SAMPLES IN IRENAEUS CHRISTOLOGY
(IRENAEUS): “...We now come to a rather complicated problem, in which it is difficult to mark the exact positions of Irenaeus---the relation of the Divine Persons of the Godhead to one another. In some passages the Persons are co-ordinated ; while in others there seems to be a ( subordination ) in relations of the Son to the Father and of the Spirit to the Son...” - (Page 115, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
"...Problem..." = only for Trinitarians!
(IRENAEUS): “...The Word ( received ) an universal authority ( from ) the Father...” - (Page 115, Adv. Haer. V. 18. 2, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...In IV. 7. 4 he describes the Son as the [Ltn., progenies] “Offspring” and the Spirit as the [Ltn., figuratio] “Similitude” of the Father. Basil varies this snetence, writing “Christ is the image of God, but the Spirit is the image of the Son [Adv. Eunom. p. 116.] … Again, the special function of the Son is the revelation of the Father: “...The Father bearing witness to the Son and the Son announcing the Father...” [III. 6. 2. Cf. Mt. xi. 27. Jn. x. 15, etc] See also IV. 6. 3: “...The Father ( sends ), but the Son is ( sent )...” “...The Son ( administers ) all things ( for ) the Father, carrying them through from the beginning to the end, and without Him no man can know the Father. For the Son is the knowledge of the Father...” [IV. 6. 7. Compare also John 17:3] “...The Father is the ( in-visible ) of the Son and the Son is the ( visible ) of the Father...” [IV. 6. 7.] “...The Father revealed Himself to all ( by ) - ( making ) His Word ( visible ) to all...” [IV. 6. 3.]...” - (Page 115/116, Adv. Haer. IV. 7. 4, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...For if the Son was not ashamed to - ( reserve for ) – ( GOD ) the knowledge of that day – we should not hesitate to reserve our difficulties for ( GOD ). If any one should therefore, say to us: “How was the Son ( produced – by – THE FATHER )?” We reply that no one understands that – [Ltn., prolatio = Gk., προβολή] ( production ), generation, name or revelation, or whatever term is employed to express that in-effable generation … Seeing that His generation is in-effable, they are far astray who disscuss generations and productions. The theory of emissions is no great discovery, nor is the ascription of an ordinary human process to the Only-Begotten a remarkable revelation...” - (Page , Adv. Haer. II. 28. 6, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
[FOOTNOTE]: “...Justin had used προβληθὲν γέννημα of the Son (Trypho. 62)...”
(IRENAEUS): “...Who shall declare His generation?” [Isa liii. 8.] : “This is added lest we despise Him on account of His enimies and His sufferings. For He Who hath suffered all this hath a generation that cannot be described, for by His generation ( is – meant – His – origin ), that is, ( HIS FATHER ), Who is In-Effable and In-Describable...” Cf. IV. 33. 11: “...He has an indescribable generation...” This is after Justin, 1st Apol. Chapter 51...” - (Page 116, Dem Of. Apost. Preach. Chapter 70, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...The Father Who is [Ltn., immensum] ( without – measure ) found His [Ltn., mensuratum] ( measure ) in the Son : for the Son is the ( measure ) of the Father, see that He [the Father] contains Him [the Son]...” - (Page 117, Adv. Haer. IV. 4. 2, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
[FOOTNOTE]: LATIN TEXT: “...Mensura enim Patris Filius quoniam et capit eum...”
(IRENAEUS): “...In some passages we find the Holy Spirit ( subordinated ) in His functions to the Father and the Son. The Spirit is: “...the Spirit ( of ) the Father, who purifies man and raises him to the life of God[V. 9. 2]...” He is the prophetic Spirit[III. 11. 9, see also IV. 20. 4: Ltn., “...prophetae ab eodem Verbo propheticum accipientes charisma...” etc.], “...Who proclaimed ( through ) the prophets the dispensations of God[I. 10. 1.]...” “...Who introduces [Gk., σκηνοβατοῦν] in each generation the dispensations of the Father and the Son, – ( according to ) the Fathers ( will )...” - [IV. 33. 7.] Harvey renders as [Ltn., exponens] after the Latin: “...qui … exposuit...” Massuet gives the sense in [Ltn., pervulgavit]. But the Greek word implies ( management ) as well as 'exposition,' originally referring to 'stage-management.' It is through the Spirit as well as the Word that God is manifested. [Ltn., “...Sic igitur manifestabatur Deus … Spiritu quidem operante, Filio vero administrante...” - [IV. 20. 6.]...” - (Page 117, Adv. Haer. , Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...The Word uniting man to the Spirit and ( placing ) the Spirit in man, is ( made – the – Head – of ) [the] Spirit and ( gives ) the Spirit to be the Head of the man...” - (Page , Adv. Haer. V. 20. 2, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...The Father bearing His creation and his Word at the same time and the Word [Ltn., portatum] borne by the Father ( give ) the Spirit to as many as the Father ( wills )...” - (Page 118, Adv. Haer. V. 18. 2, Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
(IRENAEUS): “...For the Son, as He is God, ( recieves – from ) the Father, that is God, the ( throne ) of the everlasting Kingdom and the ( Unction ) as none of His fellows do and the ( Unction ) is the Spirit ( with ) whom He is anointed...” - (Page 119, Dem. Of Apost. Preach. Chapter xlvii [47?], Chapter VIII, “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” IRENAEUS OF LUGDUNUM – A STUDY OF HIS TEACHING By F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock 1914.)
[FOOTNOTE]: Cf. Adv. Haer. III. 18. 3. Ltn., “...unguentem Patrem et unctum Filium et unctionem qui est Spiritus...” - (a reference to Isaiah lxi. 1).
(IRENAEUS): “...As [3632] it has been clearly demonstrated that [Page 446] the Word, who existed in the beginning with God, by whom all things were made, who was also always present with mankind, was in these last days, according to the time appointed by the Father, united to His own workmanship, inasmuch as He became a man liable to suffering, [it follows] that every objection is set aside of those who say, “If our Lord was born at that time, Christ had therefore no previous existence.” For I have shown that the Son of God did not then begin to exist, being with the Father from the beginning; but when He became incarnate, and was made man, He commenced afresh[3633] the long line of human beings, and furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam—namely, to be according to the image and likeness of God—that we might recover in Christ Jesus...” - (Page 446, BOOK III. Chapter XVIII.1. ANF Roberts & Donaldsons)
[FOOTNOTE 3632]: Again a Syriac fragment supplies some important words. See Harvey, vol. ii. p. 440.
[FOOTNOTE 3633]: So the Syriac. The Latin has, “in seipso recapitulavit,” He summed up in Himself. [As the Second Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 47.]
