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Against Heresies

St Irenaeus of Lyons, ANF 1

1. d1
2. Book 1, Preface
3. Book 1, Absurd Ideas of the Disciples of Valentinus as to the Origin, Name, Order, and…
4. Book 1, The Propator Was Known to Monogenes Alone. Ambition, Disturbance, and Danger into…
5. Book 1, Texts of Holy Scripture Used by These Heretics to Support Their Opinions
6. Book 1, Account Given by the Heretics of the Formation of Achamoth; Origin of the Visible…
7. Book 1, Formation of the Demiurge; Description of Him. He is the Creator of Everything…
8. Book 1, The Threefold Kind of Man Feigned by These Heretics: Good Works Needless for…
9. Book 1, The Mother Achamoth, When All Her Seed are Perfected, Shall Pass into the…
10. Book 1, How the Valentinians Pervert the Scriptures to Support Their Own Pious Opinions
11. Book 1, 9. Refutation of the Impious Interpretations of These Heretics
12. Book 1, 10. Unity of the Faith of the Church Throughout the Whole World
13. Book 1, The Opinions of Valentinus, with Those of His Disciples and Others
14. Book 1, 12. The Doctrines of the Followers of Ptolemy and Colorbasus
15. Book 1, 13. The Deceitful Arts and Nefarious Practices of Marcus
16. Book 1, The Various Hypotheses of Marcus and Others. Theories Respecting Letters and…
17. Book 1, Sige Relates to Marcus the Generation of the Twenty-four Elements and of Jesus.…
18. Book 1, 16. Absurd Interpretations of the Marcosians
19. Book 1, The Theory of the Marcosians, that Created Things Were Made After the Image of…
20. Book 1, Passages from Moses, Which the Heretics Pervert to the Support of Their Hypothesis
21. Book 1, Passages of Scripture by Which They Attempt to Prove that the Supreme Father Was…
22. Book 1, The Apocryphal and Spurious Scriptures of the Marcosians, with Passages of the…
23. Book 1, 21. The Views of Redemption Entertained by These Heretics
24. Book 1, 22. Deviations of Heretics from the Truth
25. Book 1, 23. Doctrines and Practices of Simon Magus and Menander
26. Book 1, 24. Doctrines of Saturninus and Basilides
27. Book 1, 25. Doctrines of Carpocrates
28. Book 1, 26. Doctrines of Cerinthus, the Ebionites, and Nicolaitanes
29. Book 1, 27. Doctrines of Cerdo and Marcion
30. Book 1, 28. Doctrines of Tatian, the Encratites, and Others
31. Book 1, Doctrines of Various Other Gnostic Sects, and Especially of the Barbeliotes or…
32. Book 1, 30. Doctrines of the Ophites and Sethians
33. Book 1, 31. Doctrines of the Cainites
34. Book 2, Preface
35. Book 2, There is But One God: The Impossibility of Its Being Otherwise
36. Book 2, The World Was Not Formed by Angels, or by Any Other Being, Contrary to the Will…
37. Book 2, The Bythus and Pleroma of the Valentinians, as Well as the God of Marcion, Shown…
38. Book 2, The Absurdity of the Supposed Vacuum and Defect of the Heretics is Demonstrated
39. Book 2, This World Was Not Formed by Any Other Beings Within the Territory Which is…
40. Book 2, The Angels and the Creator of the World Could Not Have Been Ignorant of the…
41. Book 2, Created Things are Not the Images of Those Æons Who are Within the Pleroma
42. Book 2, 8. Created Things are Not a Shadow of the Pleroma
43. Book 2, There is But One Creator of the World, God the Father: This the Constant Belief…
44. Book 2, Perverse Interpretations of Scripture by the Heretics: God Created All Things Out…
45. Book 2, The Heretics, from Their Disbelief of the Truth, Have Fallen into an Abyss of…
46. Book 2, The Triacontad of the Heretics Errs Both by Defect and Excess: Sophia Could Never…
47. Book 2, The First Order of Production Maintained by the Heretics is Altogether…
48. Book 2, Valentinus and His Followers Derived the Principles of Their System from the…
49. Book 2, 15. No Account Can Be Given of These Productions
50. Book 2, The Creator of the World Either Produced of Himself the Images of Things to Be…
51. Book 2, Inquiry into the Production of the Æons: Whatever Its Supposed Nature, It is in…
52. Book 2, Sophia Was Never Really in Ignorance or Passion; Her Enthymesis Could Not Have…
53. Book 2, Absurdities of the Heretics as to Their Own Origin: Their Opinions Respecting the…
54. Book 2, Futility of the Arguments Adduced to Demonstrate the Sufferings of the Twelfth…
55. Book 2, 21. The Twelve Apostles Were Not a Type of the Æons
56. Book 2, The Thirty Æons are Not Typified by the Fact that Christ Was Baptized in His…
57. Book 2, The Woman Who Suffered from an Issue of Blood Was No Type of the Suffering Æon
58. Book 2, Folly of the Arguments Derived by the Heretics from Numbers, Letters, and…
59. Book 2, God is Not to Be Sought After by Means of Letters, Syllables, and Numbers;…
60. Book 2, 26. “Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth.”
61. Book 2, Proper Mode of Interpreting Parables and Obscure Passages of Scripture
62. Book 2, Perfect Knowledge Cannot Be Attained in the Present Life: Many Questions Must Be…
63. Book 2, Refutation of the Views of the Heretics as to the Future Destiny of the Soul and…
64. Book 2, Absurdity of Their Styling Themselves Spiritual, While the Demiurge is Declared…
65. Book 2, 31. Recapitulation and Application of the Foregoing Arguments
66. Book 2, Further Exposure of the Wicked and Blasphemous Doctrines of the Heretics
67. Book 2, 33. Absurdity of the Doctrine of the Transmigration of Souls
68. Book 2, Souls Can Be Recognised in the Separate State, and are Immortal Although They…
69. Book 2, Refutation of Basilides, and of the Opinion that the Prophets Uttered Their…
70. Book 3, Preface
71. Book 3, The Apostles Did Not Commence to Preach the Gospel, or to Place Anything on…
72. Book 3, 2. The Heretics Follow Neither Scripture nor Tradition
73. Book 3, A Refutation of the Heretics, from the Fact that, in the Various Churches, a…
74. Book 3, The Truth is to Be Found Nowhere Else But in the Catholic Church, the Sole…
75. Book 3, Christ and His Apostles, Without Any Fraud, Deception, or Hypocrisy, Preached…
76. Book 3, The Holy Ghost, Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, Made Mention of No Other…
77. Book 3, Reply to an Objection Founded on the Words of St. Paul (2 Cor. iv. 4). St. Paul…
78. Book 3, Answer to an Objection, Arising from the Words of Christ (Matt. vi. 24). God…
79. Book 3, One and the Same God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, is He Whom the Prophets…
80. Book 3, Proofs of the Foregoing, Drawn from the Gospels of Mark and Luke
81. Book 3, Proofs in Continuation, Extracted from St. John’s Gospel. The Gospels are Four in…
82. Book 3, 12. Doctrine of the Rest of the Apostles
83. Book 3, Refutation of the Opinion, that Paul Was the Only Apostle Who Had Knowledge of…
84. Book 3, If Paul Had Known Any Mysteries Unrevealed to the Other Apostles, Luke, His…
85. Book 3, Refutation of the Ebionites, Who Disparaged the Authority of St. Paul, from the…
86. Book 3, Proofs from the Apostolic Writings, that Jesus Christ Was One and the Same, the…
87. Book 3, The Apostles Teach that It Was Neither Christ nor the Saviour, But the Holy…
88. Book 3, Continuation of the Foregoing Argument. Proofs from the Writings of St. Paul, and…
89. Book 3, Jesus Christ Was Not a Mere Man, Begotten from Joseph in the Ordinary Course of…
90. Book 3, God Showed Himself, by the Fall of Man, as Patient, Benign, Merciful, Mighty to…
91. Book 3, A Vindication of the Prophecy in Isa. vii. 14 Against the Misinterpretations of…
92. Book 3, Christ Assumed Actual Flesh, Conceived and Born of the Virgin
93. Book 3, Arguments in Opposition to Tatian, Showing that It Was Consonant to Divine…
94. Book 3, Recapitulation of the Various Arguments Adduced Against Gnostic Impiety Under All…
95. Book 3, This World is Ruled by the Providence of One God, Who is Both Endowed with…
96. d2
97. Book 4, Preface
98. Book 4, 1. The Lord Acknowledged But One God and Father
99. Book 4, Proofs from the Plain Testimony of Moses, and of the Other Prophets, Whose Words…
100. Book 4, Answer to the Cavils of the Gnostics. We are Not to Suppose that the True God Can…
101. Book 4, Answer to Another Objection, Showing that the Destruction of Jerusalem, Which Was…
102. Book 4, The Author Returns to His Former Argument, and Shows that There Was But One God…
103. Book 4, Explanation of the Words of Christ, “No man knoweth the Father, but the Son,”…
104. Book 4, Recapitulation of the Foregoing Argument, Showing that Abraham, Through the…
105. Book 4, Vain Attempts of Marcion and His Followers, Who Exclude Abraham from the…
106. Book 4, 9. There is But One Author, and One End to Both Covenants
107. Book 4, The Old Testament Scriptures, and Those Written by Moses in Particular, Do…
108. Book 4, The Old Prophets and Righteous Men Knew Beforehand of the Advent of Christ, and…
109. Book 4, It Clearly Appears that There Was But One Author of Both the Old and the New Law,…
110. Book 4, Christ Did Not Abrogate the Natural Precepts of the Law, But Rather Fulfilled and…
111. Book 4, If God Demands Obedience from Man, If He Formed Man, Called Him and Placed Him…
112. Book 4, At First God Deemed It Sufficient to Inscribe the Natural Law, or the Decalogue,…
113. Book 4, Perfect Righteousness Was Conferred Neither by Circumcision nor by Any Other…
114. Book 4, Proof that God Did Not Appoint the Levitical Dispensation for His Own Sake, or as…
115. Book 4, Concerning Sacrifices and Oblations, and Those Who Truly Offer Them
116. Book 4, Earthly Things May Be the Type of Heavenly, But the Latter Cannot Be the Types of…
117. Book 4, That One God Formed All Things in the World, by Means of the Word and the Holy…
118. Book 4, Abraham’s Faith Was Identical with Ours; This Faith Was Prefigured by the Words…
119. Book 4, Christ Did Not Come for the Sake of the Men of One Age Only, But for All Who,…
120. Book 4, The Patriarchs and Prophets by Pointing Out the Advent of Christ, Fortified…
121. Book 4, The Conversion of the Gentiles Was More Difficult Than that of the Jews; the…
122. Book 4, Both Covenants Were Prefigured in Abraham, and in the Labour of Tamar; There Was,…
123. Book 4, The Treasure Hid in the Scriptures is Christ; the True Exposition of the…
124. Book 4, The Sins of the Men of Old Time, Which Incurred the Displeasure of God, Were, by…
125. Book 4, Those Persons Prove Themselves Senseless Who Exaggerate the Mercy of Christ, But…
126. Book 4, Refutation of the Arguments of the Marcionites, Who Attempted to Show that God…
127. Book 4, Refutation of Another Argument Adduced by the Marcionites, that God Directed the…
128. Book 4, We Should Not Hastily Impute as Crimes to the Men of Old Time Those Actions Which…
129. Book 4, That One God Was the Author of Both Testaments, is Confirmed by the Authority of…
130. Book 4, Whosoever Confesses that One God is the Author of Both Testaments, and Diligently…
131. Book 4, Proof Against the Marcionites, that the Prophets Referred in All Their…
132. Book 4, A Refutation of Those Who Allege that the Prophets Uttered Some Predictions Under…
133. Book 4, The Prophets Were Sent from One and the Same Father from Whom the Son Was Sent
134. Book 4, Men are Possessed of Free Will, and Endowed with the Faculty of Making a Choice.…
135. Book 4, 38. Why Man Was Not Made Perfect from the Beginning
136. Book 4, Man is Endowed with the Faculty of Distinguishing Good and Evil; So that, Without…
137. Book 4, One and the Same God the Father Inflicts Punishment on the Reprobate, and Bestows…
138. Book 4, Those Persons Who Do Not Believe in God, But Who are Disobedient, are Angels and…
139. Book 5, Preface
140. Book 5, Christ Alone is Able to Teach Divine Things, and to Redeem Us: He, the Same, Took…
141. Book 5, When Christ Visited Us in His Grace, He Did Not Come to What Did Not Belong to…
142. Book 5, The Power and Glory of God Shine Forth in the Weakness of Human Flesh, as He Will…
143. Book 5, Those Persons are Deceived Who Feign Another God the Father Besides the Creator…
144. Book 5, The Prolonged Life of the Ancients, the Translation of Elijah and of Enoch in…
145. Book 5, God Will Bestow Salvation Upon the Whole Nature of Man, Consisting of Body and…
146. Book 5, Inasmuch as Christ Did Rise in Our Flesh, It Follows that We Shall Be Also Raised…
147. Book 5, The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Which We Receive Prepare Us for Incorruption, Render…
148. Book 5, Showing How that Passage of the Apostle Which the Heretics Pervert, Should Be…
149. Book 5, By a Comparison Drawn from the Wild Olive-tree, Whose Quality But Not Whose…
150. Book 5, Treats Upon the Actions of Carnal and of Spiritual Persons; Also, that the…
151. Book 5, Of the Difference Between Life and Death; of the Breath of Life and the Vivifying…
152. Book 5, In the Dead Who Were Raised by Christ We Possess the Highest Proof of the…
153. Book 5, Unless the Flesh Were to Be Saved, the Word Would Not Have Taken Upon Him Flesh…
154. Book 5, Proofs of the Resurrection from Isaiah and Ezekiel; the Same God Who Created Us…
155. Book 5, Since Our Bodies Return to the Earth, It Follows that They Have Their Substance…
156. Book 5, There is But One Lord and One God, the Father and Creator of All Things, Who Has…
157. Book 5, God the Father and His Word Have Formed All Created Things (which They use) by…
158. Book 5, A Comparison is Instituted Between the Disobedient and Sinning Eve and the Virgin…
159. Book 5, Those Pastors are to Be Heard to Whom the Apostles Committed the Churches,…
160. Book 5, Christ is the Head of All Things Already Mentioned. It Was Fitting that He Should…
161. Book 5, The True Lord and the One God is Declared by the Law, and Manifested by Christ…
162. Book 5, The Devil is Well Practised in Falsehood, by Which Adam Having Been Led Astray,…
163. Book 5, Of the Constant Falsehood of the Devil, and of the Powers and Governments of the…
164. Book 5, The Fraud, Pride, and Tyrannical Kingdom of Antichrist, as Described by Daniel…
165. Book 5, John and Daniel Have Predicted the Dissolution and Desolation of the Roman…
166. Book 5, The Future Judgment by Christ. Communion with and Separation from the Divine…
167. Book 5, The Distinction to Be Made Between the Righteous and the Wicked. The Future…
168. Book 5, All Things Have Been Created for the Service of Man. The Deceits, Wickedness, and…
169. Book 5, Although Certain as to the Number of the Name of Antichrist, Yet We Should Come…
170. Book 5, The Preservation of Our Bodies is Confirmed by the Resurrection and Ascension of…
171. Book 5, In that Flesh in Which the Saints Have Suffered So Many Afflictions, They Shall…
172. Book 5, Further Proofs of the Same Proposition, Drawn from the Promises Made by Christ,…
173. Book 5, He Fortifies His Opinions with Regard to the Temporal and Earthly Kingdom of the…
174. Book 5, He Contends that These Testimonies Already Alleged Cannot Be Understood…
175. Book 5, Men Shall Be Actually Raised: The World Shall Not Be Annihilated; But There Shall…
176. Fragments, Fragment 1 · I adjure thee, who shalt transcribe this book, by our Lord Jesus…
177. Fragments, Fragment 2 · These opinions, Florinus, that I may speak in mild terms, are not…
178. Fragments, Fragment 3 · For the controversy is not merely as regards the day, but also as…
179. Fragments, Fragment 4 · As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours,…
180. Fragments, Fragment 5 · The will and the energy of God is the effective and foreseeing…
181. Fragments, Fragment 6 · Since God is vast, and the Architect of the world, and…
182. Fragments, Fragment 7 · This [custom], of not bending the knee upon Sunday, is a symbol…
183. Fragments, Fragment 8 · For as the ark [of the covenant] was gilded within and without…
184. Fragments, Fragment 9 · Ever, indeed, speaking well of the deserving, but never ill of…
185. Fragments, Fragment 10 · It is indeed proper to God, and befitting His character, to show…
186. Fragments, Fragment 11 · The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever…
187. Fragments, Fragment 12 · We therefore have formed the belief that [our] bodies also do…
188. Fragments, Fragment 13 · For when the Greeks, having arrested the slaves of Christian…
189. Fragments, Fragment 14 · How is it possible to say that the serpent, created by God dumb…
190. Fragments, Fragment 15 · When, in times of old, Balaam spake these things in parables, he…
191. Fragments, Fragment 16 · Expounding again the law to that generation which followed those…
192. Fragments, Fragment 17 · By these Christ was typified, and acknowledged, and brought into…
193. Fragments, Fragment 18 · And this was not without meaning; but that by means of the…
194. Fragments, Fragment 19 · “Take unto thee Joshua (Ἰησοῦν) the son of Nun.” For it was…
195. Fragments, Fragment 20 · “And he laid his hands upon him.” The countenance of Joshua was…
196. Fragments, Fragment 21 · But he does not give, as Christ did, by means of breathing,…
197. Fragments, Fragment 22 · “Thou shall not go with them, neither shalt thou curse the…
198. Fragments, Fragment 23 · “And he mounted upon his ass.” The ass was the type of the body…
199. Fragments, Fragment 24 · “God is not as a man.” He thus shows that all men are indeed…
200. Fragments, Fragment 25 · “To inflict vengeance from the Lord on Midian.” For this man…
201. Fragments, Fragment 26 · Know thou that every man is either empty or full. For if he has…
202. Fragments, Fragment 27 · The little boy, therefore, who guided Samson by the hand,…
203. Fragments, Fragment 28 · “And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him…
204. Fragments, Fragment 29 · The Gospel according to Matthew was written to the Jews. For…
205. Fragments, Fragment 30 · “The axe unto the root,” he says, urging us to the knowledge of…
206. Fragments, Fragment 31 · Observe that, by means of the grain of mustard seed in the…
207. Fragments, Fragment 32 · Josephus says, that when Moses had been brought up in the royal…
208. Fragments, Fragment 33 · Inasmuch as certain men, impelled by what considerations I know…
209. Fragments, Fragment 34 · “And dipped himself,” says [the Scripture], “seven times in…
210. Fragments, Fragment 35 · If the corpse of Elisha raised a dead man, how much more shall…
211. Fragments, Fragment 36 · True knowledge, then, consists in the understanding of Christ,…
212. Fragments, Fragment 37 · Those who have become acquainted with the secondary (i.e., under…
213. Fragments, Fragment 38 · The apostles ordained, that “we should not judge any one in…
214. Fragments, Fragment 39 · Christ, who was called the Son of God before the ages, was…
215. Fragments, Fragment 40 · “And he found the jaw-bone of an ass.” It is to be observed…
216. Fragments, Fragment 41 · This indicates the persecution against the Church set on foot by…
217. Fragments, Fragment 42 · Speaking always well of the worthy, but never ill of the…
218. Fragments, Fragment 43 · In these things there was signified by prophecy that the people,…
219. Fragments, Fragment 44 · It is not an easy thing for a soul, under the influence of…
220. Fragments, Fragment 45 · “And Balaam the son of Beor they slew with the sword.” For,…
221. Fragments, Fragment 46 · “The god of the world;” that is, Satan, who was designated God…
222. Fragments, Fragment 47 · The birth of John [the Baptist] brought the dumbness of…
223. Fragments, Fragment 48 · As therefore seventy tongues are indicated by number, and from…
224. Fragments, Fragment 49 · Now therefore, by means of this which has been already brought…
225. Fragments, Fragment 50 · For then there shall in truth be a common joy consummated to all…
226. Fragments, Fragment 51 · Now, however, inasmuch as the books of these men may possibly…
227. Fragments, Fragment 52 · The sacred books acknowledge with regard to Christ, that as He…
228. Fragments, Fragment 53 · With regard to Christ, the law and the prophets and the…
229. Fragments, Fragment 54 · The law and the prophets and evangelists have declared that…
230. Fragments, Fragment 55 · “Then drew near unto Him the mother of Zebedee’s children, with…