Irenaeus

(Εἰρηναῖος).

1. St., bishop of Lyon, in Gaul, during the latter part of the second century after Christ, seems to have been a native of Smyrna, or of some neighboring place in Asia Minor. The time of his birth is not known exactly, but Dodwell is certainly wrong in placing it so early as A. D. 97; it was probably between A. D. 120 and A. D. 140. In his early youth he heard Polycarp, for whom he felt throughout life the greatest reverence. The occasion of his going from Asia to Gaul is uncertain; the common account is that he accompanied Pothinus on his mission to Gaul, which resulted in the formation of the churches at Lyon and Vienne. He became a presbyter to Pothinus, on whose martyrdom, in A. D. 177, Irenaeus succeeded to the bishopric of the church at Lyon. His government was signalised by Christian devotedness and zeal, and he made many converts from heathenism. He was most active in opposing the Gnostics, and especially the Valentinians. He also took part in the controversy respecting the time of keeping Easter, and wrote a letter to Victor, bishop of Rome, rebuking the arrogance with which he anathematised the Asiatic churches. Irenaeus seems to have lived till about the end of the second century. The silence of all the early writers, such as Tertullian, Eusebius, Augustin, and Theodoret, sufficiently refutes the claim to the honours of martyrdom, which later writers set up in his behalf. But he eminently deserves the far higher honour attached to sincere piety and the zealous, but not arrogant discharge of his episcopal duties. He was possessed of considerable learning, but was very deficient in sound judgment respecting the value of those traditions, which, as they came from men who lived in the age next to the apostles, he eagerly received and recorded. On the subject of the Millennium, for example, his writings contain the most puerile absurdities. Works Adversus Haereses

The chief work of Irenaeus, and the only one now extant, is entitled Adversus Haereses, or De Refutatione et Eversione falsae Seientiae, Libri V., the object of which is to refute the Gnostics. The original Greek is lost, with the exception of some fragments preserved by Epiphanius and other writers on heresies; but the work exists in a barbarous, but ancient Latin version, which Dodwell supposes to have been composed towards the end of the 4th century. Other Works

Irenaeus also wrote a discourse against the Gentiles, περὶ ἐπιστήμης; a work on the preaching of the apostles, addressed to his brother Marcianus; a book of tracts on various questions, Διαλέξεων διαφόρων; and several letters respecting the ecclesiastical controversies of his day, among which were two to Florinus, a friend of his, who had become a convert to Gnosticism; one to Blastus on schism, and the synodic epistle above referred to, from the Gallic churches to Victor, bishop of Rome, respecting Easter. Of these works only a few fragments remain. Editions

The editio princeps of Irenaeus is that of Erasmus, Basel, 1526, 8vo., containing the Latin version of the five books against heretics, reprinted at Basel, 1534, 1548, 1554, and 1560, fol.; at Paris, 1545, 1563, and 1567, 8vo.; re-edited, with various readings, by Jo. Jac. Grynaeus, Basel, 1571; the first edition, containing the fragments, besides the Latin version, was that of Nicolas Gallasius, Paris, 1570, fol.; next comes the edition of Fr. Feuardentius, Cologne, 1596, 1625, and best, 1639 but the best edition of all is that of Grabe, Oxon. 1702, fol., which was re-edited by the Benedictine Massuet, Paris, 1710, fol.: this Benedictine edition was reprinted in two volumes folio, at Venice, 1734.

The chief separate edition of the fragments is that of Pfaff, Hag. Corn. 1715, 8vo. Further Information

Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 5.15, 20, 24, 26; Hieron. de Vir. Illust. 33; Dodwell, Dissertationes in Irenaeum; Cave, Hist. Litt. sub ann. 167; Lardner's Caredibility; the Ecclesigstical Histories of Tillemont, Fleury, Jortin, Mosheim, and Schröckh; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 75.

2. Bishop of Tyre, but previously a count of the empire, was the representative of the emperor Theodosius at the council of Ephesus, where he took part with the Nestorians, A. D. 431. Immediately after the council, he hastened to Constantinople, in order to counteract the influence of the representatives of the party of Cyril on the emperor's mind. In this he succeeded for the time; but, after long vacillation, Theodosius at last declared himself against the Nestorians, and banished Irenaeus from his court, about A. D. 435. Irenaeus betook himself to his friends, the Oriental bishops, by whom he was made bishop of Tyre, A. D. 444. In an imperial decree against the Nestorians, which still exists, it is ordered that Irenaeus should be deposed from his bishopric, and deprived of his clerical character. The sentence was carried into effect in A. D. 448. Works Tragoedia seu Commentarii de Rebus in Synodo Ephesina ac in Oriente gestis

In his retirement, Irenaeus wrote a history of the Nestorian struggle, under the title of Tragoedia seu Commentarii de Rebus in Synodo Ephesina ac in Oriente gestis. The original Greek is lost entirely. Editions

We have an old Latin translation of parts of it, published by Christian Lupus, Louvain, 1682; for, though Lupus entitled his book Variorum Patrum Epistolae ad Coneilium Ephesinum perlinentes, there can be no doubt that all the passages in it are remains of the work of Irenaeus. Further Information

Mansi, Sacr. Concil. Nov. Collect. vol. v. pp. 417, 731; Tillemont, Mém. Eccles. vol. xiv.; Cave, Hist. Litt. sub ann. 444.

3. An Alexandrian grammarian, known also by the Latin name of Minucius Pacatus, was the pupil of Heliodorus Metricus. His works, which were chiefly on the Alexandrian and Attic dialects, were held in high esteem, and are often quoted: a list of them is given by Suidas. He probably lived about the time of Augustus. * In Heliodorus, No. 2.1. the writer fell into the error of several preceding writers, in making Irenaeus and Minueius Paeatus distinct persons. (Suid. s. v. Εἰρηναῖος and Πάκατος; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. pp. 170, 171.)

4. Referendarius, the author of three amatory epigrams in the Greek Anthology, from a comparison of which with the epigrams of Agathias and Paul the Silentiary, Jacobs concludes that the author lived under Justinian. (Brunck, Anal. vol. iii. p. 10; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. iii. p. 231, vol. xiii. p. 905.) [P.S]

(Εἰρηναῖος). A native of Greece, disciple of Polycarp, and bishop of Lyons, in France. The time of his birth and the precise place of his nativity cannot be satisfactorily ascertained. On the martyrdom of Photinus, his predecessor in the see of Lyons, Irenaeus, who had been a distinguished member of the church in that quarter, was appointed his successor in the diocese, A.D. 177, and presided in that capacity at two councils held at Lyons, in one of which the Gnostic heresy was condemned and in another the Quartodecimani. He also went to Rome, and disputed there publicly with Valentinus, Florinus, and Blastus, against whose opinions he afterwards wrote with much zeal and ability. He wrote on different subjects; but there remains only a barbarous Latin version of a work, Adversus Haereses, in five books, written to confute the Gnostics and Ebionites. Fragments of his works in Greek are, however, preserved, which prove that his style was simple, though clear and often animated. His opinions concerning the soul are curious. He is said to have suffered martyrdom about A.D. 202. His day is the 28th of June.

The editio princeps of the Adversus Haereses is that of Erasmus (Basle, 1526). The best editions are those of Stieren (Leipzig, 1851-53) and Harvey (Cambridge, 1857). There is an English translation in Clark's Ante-Nicene Library. On the views of Irenaeus, see Werner, Der Paulinismus des Irenaeus (1890).