SAMPLES IN IRENAEUS CHRISTOLOGY - THE RULE OF FAITH
(IRENAEUS): “..These are the words of the Church, from which every Church doth take its rise; these are the words of the metropolis of the citizens of the New Testament; these are the words of the Apostles; these are the words of the disciples of the Lord, of those who were truly perfect, being perfected by the Spirit after their Lord's assumption, and who invoked the God Who made heaven and earth and the sea, and was announced by the prophets and His Son Jesus Whom God anointed, not knowing any other God...” - (Page 69, Adv. Haer. III. 12. 5. Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...The Church, although scattered over the face of the earth, received from the Apostles and their disciples the faith in ( One ) God, the ( Father ) Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that in them is, and the One Christ Jesus the Son of God, Who became incarnate for our salvation, and ( in ) the Holy Ghost, Who by the prophets proclaimed the dispensations and the advents, and the Virgin-birth, and the passion and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension of the ( well-beloved ) Christ Jesus our Lord into heaven, and His ( Parousia ) from the heavens in the glory of the Father to gather up all things in Himself and to raise the flesh of all mankind to life, in order that every thing in heaven and in earth and under the earth should bow to Christ Jesus our Lord and [Gk., theos = anathorus without the article] ( God ), our Saviour and our King, – ( according to the Will of the invisible Father ), and that every tounge should confess to Him, and that He should pronounce judgement upon all, and dissmiss spiritual wickedness, and the angels who transgressed and ( became ) apostate along with the un-godly, un-righteous and profane, into everlasting fire, but in His graciousness should confer life and the reward of incorruption and eternal glory upon those who have kept His commandments and abided in His love, either from the beginning of their life or since their repentance...” - (Page 69/70, Adv. Haer. I. 10. 1, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...The rule of truth [Ltn., regula veritatis] we hold is, that there is ( One ) God Almighty, Who made all things by His Word and fashioned and formed that which has existence out of that which had none. As the Scripture saith, 'By the Word of the Lord and the Spirit of His ( Mouth ) were the heavens and all their glory established.' And again, 'All things were made [Gk., dia & Ltn., per = “through”] by Him and without Him was nothing made.' There is no exception ; but the Father [1st Cor 15:24-28] made all things [Gk., dia = Col 1:16-18] by Him, both visible and invisible, objects of sense and intelligence, temporal, eternal and everlasting. And such He did not make by angel(s) or by any ( powers ) seperated from ( His Thought ). For God needs nought of such things ; but He it is Who ( by ) His Word and Spirit ( makes, governs, and gives being to all things ), Who created the universe, Who is the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Above Him there is no other God, neither initail principle, nor power, nor pleroma. ( He is – THE FATHER – of – our Lord ) Jesus Christ. Holding this rule, we shall easily show the heretics, in spite of their many and various assertions, have deviated from the truth...” - (Page 72/73, Adv. Haer. I. 22. 1, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...But there is ( one – only ) God, the Creator. He is ( above – every ) principality ( power ) and dominion and ( virtue ). ( HE IS – FATHER ). ( HE IS – GOD ). He is the Founder and Maker and Builder. He made all these things, the heavens, the earth, the seas and all that therein is, ( by ) Himself, that is ( by ) His Word and His Wisdom. He formed man, He planted Paradise, He made the world, He sent the flood, He saved Noah, ( HE IS – GOD ) of the living ; Whom the Law proclaims, the prophets preach, and Christ ( reveals ) ; Whom the Apostles announce and ( in – Whom ) the Church believes. ( HE IS – THE FATHER OF ) our Lord Jesus Christ ( through ) His Word, who is His Son ; ( through ) Him He is ( revealed ) and manifested to all to whom He is made known ; for they ( only – know Him ) to whom the Son reveals Him. But the Son always existing with THE FATHER ( from ) of old, yea, ( from ) the beginning, ( ever ) revealeth ( THE FATHER ) to Angels, Archangels, Powers, and Virtues, and to whomsoever He pleaseth...” - (Page 73, Adv. Haer. II. 30. 9, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...With our words the [Ltn., praedicatio] preaching of the Apostles, the master-teaching of the Lord, the announcements of the prophets, the [Ltn., dictatio] dictated utterances of the Apostles, and the ministry of the law are in agreement. For ( all – these ) praise one and the ( same ) GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, not different Gods, nor one deriving His ( substance ) from diverse dieties, or powers ; but they declare that all things were made by ( one and the – same – FATHER ) who adapts His method to the nature and form of His material, and that things, visible and invisible, were created neither by angel(s) nor by any Virtue, but ( GOD THE FATHER ALONE )...” - (Page 74/75, Adv. Haer. II. 35. 4, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
[PERSONAL NOTE]: Making alusion to oral teaching or tradition, note how diferen't it is to Basils later ideas.
(IRENAEUS): “...For ( John ), the disciple of our Lord, wishing to put an end to all such ideas (i.e., the doctrines of Cerinthus concerning the Word and of the Gnostics concerning God) and to establish in the Church [Ltn., regula veritatis] that there is One God Almighty, Who made all things ( by ) His Word, things visible and invisible ; and also showing that ( by ) the Word, ( through ) Whom God made the ( creation ), He also bestowed salvation on those who belong to the creation, thus began His teaching in the Gospel : 'In the beginning was the Word...” - (Page , Adv. Haer. III. II. 1, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...He has a sound faith in One God Almighty, ( of – Whom ) all things are, [1st Cor 8:6] and ( in ) the Son ( of ) God, Jesus Christ our Lord, [Gk., dia Ltn., per “through”] ( by ) Whom are all things, and in His ( Economy ), by which the Son of God ( became ) man ; and has also a firm faith ( in ) the Spirit ( of ) God, Who gives us the knowledge of the truth, Who has expounded the ( dispensation ) – ( of ) the Father and the Son, ( by ) which He dwells in every generation ( according to ) His Father's ( will )...” - (Page , Adv. Haer. IV. 33. 7, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...THE FATHER is verily ( above ) all, and He is the ( Head of ) Christ, but the Word is ( through ) all things, and He is Himself the ( Head of ) the Church, while the Spirit is ( in ) us all, and He is the ( living – water ) which the Lord ( gave ) to those who believe in Him and love Him and know that there is one Father ( above ) all things and ( through ) all things and ( in ) all things ...” - (Page 106, Adv. Haer. V. 18. 2, Chapter VI, “The Rule Of Faith,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
[FOOTNOTE]: In IV. 31. 2, he speaks of the Word of God as Ltn., ( pater generis humani ).
