c. 130 – 202 (chief work written c. 180)

Irenaeus of Lyons and his work Against Heresies

Irenaeus was a native of Asia Minor and as a child listened to Polycarp of Smyrna. He became a presbyter in Lyons, and after the martyrdom of Bishop Pothinus in 177 he took over his see.

Provoked by an encounter with the Gnostic Marcosians, he wrote Against Heresies – his main work against Gnosticism – and the Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching. Against the secret traditions of the Gnostics he put forward open apostolic tradition, the "rule of truth," the canon of four Gospels and the succession of bishops from the apostles, citing the list of the bishops of Rome as an example. Central to his theology was the teaching of the recapitulation of Christ as the "second Adam."