At the Feet of the Fathers-St. Irenaeus on Seeing the New Covenant in the Old

At the Feet of the Fathers

Monday, August 14, 2023

St. Irenaeus

St. Irenaeus of Smyrna was a prominent figure in early Christianity, known for his theological writings and defense of orthodox doctrine against heretical teachings. Born in the late 2nd century in Asia Minor, he studied under the bishop Polycarp, who had himself been a disciple of the apostle John.

After Polycarp's martyrdom, Irenaeus traveled to Gaul (modern-day France), where he became bishop of Lyon. During his time in Gaul, he wrote his most famous work, "Against Heresies," which refuted the teachings of the Gnostics and other heretical groups that had arisen in the early Church.

Irenaeus emphasized the importance of the Church's apostolic tradition, arguing that true Christian doctrine could only be found in the teachings handed down from the apostles themselves. He also defended the doctrine of the Trinity, arguing that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all co-eternal and equal in divinity.

Despite his theological importance, relatively little is known about Irenaeus's personal life. He is believed to have been martyred in the late 2nd or early 3rd century, possibly during the reign of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus.

See the New Covenant in the Old

In the wilderness, Moses received the Law from God, the Ten Words on "tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18)--the finger of God means what is stretched forth from the Father in the Holy Spirit—and the commandments and ordinances that he delivered to the children of Israel to observe.

And he built the tabernacle of witness by the command of God. It was the visible form on earth of those things that are spiritual and invisible in the heavens, a figure of the form of the Church, and a prophecy of things to come. In that tabernacle were also the vessels, the altars of sacrifice, and the ark in which he placed the tables of the Law.

And he appointed as priests Aaron and his sons, assigning the priesthood to all their tribe, the seed of Levi. Moreover, he summoned this whole tribe by the word of God to accomplish the work of service in the temple of God and gave them the Levitic Law, which tells what kind of men those ought to be who are continually employed in performing the service of the temple of God.

-St. Irenaeus, Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, 26