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Early Church Biographies

Irenaeus Biography

Irenaeus

Disciple of Polycarp, Polycarp disciple of John the Revelator 

Irenaeus is a Latinized Greek name meaning: Peaceful

 

Born: 120 A.D. in Smyrna, Asia Minor [Modern day: Izmir, Turkey

Died: 202 A.D. in Lugdunum, Gaul [Modern day: Lyon, France

 

Irenaeus is a fellow-pupil of John through the teachings of Polycarp. He was not converted. Unlike
many Irenaeus was brought up in a Christian family
Most of Irenaeus’ writings were on Gnosticism. He’s most famous for “Adversus Haereses” (Against Heresies). It is said that many have been strengthened by the example of Irenaeus, and by his faithful words of reproof and exhortation, to resist Rome, even down to our own times. He called Gnosticism an intolerable absurdity that proved itself, as an adversary that we would overcome not despise. Irenaeus believed it was to throw light on the human mind oppressed by heathenism (idolatry) even when it tried to profess its knowledge and philosophy. He was determined to render Gnosticism impossible for anyone to confound with Christianity. Also determined to make it impossible for what he called such a monstrous system to survive, or ever to rise again. He was responsible for rendering Lyon as a Christian city. In spite of paganism and heresy, he pressed through his labors “in season and out if season” evangelizing southern Gaul and sending missionaries into the region. He was a self-controlled example in the churches decision to observance Easter. Being a peacemaker he survived the heretic triumph, for a short time only. It was said that he closed his life like a true shepherd, with thousands of his flock in a massacre 202 A. D. stimulated by the wolfish Emperor Sever