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Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
St Irenaeus of Lyons, tr. Robinson, 1920
Chapter 11
But man He formed with His own hands,1 taking from the earth that which was purest and finest, and mingling in measure His own power with the earth. For He traced His own form on the formation,2 that that which should be seen should be of divine form: for (as) the image of God was man formed and set on the earth. And that he might become living, He breathed on his face the breath of life; that both for the breath and for the formation man should be like unto God. Moreover he was free and self-controlled, being made by God for this end, that he might rule all those things that were upon the earth. And this great created world, prepared by God before the formation of man, was given to man as his place, containing all things within itself.3 And there were in this place also with (their) tasks the servants of that God who formed all things; and the steward, who was set over all his fellow-servants received this place. Now the servants were angels, and the steward was the archangel.4
Notes
- Elsewhere Irenaeus constantly speaks of the Son and the Spirit as the Hands of God: see Introd. p. 51.
- Equivalent to plasma or plasmatio.
- So both the German translations: but they transfer the words so as to link them with “this great created world.” What we seem to want is, ““ἴο have all as his own,” if the words can bear that meaning.
- For this function of angels cf. Papias, as quoted by Andreas in Apocal. c. 34, serm. 12: Ἐνίοις δὲ αὐτῶν (δηλαδὴ τῶν πάλαι θείων ἀγγέλων) καὶ τῆς περὶ τὴν γῆν διακοσμήσεως ἔδωκεν ἄρχειν, καὶ καλῶς ἄρχειν παρηγγύησε.