Irenaeus’s Against Heresies Book 5

This episode contains part of a voluminous work by Irenaeus. He was a disciple of Polycarp, placing him two generations from the apostles. He lived between A.D. 120 and A.D 202. Irenaeus wrote as a bishop in Lyons, France, and found himself part of a global church embroiled in heresy and schism. Because of this he devoted much of his life to understanding and refuting the heretics of his day. This has been preserved in a five volume series, titled “Against Heresies.”

In his last book, Irenaeus appropriately addresses doctrines surrounding salvation, death, and the end times. Because many of the heretics of his day drew a distinction between the flesh and the spirit, the latter of which they believed would be saved, Irenaeus leans heavily upon Paul and the prophets to demonstrate that the Christian hope of salvation applies to our physical bodies as well as our spiritual selves.

Irenaeus goes beyond this point, however, discussing expectations for the end times and the future kingdom of God. In doing so he draws heavily upon the Bible, and especially the book of Revelation, to lay out the end of the age, the coming of the lawless one, and the future peace in the kingdom of God. In addressing these doctrines, Irenaeus is careful not to speak with too much confidence, rebuking those who with certainty assign names to the antichrist and reminding us that the future is ultimately held by God. 

If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.