. And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth .
Â
5.But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles , and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true . To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time, — a man who was of much greater weight, and a more steadfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God , proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles — that, namely, which is handed down by the Church. There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus , and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth , is within. And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, Do you know me? I do know you, the first-born of Satan . Such was the horror which the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth ; as Paul also says, A man that is an heretic , after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sins, being condemned of himself. Titus 3:10 There is also a very powerful Epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who choose to do so, and are anxious about their salvation , can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth. Then, again, the Church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles.
Â
Irenaeus concludes his brief documentation of the chain of custody. This does not exhaust every bishopric but shows sufficient proof. He includes information about Polycarp and the Churches of Asia Minor to show that there was widespread consensus concerning the chain of custody of the gospel. He gives the greatest detail concerning the Church in Rome, as the Roman Bishopric was well renowned among all of the Church for her excellence in defending the faith. None other than Paul finished his ministry in Rome under house arrest. While Roman Catholic tradition attributes Peter as the Rock for the Church of Rome, historical evidence suggests that Paul the Apostle played a larger role in the establishment of the Roman Bishopric.
In Book 3, chapter 4, Irenaeus draws his conclusion – that the unified or catholic Church is the sole depository of apostolic doctrine
Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 4)
Â
The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of apostolic doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles.
Â
Irenaeus concludes that the catholic church is “the sole depository of apostolic doctrine.” The basis for this is that she received the revelation Christ gave to the apostles and maintained for at least several centuries a well-defined chain of custody of that revelation. Gnostics and Heretics do not have that chain of custody and present ideas unknown to the apostles of Christ. Irenaeus condemnation of heresies as “of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles” could be applied to the many traditions in both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy that are innovations that are not traceable in any form to the apostles. It should be noted here that Irenaeus attributed to the Church authority as a witness and depository, not that of an author. He was not promoting the doctrine that later emerged in Roman Catholic apologetics that claimed the Catholic Church wrote the Bible. Irenaeus was basing doctrinal authority to the apostles, which was understood by him to be based on the authority of Jesus Christ who was sent by God the Father and who is the One True Triune God alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Â
1. Since therefore we have such proofs , it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles , like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. Revelation 22:17 For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers . On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?
Â
2. To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition, believing in one God , the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things therein, by means of Christ Jesus , the Son of God; who, because of His surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God , and having suffered under Pontius Pilate , and rising again, and having been received up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved, and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent. Those who, in the absence of written documents, have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are, because of faith , very wise indeed; and they do please God, ordering their conversation in all righteousness, chastity , and wisdom. If any one were to preach to these men the inventions of the heretics , speaking to them in their own language, they would at once stop their ears, and flee as far off as possible, not enduring even to listen to the blasphemous address. Thus, by means of that ancient tradition of the apostles , they do not suffer their mind to conceive anything of the [doctrines suggested by the] portentous language of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever been established.
Â
3. For, prior to Valentinus , those who follow Valentinus had no existence ; nor did those from Marcion exist before Marcion ; nor, in short, had any of those malignant-minded people, whom I have above enumerated, any being previous to the initiators and inventors of their perversity. For Valentinus came to Rome in the time of Hyginus, flourished under Pius , and remained until Anicetus. Cerdon, too, Marcion’s predecessor, himself arrived in the time of Hyginus, who was the ninth bishop . Coming frequently into the Church , and making public confession, he thus remained, one time teaching in secret, and then again making public confession; but at last, having been denounced for corrupt teaching, he was excommunicated from the assembly of the brethren. Marcion , then, succeeding him, flourished under Anicetus, who held the tenth place of the episcopate . But the rest, who are called Gnostics, take rise from Menander, Simon’s disciple, as I have shown; and each one of them appeared to be both the father and the high priest of that doctrine into which he has been initiated. But all these (the Marcosians) broke out into their apostasy much later, even during the intermediate period of the Church.
Â
Â
Irenaeus has finished his Gnostic argument against Gnosticism. In chapter 5 of Book III, he removes all doubt about whether this is a thought experiment or whether the Catholic Church is the Gnostic par excellence. The Roman Cathol;ic Church has construed Irenaeus to be laying the foundation of the Church, asserting the the magisterium has exclusive knowledge of the mysteries of Christ and created ex cathedra docuemnts which oncluided the Bible based on that unique authority.
Â
Irenaeus statement clearly establish that his Gnostic argument against Gnosticism was a thought experiment to show the futility of Gnosticism. He did not intend to stay there, but admonishes the Church to “revert to the Scriptural proof furnished by those apostles who did also write the Gospel.” By stating this, he was leaving Gnostic methodologies to go back to the Scriptures. His appeal to the Church was solely to establish the Scriptures as the authoritative account of God’s revelation to the Church
Â
Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 5)
Â
Christ and His apostles, without any fraud, deception, or hypocrisy, preached that one God, the Father, was the founder of all things. They did not accommodate their doctrine to the prepossessions of their hearers.
Â
1.Since, therefore, the tradition from the apostles does thus exist in the Church, and is permanent among us, let usrevert to the Scriptural proof furnished by those apostles who did also write the Gospel, in which they recorded the doctrine regarding God, pointing out that our Lord Jesus
Christ is the truth, John 14:6 and that no lie is in Him…
Â
In admonishing people to “revert to the Scriptural proof furnished by those apostles who did also write the Gospel,” he was advocating leaving Gnostic methodologies and ceasing focus on the Church to place that upon the Scripture. In doing so he was actually advocating Sola Scriptura. Witnesses to any “Last Will and Testament” have legal authority as witnesses to authenticate that it is indeed the last will and testament of the specific testator.Once that “Last Will and Testament” is authenticated, then authority is transferred from the witnesses to the document. In the same way authority is transferred from witnesses to the Bible to the Scriptures themselves asSola Scriptura.