Against Heresies 3.12.15–3.15.3

Irenaeus of Lyons · Against Heresies · ca. 180–190 · Lyons · 11 passages

Latin text: Harvey 1857 (Latin text: Harvey (1857), transcribed from archive.org OCR of the printed volumes; section numbers checked against Stieren (1853)).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885), Irenaeus, Against Heresies.

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Against 3, chapter 12

3.12.15Harvey 2:37

Ceterum non talem timorem circa primum habuissent Testamentum, ut nec cum ethnicis quidem convesci vellent. Nam et Petrus, quamvis ad catechizandos eos missus esset, et tali visione conterritus fuisset, cum timore tamen multo locutus est ad eos dicens: Ipsi scitis quoniam non est fas viro Judaeo conjungi, aut convenire cum allophylo: mihi autem Deus ostendit, neminem communem aut immundum dicere hominem: quapropter sine contradictione veni; his sermonibus significans, quoniam non abisset ad eos, nisi jussus fuisset. Sic quoque ne baptisma quidem facile dedisset, nisi, Spiritu sancto requiescente super eos, prophetantes eos audisset. Et propter hoc dixit: Num quis aquam vetare potest ad baptizandum hos, qui Spiritum sanctum acceperunt, quemadmodum et nos? Suadens simul his qui secum erant, et significans, quoniam nisi Spiritus sanctus super eos requievisset, exsisteret qui eos prohiberet a baptismate. Hi autem qui circa Jacobum Apostoli gentibus quidem libere agere permittebant, concedentes nos Spiritui Dei. Ipsi vero eundem scientes Deum, perseverabant in pristinis observationibus, ita ut et Petrus quoque timens ne culparetur ab ipsis, ante manducans cum gentibus propter visionem et propter Spiritum qui requieverat super eos, cum tamen advenissent quidam ab Jacobo, separavit se, et non manducavit cum eis; hoc ipsum autem dixit Paulus et Barnabam fecisse. Sic Apostoli, quos universi actus et universae doctrine Dominus testes fecit, ubique enim simul cum eo assistentes inveniuntur Petrus et Jacobus et Johannes, religiose agebant circa dispositionem legis, quse est secundum Moysem, ab uno et eodem significantes esse Deo. Quod quidem non fecissent secundum que praediximus, si praeter eum qui legis dispositionem fecit, alterum Patrem a Domino didicissent.

Otherwise they would not have had such reverence for the first covenant that they were unwilling even to eat with Gentiles. For Peter too, though he had been sent to instruct them and had been shaken by such a vision, still spoke to them with much fear, saying, “You yourselves know that it is not lawful for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner; but God has shown me that I should call no man common or unclean; therefore I came without objection” — indicating by these words that he would not have gone to them had he not been commanded. Likewise he would not easily have given them baptism either, had he not heard them prophesying when the Holy Spirit rested upon them. And for this reason he said, “Can anyone forbid water for baptizing these, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” — persuading those who were with him and indicating that, had the Holy Spirit not rested upon them, there would have been someone to forbid them baptism. The apostles with James allowed the Gentiles to act freely, yielding us to the Spirit of God. But they themselves, knowing the same God, persevered in their former observances; so that Peter too, fearing that he might be blamed by them, though he had earlier eaten with the Gentiles because of the vision and of the Spirit who had rested upon them, nevertheless, when some had come from James, separated himself and did not eat with them; and Paul said that Barnabas did the same. So the apostles, whom the Lord made witnesses of all his action and all his teaching — for everywhere Peter, James, and John are found present with him — acted reverently toward the dispensation of the law according to Moses, indicating that it was from one and the same God. This they would certainly not have done, as we said before, if they had learned from the Lord of another Father besides him who made the dispensation of the law.

Acts 10:28–29 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 10:47 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 10:44–46 (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 2:12–13 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The apostles' careful observance of the law, and Peter's hesitation with Cornelius, show that they knew the law came from the same God.

Margin references and stray figures are removed. References: Acts 10:28–29, 44–47; Gal 2:12–13.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; margin debris; margin reference; margin reference inside a word): locutus est 353. ad eos → locutus est ad eos; Jpsi scitis → Ipsi scitis; Judawo → Judaeo; Sic sque ne → Sic quoque ne; baptismate... 30. — 19. Hi autem → baptismate. Hi autem; propter 13,13. Spiritum → propter Spiritum; advenissent quiJoh. xv. 97. dam → advenissent quidam.

Topics: Baptism

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.12.15 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-12-15).

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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the ancient Latin translation as printed by Harvey (Cambridge, 1857), from the OCR of the printed edition with slips corrected as logged, in Massuet's section numbering; lines lost in the scan supplied from Stieren's edition (1848–53) where noted; each batch compared afterwards with the public-domain translation in ANF 1 (1885).

Against 3, chapter 13

3.13.1Harvey 2:37

Eos autem qui dicunt, solum Paulum veritatem cognovisse, cui per revelationem manifestatum est mysterium, ipse Paulus convincat eos, dicens, unum et ipsum Deum operatum Petro in apostolatum circumcisionis, et sibi in gentes. Ipsius ergo Dei Petrus erat Apostolus, cujus et Paulus; et quem Petrus in circumcisione annuntiabat Deum, et Dei Filium, hunc et Paulus in gentes. Neque enim ut solum Paulum salvaret, venit Dominus noster; nec sic pauper Deus, ut unum solum haberet Apostolum, qui dispositionem Filii sui cognosceret. Et Paulus autem dicens: Quam speciosi pedes evangelisantium bona, evangelisantium pacem, manifestum facit, quoniam non unus, sed plures erant, qui veritatem evangelisabant. Et rursus in ea epistola quze est ad Corinthios, cum praedixisset omnes qui Deum post resurrectionem viderunt, intulit: Sive autem ego, sive illi, sic annuntiamus, et sic credidistis: unam et eandem praedicationem confitens omnium eorum qui Deum viderunt post resurrectionem a mortuis.

As for those who say that Paul alone knew the truth, to whom the mystery was made manifest by revelation, let Paul himself refute them, when he says that one and the same God worked in Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision and in him for the Gentiles. Peter, then, was an apostle of the same God as Paul; and the God and the Son of God whom Peter proclaimed among the circumcision, Paul too proclaimed among the Gentiles. For our Lord did not come to save Paul alone, nor is God so poor as to have only one apostle who knew the dispensation of his Son. And Paul, saying, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things, who bring good news of peace,” makes it plain that it was not one but many who were preaching the truth. And again, in the letter to the Corinthians, after listing all who saw God after the resurrection, he added, “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed,” confessing one and the same preaching of all who saw God after the resurrection from the dead.

Eph 3:3 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gal 2:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 10:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 52:7 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Cor 15:5–11 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Against those who say only Paul knew the truth, Paul himself names Peter and the other apostles as preaching the same Gospel.

Harvey's chapter title and margin debris are removed. “Saw God” (of the risen Christ) is the text's wording. References: Eph 3:3; Gal 2:8; Rom 10:15 (Isa 52:7); 1 Cor 15:5–11.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; editor's chapter title; footnote mark; margin debris; running head inside a word; split word; stray letters; stray mark): Adversus eos qui dicunt, tantum Paulum ex Apostolis, cognovisse veritatem. Eos autem → Eos autem; convincat ' eos → convincat eos; evangelisuntium → evangelisantium; omnes qui? Deum → omnes qui Deum; annuntiaLIB. HI. mus → annuntiamus; confitens 95. ΠῚ. xin. omnium → confitens omnium; a morεἰν tuis. → a mortuis..

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.13.1 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-13-1).

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3.13.2Harvey 2:37

Et Dominus autem Philippo volenti Patrem videre, respondit: Tanto tempore vobiscum sum, et me non cognovisti, Philippe? qui videt me, videt et Patrem. Quomodo tu dicis, Ostende nobis Patrem? Ego enim in Patre, et Pater in me, et a modo cognovistis eum, et vidistis. Quibus ergo Dominus testimonium dixit, quoniam et cognoverunt in ipso et viderunt Patrem, Pater autem veritas, hos dicere non cognovisse veritatem, est hominum falsa testantium, et eorum qui alienati sunt a Christi doctrina. Ad quid enim mittebat Dominus duodecim Apostolos ad oves que perierant domus Israel, si veritatem non cognoverunt? Quomodo autem et septuaginta praedicabant, nisi ipsi prius veritatem praedicationis cognovissent? Aut quomodo Petrus ignorare potuit, cui Dominus testimonium dedit, quoniam caro et sanguis non revelavit ei, sed Pater qui in coelis est? Sicut ergo Paulus Apostolus non ab hominibus, neque per hominem, sed per Jesum Christum et Deum Patrem; Filio quidem adducente eos ad Patrem, Patre vero revelante eis Filium.

And the Lord answered Philip, who wished to see the Father: “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip? Whoever sees me sees the Father also. How can you say, Show us the Father? For I am in the Father and the Father in me; and from now on you have known him and have seen him.” To say, then, that those to whom the Lord bore witness that they both knew and saw the Father in him (and the Father is truth) did not know the truth is the mark of false witnesses and of people estranged from Christ's teaching. For why did the Lord send the twelve apostles to the lost sheep of the house of Israel if they did not know the truth? And how did the seventy preach unless they had first known the truth of the preaching? Or how could Peter be ignorant, to whom the Lord bore witness that flesh and blood had not revealed it to him, but the Father who is in heaven? Just as Paul, then, was an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, the Son bringing them to the Father, and the Father revealing the Son to them.

John 14:7–10 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 10:5–6 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 10:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 16:17 (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 1:1 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The apostles to whom the Lord revealed the Father, and Peter to whom the Father revealed the Son, knew the truth as Paul did.

Margin references are removed. The last sentence is incomplete in the Latin (the sense is: so were the other apostles, and Peter). References: John 14:7–10; Matt 10:5–6; Luke 10:1; Matt 16:17; Gal 1:1.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; footnote mark; OCR; margin reference; margin reference inside a word; margin reference; footnote mark; OCR; stray mark): cognovisti, PhiJoh. xiv. 7,9, lippe? → cognovisti, Philippe?; Ostende — nobis → Ostende nobis; Apostolos uat. x. e. ad oves → Apostolos ad oves; nisi ipei prius → nisi ipsi prius; est? ! Sicut ergo Paulus Apostolus non αὖ hominibus → est? Sicut ergo Paulus Apostolus non ab hominibus; sed per cat.i.1. Jesum? Christum et Deum Patren; → sed per Jesum Christum et Deum Patrem;.

Topics: Heresy, Trinity

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.13.2 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-13-2).

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3.13.3Harvey 2:37

Quoniam autem his qui ad Apostolos vocaverunt eum de quaestione, acquievit Paulus, et ascendit ad eos cum Barnaba in Hierosolymam, non sine causa, sed ut ab ipsis libertas gentilium confirmaretur, ipse ait in ea quae ad Galatas est epistola: Deinde post xiv annos ascendi in Hierosolymam cum Barnaba, assumens et Titum. Ascendi autem secundum revelationem, et contuli cum eis Evangelium quod predico inter gentes. Et iterum ait: Ad horam cessimus subjectioni, uti veritas Evangelii perseveret apud vos. Si quis igitur diligenter ex Actibus Apostolorum scrutetur tempus, de quo scriptum est ascendisse Hierosolymam propter praedictam quaestionem, inveniet eos qui praedicti sunt a Paulo annos concurrentes, Sic est consonans et velut eadem tam Pauli annuntiatio, quam et Lucae de Apostolis testificatio.

And that Paul complied with those who summoned him to the apostles about the question, and went up to them with Barnabas to Jerusalem, not without reason, but so that the freedom of the Gentiles might be confirmed by them, he himself says in the letter to the Galatians: “Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also. I went up by revelation and laid before them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles.” And again he says, “For an hour we yielded in subjection, so that the truth of the Gospel might remain with you.” If anyone, then, carefully examines from the Acts of the Apostles the time of which it is written that he went up to Jerusalem because of the question mentioned, he will find that the years Paul mentions coincide. So Paul's account and Luke's testimony about the apostles agree and are, as it were, the same.

Gal 2:1–2 (quotation, high confidence) · Gal 2:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 15:2 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Paul's visit to Jerusalem in Galatians matches Luke's account in Acts, showing that Paul and the apostles agreed.

Margin references are removed. Irenaeus's text of Gal 2:5 reads “for an hour we yielded,” without the negative found in most Greek manuscripts; it is translated as written. References: Gal 2:1–2, 5; Acts 15:2.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; margin debris; margin debris; margin reference inside a word; margin reference; OCR; running head; stray mark): libertas LIB. HL. gentilium → libertas gentilium; in ea quz ad Galatas est epistola: on Hos xit Deinde post x1v annos ascends $n Hierosolymam cum Barnaba, ii assumens → in ea quae ad Galatas est epistola: Deinde post xiv annos ascendi in Hierosolymam cum Barnaba, assumens; et conCap.. 1, ® tuli → et contuli; ait: Cap. 1.5. 14d horam → ait: Ad horam; perseveret Μ. sn. apud → perseveret apud; scriptum est ® ascendisse → scriptum est ascendisse.

Topics: Scripture and canon

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.13.3 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-13-3).

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Against 3, chapter 14

3.14.1Harvey 2:37

Quoniam autem is Lucas inseparabilis fuit a Paulo, et cooperarius ejus in Evangelio, ipse facit manifestum, non glorians, sed ab ipsa productus veritate. Separatis enim, inquit, a Paulo, et Barnaba et Johanne, qui vocabatur Marcus, et cum navigassent Cyprum, nos venimus in Troadem: et cum vidisset Paulus per somnium virum Macedonem, dicentem; Veniens in Macedoniam opitulare nobis Paule; statim, ait, quesivimus proficisci in Macedoniam, intelligentes quoniam provocavit nos Dominus evangelisare eis. Navigantes igitur a Troade, direximus navigium in Samothracen: et deinceps reliquum omnem ipsorum usque ad Philippos adventum diligenter significat, et quemadmodum primum sermonem locuti sunt: Sedentes enim, inquit, locuti sumus mulieribus quae convenerant; et quinam crediderunt, et quam multi. Et iterum ait: Nos autem navigavimus post dies azymorum a Philippis, et venimus Troadem, ubi et commorati sumus diebus septem. Et reliqua omnia ex ordine cum Paulo refert, omni diligentia demonstrans et loca et civitates et quantitatem dierum, quoadusque Hierosolymam ascenderent: et quz illic contigerint Paulo, quemadmodum vinctus Romam missus est; et nomen centurionis qui suscepit eum, et parasema navium, et quemadmodum naufragium fecerunt, et in qua liberati sunt insula; et quemadmodum humanitatem ibi perceperunt, Paulo curante principem ipsius insulae; et quemadmodum inde Puteolos navigaverunt, et inde Romam pervenerunt, et quanto tempore Romae commorati sunt. Omnibus his cum adesset Lucas, diligenter conscripsit ea, uti neque mendax, neque elatus deprehendi possit, eo quod omnia haec constarent, et seniorem eum esse omnibus qui nunc aliud docent, neque ignorare veritatem. Quoniam non solum prosecutor, sed et cooperarius fuerit Apostolorum, maxime autem Pauli, et ipse autem Paulus manifestavit in epistolis, dicens: Demas me dereliquit, et abiit in Thessalonicam, Crescens in Galatiam, Titus in Dalmatiam: Lucas est mecum solus. Unde ostendit quod semper junctus ei et inseparabilis fuerit ab eo. Et iterum in ea epistola quae est ad Colossenses, ait: Salutat vos Lucas medicus dilectus. Si autem Lucas quidem, qui semper cum Paulo predicavit, et dilectus ab eo est dictus, et cum eo evangelisavit, et creditus est referre nobis Evangelium, nihil aliud ab eo didicit, sicut ex verbis ejus ostensum est, quemadmodum hi qui nunquam Paulo adjuncti fuerunt, gloriantur abscondita et inenarrabilia didicisse sacramenta?

That this Luke was inseparable from Paul and his fellow worker in the Gospel, he himself makes plain, not boasting but led by the truth itself. For when Barnabas and John, who was called Mark, had separated from Paul and sailed to Cyprus, “we came to Troas,” he says; and when Paul had seen in a dream a man of Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us, Paul,” “at once,” he says, “we sought to go into Macedonia, understanding that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them. Sailing, then, from Troas, we set our course for Samothrace.” And then he records carefully all the rest of their journey up to Philippi, and how they spoke their first word: “Sitting down,” he says, “we spoke to the women who had gathered”; and who believed, and how many. And again he says: “But we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to Troas, where we stayed seven days.” And all the rest he relates in order with Paul, showing with all care the places, the cities, and the number of days, until they went up to Jerusalem; and what happened to Paul there, how he was sent bound to Rome; the name of the centurion who took charge of him; the ensigns of the ships; how they were shipwrecked and on what island they were saved; how they received kindness there, when Paul healed the chief man of that island; and how they sailed from there to Puteoli and from there came to Rome, and how long they stayed at Rome. Since Luke was present at all these things, he wrote them down carefully, so that he cannot be caught as either false or boastful, since all these things are established, and since he is older than all who now teach otherwise and was not ignorant of the truth. And that he was not only a follower but also a fellow worker of the apostles, and especially of Paul, Paul himself has made plain in his letters, saying, “Demas has forsaken me and gone to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia; Luke alone is with me.” From this he shows that Luke was always joined to him and inseparable from him. And again in the letter to the Colossians, he says, “Luke the beloved physician greets you.” If, then, Luke, who always preached with Paul, was called beloved by him, preached the Gospel with him, and was entrusted with handing down the Gospel to us, learned nothing else from him, as has been shown from his own words, how do those who were never joined to Paul boast that they learned hidden and unspeakable mysteries?

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Acts 15:39 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 16:8–13 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 20:5–6 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 27:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 28:1–16 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Tim 4:10–11 (quotation, high confidence) · Col 4:14 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Luke, Paul's constant companion as the “we” passages of Acts and Paul's letters show, learned no secret doctrine from him.

Harvey's chapter title and margin references are removed. Words lost in the scan of Harvey's edition are supplied from Stieren's edition. References: Acts 15:39; Acts 16:8–13; Acts 20:5–6; Acts 21–28; 2 Tim 4:10–11; Col 4:14.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; editor's chapter title; OCR; footnote mark; line lost in the OCR; OCR; margin debris; margin debris inside a word; margin reference; margin reference inside a word; margin reference; OCR; running head; stray letter; stray mark): De sectatore Apostolorum Luca, et que sunt que in Evangelio per solum Lucam cognovimus. QuowiaM autem → Quoniam autem; per ® somnium → per somnium; Macedoniam 1,8. 11. opitulare → Macedoniam opitulare; in MaceOR Iii. xiv. doniam → in Macedoniam; mulieribus act. xvi 13. que → mulieribus quae; a Philipact. xx. 5, 6. pis → a Philippis; Paulo, ace. xxi. quemadmodum → Paulo, quemadmodum; centurionis 44. xxvii. 1. qui → centurionis qui; naufraact. xxviii. gium → naufragium; quemadmodum n humanitatem → quemadmodum humanitatem; principem ipsius in81112; et → principem ipsius insulae; et; Roms commorati → Romae commorati; solum? prosecutor → solum prosecutor; Demas me s rw. iv.16, dereliquit, et abiit tin Thessalonicam, Crescens in Galatiam, Titus n an Dalmatiam → Demas me dereliquit, et abiit in Thessalonicam, Crescens in Galatiam, Titus in Dalmatiam; ab eo. Et iterum in ea epistola qu:e est → ab eo. Et iterum in ea epistola quae est; medicus col. tv. 14. dilectus → medicus dilectus; qui Lip 11. nunquam → qui nunquam; et inon} IIl. xh “atv. enarrabilia → et inenarrabilia.

Topics: Scripture and canon, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.14.1 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-14-1).

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3.14.2Harvey 2:37

Quoniam autem Paulus simpliciter quz sciebat, haec docuit, non solum eos qui cum eo erant, verum omnes audientes se, ipse facit manifestum. In Mileto enim convocatis episcopis et presbyteris, qui erant ab Epheso et a reliquis proximis civitatibus, quoniam ipse festinaret Hierosolymis Pentecosten agere, multa testificans eis, et dicens quz oporteret ei Hierosolymis evenire, adjecit: Scio quoniam jam non videbitis faciem meam: testificor igitur vobis hac die, quoniam mundus sum a sanguine omnium. Non enim subtraxi uti non annuntiarem vobis omne sententiam Dei. Attendite igitur et vobis, et omni gregi, in quo vos Spiritus sanctus proposuit episcopos, regere ecclesiam Domini, quam sibi constituit per sanguinem suum. Deinde significans futuros malos doctores, dixit: Ego scio quoniam advenient post discessum meum lupi graves ad vos, non parcentes gregi. Et ex vobisipsis exsurgent viri loquentes perversa, uti convertant discipulos post se. Non subtraxi, inquit, uti non annuntiarem omnem sententiam Dei vobis. Sic Apostoli simpliciter, et nemini invidentes, que didicerant ipsi a Domino, haec omnibus tradebant. Sic igitur et Lucas nemini invidens, ea que ab eis didicerat, tradidit nobis, sicut ipse testificatur dicens: Quemadmodum tradiderunt nobis qui ab initio contemplatores et ministri fuerunt Verbi.

And that Paul taught simply what he knew, not only to those who were with him but to all who heard him, he himself makes plain. For at Miletus, having called together the bishops and presbyters from Ephesus and the other neighboring cities, since he was hastening to keep Pentecost at Jerusalem, he testified many things to them, telling them what must happen to him at Jerusalem, and added: “I know that you will no longer see my face. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am clean of the blood of all. For I did not hold back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Take heed, then, to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops, to rule the church of the Lord, which he acquired for himself through his own blood.” Then, indicating the evil teachers to come, he said: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among yourselves men will arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” “I did not hold back,” he says, “from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” So the apostles, simply and grudging no one, handed on to all what they themselves had learned from the Lord. So Luke too, grudging no one, handed on to us what he had learned from them, as he himself testifies, saying, “As they handed them on to us who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word.”

Acts 20:16–17 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 20:25–31 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 1:2 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Paul at Miletus declared the whole counsel of God to the bishops and presbyters; the apostles and Luke handed on everything openly.

Margin debris is removed. Irenaeus speaks of “bishops and presbyters” summoned to Miletus; the passage is translated as written. References: Acts 20:16–17, 25–31; Luke 1:2.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR; margin debris inside a word; margin debris; stray mark; stray marks): haec et.2 docuit → haec docuit; jam mon videbitis → jam non videbitis; sententiam Dei. — Attendite → sententiam Dei. Attendite; gregi, n quo vos → gregi, in quo vos; episcopos, * regere ecclesiam * Domini, quam sibi constituit. per sanguinem. suum. — Deinde → episcopos, regere ecclesiam Domini, quam sibi constituit per sanguinem suum. Deinde; adventent post disΜ. 202. cessum → advenient post discessum; graves ad oos → graves ad vos; Non subtrazi → Non subtraxi; et * nemini → et nemini.

Topics: Church office, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.14.2 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-14-2).

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3.14.3Harvey 2:37

Si autem quis refutet Lucam, quasi non cognoverit veritatem, manifestus erit projiciens Evangelium, cujus dignatur esse discipulus. Plurima enim et magis necessaria Evangelii per hunc cognovimus, sicut Johannis generationem, et de Zacharia historiam, et adventum angeli ad Mariam, et exclamationem Elizabeth, et angelorum ad pastores descensum, et ea quae ab illis dicta sunt, et Annae et Simeonis de Christo testimonium, et quod duodecim annorum in Hierusalem relictus sit, et baptismum Johannis, et quot annorum Dominus baptisatus sit, et quia in quintodecimo anno Tiberii Caesaris. Et in magisterio illud quod ad divites dictum est: Va vobis divites, quoniam percipitis consolationem vestram. Et, vae vobis qui satiati estis, quoniam esurietis: et qui ridetis nunc, quia plorabitis. Et, vae vobis cum benedixerint vos homines omnes. Secundum hac enim faciebant et pseudoprophetis patres vestri. Et omnia hujusmodi per solum Lucam cognovimus, (et plurimos actus Domini per hunc didicimus, quibus et omnes utuntur:) ut et multitudinem piscium, quam concluserunt hi qui cum Petro erant, jubente Domino ut mitterent retia: et illa quze per octodecim annos passa, curata fuerat mulier die sabbatorum: et de hydropico, quem curavit Dominus die sabbatorum, et quemadmodum disputavit quod curavit in hac die: et quemadmodum docuit discipulos primos discubitus non appetere: et quoniam pauperes et debiles vocare oportet, qui non habent retribuere: et qui pulsavit nocte sumere panes, et propter instantiam importunitatis sumit: et quoniam apud Phariseum recumbente eo, peccatrix mulier osculabatur pedes ejus et unguento ungebat, et quecunque propter eam dixit ad Simonem Dominus de duobus debitoribus: et de parabola divitis illius qui reclusit quze ei nata fuerant, cui et dictum est, In hac nocte expostulabunt animam tuam a te: Que autem preparasti, cujus erunt? similiter autem et divitis qui vestiebatur purpura, et jocundabatur nitide, et egenum Lazarum: et eam quam ad discentes suos dixit responsionem, quando dixerunt ei: Adjice nobis fidem: et eam que ad Zacchaeum publicanum facta est confabulationem: et de Phariseo et publicano, qui simul adorabant in templo: et de decem leprosis, quos simul emundavit in via: et quoniam de vicis et plateis claudos et luscos jussit colligi ad nuptias; et parabolam judicis qui Deum non timebat, quem instantia viduae fecit ut vindicaret eam: et de arbore fici quze erat in vinea, quze non faciebat fructum. Et alia multa sunt quie inveniri possunt a solo Luca dicta esse, quibus et Marcion et Valentinus utuntur. Et super haec omnia post resurrectionem in via ad discipulos suos quz locutus est, et quemadmodum cognoverunt eum in fractione panis.

If anyone rejects Luke as though he did not know the truth, he will clearly be casting away the Gospel whose disciple he claims to be. For through him we have come to know very many and very necessary parts of the Gospel: such as the birth of John, the story of Zechariah, the angel's coming to Mary, Elizabeth's exclamation, the angels' descent to the shepherds and what they said, the testimony of Anna and Simeon about Christ, that at twelve years old he was left behind in Jerusalem, the baptism of John, how old the Lord was when he was baptized, and that this was in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar; and in his teaching, what was said to the rich: “Woe to you rich, for you have received your consolation”; and, “Woe to you who are full, for you will hunger; and you who laugh now, for you will weep”; and, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you; for so your fathers did to the false prophets.” All things of this kind we have come to know through Luke alone (and through him we have learned very many acts of the Lord which all use): such as the multitude of fish which those with Peter enclosed when the Lord commanded them to let down the nets; the woman who had suffered for eighteen years and was healed on the Sabbath; the man with dropsy whom the Lord healed on the Sabbath, and how he argued that he had healed on that day; how he taught the disciples not to seek the first places at table; that we should invite the poor and the weak, who cannot repay; the man who knocked at night to get loaves and got them because of his persistent importunity; that, when he was reclining at a Pharisee's house, a sinful woman kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment, and all that the Lord said to Simon about her concerning the two debtors; the parable of that rich man who stored up what had been produced for him, to whom it was said, “This night they will demand your soul from you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”; likewise the rich man who was clothed in purple and feasted splendidly, and the beggar Lazarus; the answer he gave his disciples when they said to him, “Increase our faith”; the conversation held with Zacchaeus the tax collector; the Pharisee and the tax collector who were praying together in the temple; the ten lepers whom he cleansed together on the road; that he ordered the lame and the one-eyed to be gathered from the lanes and streets to the wedding; the parable of the judge who did not fear God, whom the widow's persistence made avenge her; and the fig tree in the vineyard which bore no fruit. And there are many other things that can be found to have been told by Luke alone, which both Marcion and Valentinus use. And on top of all these, what he said to his disciples on the road after the resurrection, and how they recognized him in the breaking of bread.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Luke 6:24–26 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 5:4–7 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 13:11–16 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 14:1–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 11:5–8 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 7:36–50 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 12:16–20 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 16:19–31 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 17:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 19:1–10 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 18:10–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 17:11–19 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 14:21 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 18:2–5 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 13:6–9 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 24:13–35 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Much of the Gospel, used even by Marcion and Valentinus, is known only through Luke, so those who reject Luke reject the Gospel.

A fragment of Harvey's footnote and margin references inside the text are removed. Words lost in the scan of Harvey's edition are supplied from Stieren's edition. References: Luke 1–2; Luke 3:1–3, 23; Luke 6:24–26; Luke 5:4–7; 13:11–16; 14:1–6, 7–14; 11:5–8; 7:36–50; 12:16–20; 16:19–31; 17:5; 19:1–10; 18:10–14; 17:11–19; 14:21; 18:2–5; 13:6–9; 24:13–35.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR; running head; OCR; split word; editor's footnote inside a word; footnote number; margin debris; margin debris inside a word; margin reference; stray mark): Si autem quis 7refutet → Si autem quis refutet; cujus 5 dignatur → cujus dignatur; per hune cognovimus → per hunc cognovimus; exclamatioAct. xx. 25— tradicit Irenaeus S. Luce, qui ® 1, Christi, nem Elizabeth → exclamationem Elizabeth; ea quie LIB. III. ab illis → ea quae ab illis; testimonium, on iit. et quod → testimonium, et quod; baptis_ 6.36 mum → baptismum; percipitis 24.25, consolationem → percipitis consolationem; va@ vobis qui satiati estis, quoniam esu— rietis → vae vobis qui satiati estis, quoniam esurietis; ec vobis cum benedizerint → vae vobis cum benedixerint; piscium, csp. v. quam → piscium, quam; curavit cap. xtv. Dominus → curavit Dominus; sumere Cep. xi. panes → sumere panes; parabola cap. it divitis → parabola divitis; ^nata fuerant → nata fuerant; vestiebatur cep. xv. purpura → vestiebatur purpura; eam δ, 118. 1. quam → eam quam; ei: on. Ii Til. xiv. Adjice → ei: Adjice; facta Ass est → facta est; instantia vidus → instantia viduae; Et super hsc → Et super haec.

Topics: Scripture and canon, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.14.3 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-14-3).

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3.14.4Harvey 2:37

Necesse est igitur et reliqua quz ab eo dicta sunt, recipere eos, aut et his renuntiare. Non enim conceditur eis ab his qui sensum habent, quaedam quidem recipere ex his quae a Luca dicta sunt, quasi sint veritatis; quaedam vero refutare, quasi non cognovisset veritatem. Et si quidem refutaverint hi qui a Marcione sunt, non habebunt Evangelium: hoc enim quod est secundum Lucam quemadmodum praediximus, decurtantes, gloriantur se habere Evangelium; hi vero qui a Valentino sunt, cessabunt a plurimo vaniloquio suo: ex hoc enim multas occasiones subtililoquii sui acceperunt, interpretari audentes male, quze ab hoc bene sunt dicta: si autem et reliqua suscipere cogentur, intendentes perfecto Evangelio, et Apostolorum doctrinae, oportet eos pcenitentiam agere, ut salvari a periculo possint.

They must, then, either accept also the rest of what he has said, or renounce these things too. For people of sense will not allow them to accept some of what Luke has said as true and to reject other things as though he did not know the truth. And if the followers of Marcion reject them, they will have no Gospel; for, as we said before, by curtailing the Gospel according to Luke they boast that they have the Gospel. And the Valentinians will cease from much of their empty talk, for from this Gospel they have taken many occasions for their subtleties, daring to interpret wrongly what was well said by Luke. But if they are compelled to accept the rest too, then by attending to the complete Gospel and the teaching of the apostles they must repent, so that they may be saved from the danger.

Notes and citation

Summary: Marcion and the Valentinians must accept all of Luke or none; accepting all would lead them to repentance.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; stray mark): ex his qu a Luca → ex his quae a Luca; Εὖ si quidem → Et si quidem; quemadmodum * praediximus → quemadmodum praediximus; bene sunt dieta → bene sunt dicta.

Topics: Scripture and canon, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.14.4 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-14-4).

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Against 3, chapter 15

3.15.1Harvey 2:37

Eadem autem dicimus iterum et his, qui Paulum Apostolum non cognoscunt, quoniam aut reliquis verbis Evangelii, quze per solum Lucam in nostram venerunt agnitionem, renuntiare debent, et non uti eis; aut si illa recipiunt omnia, habent necessitatem recipere etiam eam testificationem, que est de Paulo, dicente ipso, primum quidem Dominum ei de coelo locutum: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? Ego sum Jesus Christus, quem tu persequeris: deinde Ánanie de eo dicente: Vade, quoniam vas electionis mihi est iste, ut portet nomen meum in gentibus, et regibus, et filiis Israel, Ego enim demonstrabo ei ex ipso, quanta oporteat eum pati propter nomen meum. Qui igitur non recipiunt eum qui sit electus a Deo ad hoc, ut fiducialiter portet nomen ejus, quod sit missus ad quas prediximus gentes, electionem Domini contemnunt, et seipsos segregant ab Apostolorum conventu. Neque enim contendere possunt Paulum non esse Apostolum, quando in hoc sit electus: neque Lucam mendacem esse, possunt ostendere, veritatem nobis cum omni diligentia annuntiantem. Fortassis enim et propter hoc operatus est Deus plurima Evangelia ostendi per Lucam, quibus necesse haberent omnes uti, ut sequenti testificationi ejus, quam habet de actibus et doctrina Apostolorum, omnes sequentes, et regulam veritatis inadulteratam habentes, salvari possint. Igitur testificatio ejus vera, et doctrina Apostolorum manifesta et firma, et nihil subtrahens, neque alia quidem in abscondito, alia vero in manifesto docentium.

We say the same again to those who do not acknowledge the Apostle Paul: either they must renounce the other words of the Gospel which have come to our knowledge through Luke alone, and not use them; or, if they accept all of them, they are bound to accept also the testimony about Paul, where he says, first, that the Lord spoke to him from heaven: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? I am Jesus Christ, whom you are persecuting”; and then that he said of him to Ananias: “Go, for this man is a chosen vessel to me, to carry my name among the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him from now on how much he must suffer for my name.” Those, then, who do not accept him who was chosen by God for this, to carry his name boldly, being sent to the nations we have mentioned, despise the Lord's choice and separate themselves from the company of the apostles. For they cannot contend that Paul is not an apostle, since he was chosen for this; nor can they show that Luke, who proclaims the truth to us with all care, is a liar. Perhaps indeed God worked for this reason, that very many parts of the Gospel should be shown through Luke, which all would have to use, so that all, following his subsequent testimony about the acts and teaching of the apostles and holding the unadulterated rule of truth, might be saved. His testimony, then, is true, and the teaching of the apostles is open and firm, holding nothing back, and they did not teach some things in secret and others in public.

Acts 9:4–5 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 22:8 (quotation, medium confidence) · Acts 9:15–16 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Those who reject Paul must also reject Luke's Gospel, for Luke testifies that Christ chose Paul as an apostle.

Margin references are removed. Those who reject Paul are not named here; elsewhere (1.26.2) Irenaeus says the Ebionites reject him. References: Acts 9:4–5 (22:7–8); Acts 9:15–16.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; footnote number; margin reference; margin debris; margin debris inside a word; stray mark; stray mark; margin debris): Eapem autem → Eadem autem; Jesus ' Christus, 118. nr. quem → Jesus Christus, quem; quo1 GR. ΤῊ: III xv. niam → quoniam; meum ὃ in gentibus → meum in gentibus; filis Israel → filiis Israel; ei 4 ex ipso, λει xxii. 8; quanta → ei ex ipso, quanta; non ™ 15 16 recipiunt → non recipiunt; non esse - Apostolum → non esse Apostolum.

Topics: Scripture and canon, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.15.1 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-15-1).

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3.15.2Harvey 2:37

Hoc enim fictorum et prave seducentium et hypocritarum est molimen, quemadmodum faciunt hi qui a Valentino sunt. Hi enim ad multitudinem propter eos qui sunt ab Ecclesia, quos communes et Ecclesiasticos ipsi dicunt, inferunt sermones, per quos capiunt simpliciores, et illiciunt eos, simulantes nostrum tractatum, ut saepius audiant; qui et jam quaeruntur de nobis, quod cum similia nobiscum sentiant, sine causa abstineamus nos a communicatione eorum, et cum eadem dicant, et eandem habeant doctrinam, vocemus illos haereticos: et cum dejecerint aliquos a fide per quaestiones, quze fiunt ab eis, et non contradicentes auditores suos fecerint, his separatim inenarrabile plenitudinis suae enarrant mysterium. Decipiuntur autem omnes, qui quod est in verbis verisimile, se putant posse discere a veritate. Suasorius enim et verisimilis est, et exquirens fucos error: sine fuco autem est veritas, et propter hoc pueris credita est. Et si aliquis quidem ex his qui audiunt eos, quaerat solutiones, vel contradicat eis, hunc quasi non capientem veritatem, et non habentem de superioribus a matre sua semen affirmantes, in totum nihil dicunt ei, mediarum partium dicentes esse illum, hoc est psychicorum. Si autem aliquis quasi parvam ovem, deditum semetipsum ipsis praebeat, imitationem illorum, et redemtionem illorum consecutus, est inflatus iste talis, neque in caelo, neque in terra putat se esse, sed intra Pleroma introisse, et complexum jam angelum suum, cum institorio, et supercilio incedit, gallinacei elationem habens. Sunt autem apud eos, qui dicunt oportere bonam conversationem assequi eum hominem, qui sit desuper veniens: propter hoc et fingunt quodam supercilio gravitatem. Plurimi autem et contemtores facti, quasi jam perfecti, sine reverentia, et in contemtu viventes, semetipsos spiritales vocant, et se nosse jam dicunt eum qui sit intra Pleroma ipsorum refrigerii locum.

For this is the device of pretenders, wicked seducers, and hypocrites, as the Valentinians do. For they address discourses to the multitude for the sake of those who belong to the church, whom they themselves call “common” and “ecclesiastical,” and by these they catch the simpler people and entice them, imitating our way of speaking, so that they may hear them more often. They even complain about us, that, though they think as we do, we keep away from communion with them without cause, and that, though they say the same things and hold the same teaching, we call them heretics. And when they have thrown some down from the faith by the questions they raise, and made them hearers who do not contradict them, they tell them privately the unspeakable mystery of their Pleroma. All are deceived who think that from what is plausible in words they can learn the truth. For error is persuasive and plausible, and seeks disguises; but truth is without disguise, and for this reason it has been entrusted to children. And if anyone among those who hear them asks for explanations or contradicts them, they declare that he does not grasp the truth and does not have the seed from above from their Mother, and say nothing at all to him, saying that he is of the middle region, that is, of the animal. But if anyone gives himself up to them like a little sheep and has received their initiation and their “redemption,” such a one is puffed up and thinks himself to be neither in heaven nor on earth, but to have entered within the Pleroma and already embraced his angel; he walks about with a hawker's swagger and a haughty brow, having the pride of a cock. There are some among them who say that the man who comes from above must attain good conduct; for this reason they also feign gravity with a certain haughtiness. But very many, having become contemptuous, as though already perfect, live without reverence and in contempt, call themselves spiritual, and say that they already know the place of refreshment that is within their Pleroma.

Notes and citation

Summary: The Valentinians imitate church language to lure the simple, then privately teach their Pleroma, and their initiates grow proud.

A running head and margin debris are removed. “Common” and “ecclesiastical” are the Valentinians' terms for ordinary church members. “With a hawker's swagger” renders the uncertain cum institorio. The Valentinian “redemption” was an initiation rite (see 1.21).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR; margin debris; running head; split word; stray marks): quos ° communes “et Ecclesiasticos → quos communes et Ecclesiasticos; per QUAM PLURIMA ENARRANTUR. quos → per quos; ut ssepius → ut saepius; communieatione → communicatione; hecreticos → haereticos; plenitudinis suze → plenitudinis suae; nihil dieunt ei → nihil dicunt ei; sed LIB. UII intra Pleroma → sed intra Pleroma; cum oR. Th. 1 institorio → cum institorio; Sunt MASS. n autem → Sunt autem; conversationem asse———— qui eum → conversationem assequi eum; nosse jam dicunt euin → nosse jam dicunt eum.

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.15.2 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-15-2).

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3.15.3Harvey 2:37

Nos autem revertamur ad eundem tractatum. Cum enim declaratum sit manifeste, quoniam neminem alium Deum vocaverunt vel Dominum nominaverunt, qui veritatis fuerunt praedicatores et Apostoli libertatis, nisi solum verum Deum Patrem et Verbum ejus, qui in omnibus principatum habet, manifeste erit ostensum, factorem caeli et terre, et qui locutus sit cum Moyse, et legis dispositionem ei dederit, qui convocaverit patres, Dominum Deum confiteri eos, et alterum neminem nosse. Manifesta igitur et Apostolorum et discentium eorum ex verbis ipsorum de Deo facta est sententia.

But let us return to the same treatment. Since it has been plainly declared that those who were preachers of the truth and apostles of freedom called no one else God and named no one else Lord than the only true God the Father and his Word, who has the preeminence in all things, it will be plainly shown that they confessed as Lord God the Maker of heaven and earth, who spoke with Moses and gave him the dispensation of the law, who called the fathers, and that they knew no other. The view about God of the apostles and of their disciples has thus been made plain from their own words.

Col 1:18 (echo, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The apostles and their disciples confessed only the true God, the Creator who gave the law, and his Word.

“Has the preeminence in all things” echoes Col 1:18.

Topics: Trinity, Scripture and canon

Cite (SBL): Irenaeus, Haer. 3.15.3 (Harvey 2:37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/irenaeus-adversus-haereses/3-12-15/#p-3-15-3).

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