YouTube Lectures on Church History by Ryan Reeves
Irenaeus was born in 130 CE into a Greek family in Asia Minor (now Turkey). Irenaeus grew up in the Eastern church. He was a disciple of Polycarp. Polycarp was a disciple of Ignatius. Both Polycarp and Ignatius were disciples of the apostle John. Thus, there was a line of connection between Jesus and Irenaeus. In his early years, Irenaeus was a presbyter serving as a missionary to southern Gaul. There were times of prosecution and also times of peace. During the peaceful times, there were conflicts between different church factions dealing with variations in church practices and heresies. Irenaeus served as a peacemaker, mediating the conflict within the church factions. When Irenaeus was sent to Rome by Pothinus, the bishop in Lyons, there was a prosecution in Lyons, and Pothinus was martyred. When Irenaeus returned, he was made bishop in Lyons.[1]
Irenaeus earned a vital role in church history and theology with his work against the Gnostic and Marcion. He wrote profusely, but only two of his writings are extant: (1) a Latin translation of Against Heresies, written in Greek to fight against the Gnostic, and (2) an Armenian translation of Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching, written Greek to teach the fundamental catholic faith in preparation for Baptism. Until the discovery of the Library of Nag Hammadi in 1945, most of what we know about the Gnostic came from Irenaeus' summary of the Gnostic views before refuting them.[1]
Irenaeus battled against the Gnostic and Marcion by (1) teaching the "Rule of Truth" or the creed, (2) inclusion of the Jewish Scriptures in the canon of Christian Scriptures, and (3) documented the list of bishops, connecting the apostolic teaching authority back to Jesus. To the Gnostic, the creation of the universe was a mistake. To Marcion, the God in the Old Testament was evil and different from the God of love that sent Jesus. Thus, Marcion eliminated Judaism and Jewish Scripture from his teaching. Against that heresy, Irenaeus' "Rule of Truth" established that there is only one almighty God who created the beautiful universe, not by mistake, but with good intention. God created humans like children, not yet in perfect beings but destined to grow to be more divine like God (but never to the same level divinity of God) to be God's companion for love. The human's union with God was the destiny that was set from the beginning. Adam and Eve's fall only altered the path but never changed the final human destiny that God intended. Irenaeus connected Jesus to the history of Jews, Adam and Eve, and God in the Old Testament. Irenaeus connected Christianity to Judaism, effectively defending the inclusion of the Jewish Scripture in the canon of Christian Scripture. Finally, with the list of bishops of churches established by the apostles, Irenaeus declared that the bishops' teaching authority came from Jesus, effectively dissolving Gnostic teachers' authority.[1]
Irenaeus died in 202 as a martyr and became a saint. His feast day is June 28. A search for "Irenaeus" in Catechism of the Catholic Church shows numerous references to his writings, demonstrating an essential role of his teachings in the Catholic faith.[2]
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References
[1] Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity: Volume 1. Apple Books. Chapter 9, "The Teachers of the Church." Section "Ireanaeus of Lyons.”
[2] Encyclopedia Britannica. “Saint Irenaeus.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Irenaeus.
Born in Athens -- the city famous for philosophers
Parents were pagans, Clement was converted in unknown circumstances. Then he searched for a teacher who could give him deeper instruction in Christian faith. This was Pantaenus, of whom little is known. When Pantaenus died, Clement assumed Pantaenus as the main Christian instructor in Alexandria.
"Philosophy was given to the Greeks just as the Law was given to the Jews."
Clement's Writings
Exhortation fo the Pagans: Clement made use of Plato and other philosophers to explain Christian faith
born c. 185, probably Alexandria, Egypt—died c. 254, Tyre, Phoenicia
the most important theologian and biblical scholar of the early Greek church
His parents are Christian. When his father was martyred he wanted to offer himself to martyrdom, but his mother hid his clothes so he can't leave the house
He is a student of Clement of Alexandra. Like Clement, Origen attempted to use classical philosophy Platonism to explain Christian faith. But he was also aware of the danger and thus declared that “nothing which is at variance with the tradition of the apostles and of the church is to be accepted as true.” “This tradition includes first of all the doctrine that there is only one God, creator and ruler of the universe, and therefore the Gnostic speculations regarding the origin of the world are to be rejected. Secondly, the apostles taught that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten before all creation, and that his incarnation is such that, while becoming human, he remained divine. As to the Holy Spirit, Origen declares that apostolic tradition is not entirely clear, except in affirming that the Spirit’s glory is no less than that of the Father and the Son. Finally, the apostles taught that at a future time the soul will be rewarded or punished according to its life in this world, and that there will be a final resurrection of the body, which will rise incorruptible.”[1]
Origin thinks that anything that the apostles did not teach can be open to discussion, and he offered his own speculation, not to the point of opposing the doctrines of the church
Origen thinks that at the end, because God is love, even Satan will be saved.
“Origen is more Platonist than Christian. Thus, for instance, Origen rejects the doctrines of Marcion and of the Gnostics, that the world is the creation of an inferior being; but then he comes to the conclusion that the existence of the physical world—as well as of history—is the result of sin. ”[1]
His greatest work is the Hexapla, which is a synopsis of six versions of the Old Testament
His writings:
Against Celsus, written in the third century
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References:
[1] Justo L. Gonzalez. “The Story of Christianity: Volume 1.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-of-christianity-volume-1/id862654331
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Origen
Three Sections of Medieval History
The Early Middle Ages (500 - 1000)
Charles Martel ==> Pepin the Short ==> Charlemagne
King Otto I: first Germanic King
The High Middle Ages (1000 - 1300)
Development of art
Hereditary kingship
Crusades
The Later Middle Ages (1300 - 1500)
Decay or Flourishing?
Church Corruption before Luther