Irenee of Lyon

Irenee (in Greek old Εἰρηναῖος Σμυρναῖος / “peaceful” Eirênaĩos Smyrnaĩos “of Smyne or Smyrnien”) is one of the Pères of the Church.

Bishop of Lyon at the 2nd century.

Festivals on June 28th in the Catholic church and on August 23rd in the orthodoxe Church.

Biography

Greek of birth, Irenee was born with Smyrna in Asia Mineure towards 130. He becomes disciple of holy Polycarpe, which itself would have known the Apôtre Jean.

Sent by Polycarpe in Gaulle about the year 157, it joined work Pothin, bishop of Lyon. When Pothin perishes victim of a persecution of Marc Aurèle, Irenee was selected to replace it, in 177.

Besancon and Valence lasts with the bishop of Lyon their first pastors.

It bears well its name of man of peace ( Εἰρηναῖος ). Thus, it intervenes with the Pape to dissuade it to excommunicate part of the Church from Asia, which wants to celebrate Easter on its own date.

It draws up the list of succession of the Pape S with Rome and dies in Lyon in 202 after the publication of an edict of persecution by Septime Sévère.

According to the tradition, he dies in Martyr although there are no formal evidences. This thesis is based on testimonys of Jerome at the 5th century and of Gregoire de Tours at the 6th century.

Writings

Irenee is a Christian Théologien anti-gnostic.

He is the author of an important work: Refutation of the alleged gnosis to the lying name known generally under the name of " Against the Heresies " ( Adversus Hæreses ). It is about a treaty against Valentine of Egypt and the Gnostique S In its treaty, it mentions, inter alia, the existence of a Évangile of Judas. Until the discovery of the manuscripts of Nag Hammadi, Irenee was our independent source of knowledge on this current of the Gnose. There remains still a source impossible to circumvent today.

At his place the authority of the Writings is absolute: the Bible is enough to know God and its work, any speculation additional is vain. He affirms the unit of the faith of that of the Church, and supports that the Writing reveals a plan of God for the safety of the Homme S.

Irenee is the first with speaking about the Tradition : against the heretics, it defends true the tradition of the Church, transmitted by the apostles ( traditio ab apostolis , tradition of the Apostles) and based on the “rule of truth” which is the faith in God and in its Son Jesus-Christ

Vis-a-vis the heretics who wanted the Writing alone, holy Irenee insists on the Writing and the Tradition: the Church is a Tradition ( traditio = transmission). He refutes the Gnostique S by describing with precision their doctrines, while being based on the Writings, while releasing from the criteria of interpretation for a reading connected with the church of the Bible. The Church was for him the guardian of the truth and the faith of the apostles received in the Writing. The sources of Irenee of Lyon are above all the catechetic tradition and the Writings.

The Gnostique S also claim to be attached to the Apôtre S, but their tradition is without authority, because it does not rest on the institution and the legitimate transmission of the authority; contrary to the bishops who are heirs to the authority of the Apostles. They have even authority to transmit that the Apostles to teach. What appears here at Irenee, it is a Théologie of the institution connected with the church: the transmission of the teaching of the Apostles is not left on the initiative of the private doctors (Laïc S). The Apostles themselves constituted the bodies by which they wanted that their teaching is transmitted. Only these bodies instituted by the Apostles have the authority of the Apostles. It is them only which are criteria of the Doctrine S and which guarantee their conformity with the revelation. Of this Irenee sees a confirmation in the unit of the teaching of the bishops. As much the gnostic school S is divided and is contradicted, as much the teaching of the bishops is one on all the surface of the Ground.

New Alliance would take again the contents of Old. Irenee seeks by there avoiding the rejection of the Old Testament.

Irenee is a millenarist, as shows it the book V of the " Against the hérésies".

In addition to the Treaty against the Heresies, Irenee is also the author of a " Exposed preaching of Apôtres" whose aiming is at the same time apologetic (with the direction where Irenee wants to defend the Christian faith threatened by the gnostic sects) and catechetic.

Lastly, " he is probably the author of the Lettre to the Churches of Asia and Phrygie , by the survivors of the persecution of Lyon (177). We know this document by Eusèbe de Césarée which recopied it in extenso in its ecclesiastical History. This Letter is sometimes looked like the most beautiful text of the Primitive Church. It is especially the 'document founder of the Church of France'" .

" To the 2nd century, to Lyon, holy Irenee still says the mass in Greek, remained the language liturgique" a long time; .

Irenee and " Four Evangiles"

Irenee was an important figure in the defense of the four principal Gospels of Matthieu, of Marc, Luc, Jean in the New Testament in 170. He declares in Against the heresies :

“In addition, it can have there neither a greater nor more small number of Gospels (that four). Indeed, since there exist four areas of the world in which we are and four principal winds, and since, in addition, the Church is widespread on all the ground and that it has for column and a support the Gospel and the Spirit of life, it is natural that it has four columns which blow of all shares incorruptibility and return the life to the men. From where it Appert that the Verb, Artisan of the universe, which sits on Chérubins and maintains all things, when he appeared with the men, gave us a Gospel to quadruple forms, although maintained by single Esprit. ”

- Against the heresies 3.11.8

Thus Irenee was the first Christian writer to have listed the four canonical Gospels as inspired divinement. He probably did it in reaction to the version of the Gospel of Luc published by Marcion, because this one affirmed that the Gospel of Luc was only and true Gospel. Irenee was as the first to affirm as the Gospel of Jean was written by Jean the apostle, and that the Gospel of Luc was written by Luc, the companion of Paul.

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