Irenaeus - Texts



APOPHATIC and KATAPHATIC THEOLOGY: What of God can we “SEE”?	[=What is contemplation?]

Book 4, 20. 1 ANF 1, pp. 487-490 (tr. much altered)	SC 100, pp. 624-647
4.20.1. AS regards His GREATNESS, therefore, it is not possible to KNOW God, for it is impossible that the Father can be measured;	^20,1Igitur secundum magnitudinem non est cognoscere Deum: impossibile est enim mensaurari Patrem;
BUT as regards His LOVE - for it is this that by His Word leads us to God-	secundum autem dilectionem ejus- haec est enim quae nos per verbum ejus perducit ad Deum –
when we obey Him, we do always LEARN	obaudientes ei semper discunt
that there is such a God,	quoniam est tantum Deus,
and that it is He who by Himself	et ipse est qui persemetipsum
has established,	constituit
and selected,	et fecit
and adorned,	et adornavit
and contains all things;	et continet omnia,
and [He is] in all things, both ourselves and this the world that is ours.	in omnibus autem et nos et hunc mundum qui est secundum nos. […]

4.20.2. Truly, then, the Scripture declared, which says, “First of all believe that there is one God, who has established all things, and completed them, and having caused that from what had no being, all things should come into existence: ” (Hermas, II, sim.1) He who contains all things, and is Himself contained by no one. Rightly also has Malachi said among the prophets: “Is it not one God who hath established us? Have we not all one Father? ” (Mal. 2. 10) In accordance with this, too, does the apostle say, “There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and in us all.” (Eph. 3. 6) [...]	20, 2. Bene igitur scriptura quae dicit: Primo omnium crede quoniam unus est Deus, qui omnia constituit et I consummavit et fecit ex eo quod non erat ut essent omnia, omnium capax et qui a nemine capiatur. Bene autem et in prophetis Malachias ait: Nonne unus Deus qui constituit nos? Nonne Pater unus est omnium nostrum? Consequenter autem et Apostolus [ait]: Unus Deus, inquit, Pater, qui super omnes et in omnibus nobis.
	The Transfiguration, 6th cent. mosaic, Monastery of St. Katherine, Sinai
and that all things, as I have already said, might behold their King; and that the paternal light might meet with and rest upon the flesh of our Lord, and come to us from His resplendent flesh, and that thus man might attain to immortality, having been invested with the paternal light.	et ut viderent omnia, quemadmodum praediximus, suum Regem; et ut in carnem Domini nostri occurrat paterna lux, et a carne ejus rutila veniat in nos, et sic homo deveniat in incorruptelam, circumdatus paterno lumine.

4.20.3. I have also largely demonstrated, that the Word, namely the Son, was always with the Father; and that Wisdom also, which is the Spirit, was present with Him, anterior to all creation, He declares by Solomon: “God by Wisdom founded the earth, and by understanding hath He established the heaven. By His knowledge the depths burst forth, and the clouds dropped down the dew.” (Prov. 3. 19, 20) And again: “The Lord created me the beginning of His ways in His work: He set me up from everlasting, in the beginning, before He made the earth, before He established the depths, and before the fountains of waters gushed forth; before the mountains were made strong, and before all the hills, He brought me forth.” (Prov. 8. 22–25) And again: “When He prepared the heaven, I was with Him, and when He established the fountains of the deep; when He made the foundations of the earth strong, I was with Him preparing [them]. I was He in whom He rejoiced, and throughout all time I was daily glad before His face, when He rejoiced at the completion of the world, and was delighted in the sons of men.” (Prov. 8. 27–31)	20, 3. Et quoniam Verbum, hoc est Filius, semper cum Patre erat, per multa demonstravimus. Quoniam autem et Sapientia, quae est Spiritus, erat apud eum ante omnem constitutionem, per Salomonem ait: Deus sapientia fundavit terram, paravit autem caelum prudentia; sensu ejus abyssi eruperunt, nubes autem manaverunt ros. Et rursus: Dominus creavit me prin\|cipium viarum suarum in opera sua, ante saecula fundavit me, in initio antequam terram faceret, priusquam abyssos constitueret, priusquam procederent fontes aquarum, antequam montes confirmarentur: ante omnes autem colles genuit me. Et iterum: Cum pararet caelum, eram cum illo, et cum firmos faceret fontes abyssi, quando fortia faciebat fundamenta terrae, eram apud eum aptans. Ego eram cui adgaudebat, quotidie autem laetabar ante faciem ejus in omni tempore, cum laetaretur orbe perfecto et jucundabatur in filiis hominum.

The Office of Readings, Wednesday of the 3^rd Week of Advent The Liturgy of the Hours,	vol.1, pp. 287-288
4.20.4. There is therefore one God, who through the Word and Wisdom created and arranged all things. And He is the Demiurge [creator] who has bestowed this world on the human race;	20, 4. ^{p 634} Unus igitur Deus, qui Verbo et Sapientia fecit et aptavit omnia. Hic est autem Demiurgus, qui et mundum hunc attribuit humano generi,
WHO as regards His GREATNESS, is truly unknowable by all those He has made.	qui secundum magnitudinem quidem ignotus est omnibus his qui ab eo facti sunt -
For no one has searched out His heights, neither the ancients nor those now living.	nemo enim investigavit altitudinem ejus, neque veterum neque eorum qui nunc sunt -,
BUT as regards His LOVE , He is always known	secundum autem dilectionem cognoscitur semper
by means of Him [ = Christ] through Whom He established [created] all things.	per eum per quem constituit omnia.
And this is His Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, who in [these] last times became God among human beings,	Gr .frg. 9 ^{p 634} Ἔστι δὲ οὗτος ὁ Λόγος αὐτοῦ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς Θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις γενόμενος,
in order that He might *JOIN THE END to the* BEGINNING**;	ἵνα τὸ τέλος συνάψῃ τῇ ἀρχῇ,
that is, HUMANKIND to GOD.	τουτέστιν ἄνθρωπον Θεῷ.
For this reason the prophets, having received the prophetic gift from the same Word, foretold His coming in the flesh Est autem hie Verbum ejus, Dominus noster Jesus Christus, qui in novissimis temporibus homo in hominibus factus est, ut finem conjungeret principio, hoc est hominem Deo. Et propterea prophetae, ab eodem Verbo propheticum accipientes charisma praedicaverunt ejus secundum carnem adventum,	Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προφῆται περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου τὴν προφητείαν λαβόντες προεφήτευσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔνσαρκον παρουσίαν
by which the blending and communion of God and humankind ^[1] took place through the good pleasure of the Father.	per quem commixtio et communio Dei et hominis secundum placitum Patris facta est,

The Word of God had foretold from the beginning that God would be seen by human beings, would converse with them on earth (cf. Baruch 3:38), would confer with them, and would be present with His own creation, saving it and becoming capable of being perceived by it; freeing us from the hands of all that hate us (Luke 1:71), that is, from every spirit of wickedness, and causing us to serve Him in holiness and righteousness all our days (Luke 1:74-75), in order that human beings, having embraced the Spirit of God, might pass into the glory of the Father.	ab initio praenuntiante ^{p. 636} Verbo Dei quoniam videbitur Deus ab hominibus et conversabitur cum eis super terrams et colloqueretur et adfuturus esset suo plasmati, salvans illud, et perceptibilis ab eo, et liberans nos de manibus omnium odientium nosb, hoc est ab universo transgressionis spiritu, et faciens nos servire sibi in sanctifate el justitia omnes dies nostrae, uti complexus homo Spiritum Dei in gloriam cedat Patris.
4.20.5. These things did the prophets set forth in a prophetical manner; but they did not say, as some claim, that He who was seen by the prophets was a different [God], the Father of all being invisible. Yet this is what those [heretics] declare, who are altogether ignorant of the nature of prophecy. For prophecy is a prediction of things future, that is, a setting forth beforehand of those things which shall be afterwards.	20, 5. Haec prophetice significabant prophetae, sed non quemadmodum quidam dicunt, invisibili Patre omnium exsistente, alterum esse eum qui a prophetis videretur. Hoc autem dicunt qui in totum quid sit prophetia nesciunt. Nam prophetia est praedictio futurorum, hoc est eorum quae post erunt praesignificatio.
THE prophets declared beforehand that God would be seen by human beings, as the Lord also says, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8).	Praesignificabant igitur prophetae quoniam videbitur Deus ab hominibus, quemadmodum et Dominus ait : Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt.
BUT with regard to his GREATNESS and indescribable GLORY,	Sed secundum magnitudinem quidem ejus et inenarrabilem gloriam
no one shall see God and live (Exodus 33:20),	*nemo videbit Deum et vivet,*
for the Father is incomprehensible.	incapabilis enim Pater,
HOWEVER, in regard to His LOVE and His KINDNESS, and because He is ABLE to DO ALL THING, he grants even this to those who love Him:	secundum autem dilectionem et humanitatem et quod omnia possit, etiam hoc concedit his qui se diligunt,
namely, to see God; as the prophets foretold. For those things that are impossible for human beings are possible with God (Luke 18:27).	id est videre Deum, quod et prophetabant prophetae: quoniam quae impossibilia sunt apud homines possibilia apud Deum.
For human beings do not see God by means of their own powers: rather, He he is seen by them when He pleases - by whom He wills, when He wills, and as He wills. For God is powerful in all things having truly been seen at one time[:],	Homo etenim a se non videbit Deum; ille autem volens videbitur hominibus, quibus vult et quando vult et quemadmodum vult: potens est enim in omnibus Deus, visus quidem tunc
[1] prophetically through the Spirit, [2] and also seen adoptively through the Son; [3] and He shall be seen paternally in the kingdom of Heaven,	per Spiritum prophetae, visus autem et per Filium adoptive, videbitur autem et in regno caelorum paternaliter,
[1] the Spirit truly preparing humankind in the Son of God [2] and the Son leading them to the Father. [3] Then the Father confers [upon them] incorruption for eternal life, which comes to each one from the fact of their seeing God.	Spiritu quidem praeparante hominem in Filium Dei, Filio autem adducente ad Patrem, Patre autem incorruptelam donante in aeternam vitam, quae unicuique evenit ex eo quod videat Deum.
For just as those who see the light are within the light and participate in its splendor, even so, those who see God are within God and participate in His splendor. And His splendor gives them life: those, therefore, who see God participate in life. And for this reason, He who is beyond our capacity, incomprehensible, and invisible, makes himself visible, comprehensible, and within the capacity of those who believe, in order to give life to those who participate in and behold Him through faith.	Gr. frg.10 ^{pp. 640-642} Ὥσπερ οἱ βλέποντες τὸ φῶς ἐντός εἰσι τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ τῆς λαμπρότητος αὐτοῦ μετέχουσιν, οὕτως οἱ βλέποντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐντός εἰσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, μετέχοντες αὐτοῦ τῆς λαμπρότητος· ζωῆς οὖν μετέξ-ουσιν οἱ ὁρῶντες Θεόν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ ἀχώρητος καὶ ἀκατάληπτος καὶ ἀόρατος ὁρώμενον ἑαυτὸν καὶ καταλαμβανόμενον καὶ χωρούμενον τοῖς πιστοῖς παρέσχεν, ἵνα ζωοποιήσῃ τοὺς χωροῦντας καὶ βλέποντας αὐτὸν διὰ πίστεως.

Participation in the Divine	Light

The Office of Readings, June 28 (Feast of St. Irenaeus) The Liturgy of the Hours,	vol. 3, pp. 1498-1499
For just as His grandeur is unfathomable, so also His gentle mercy is inexpressible; by which, having been seen, He bestows life on those who see Him. It is not possible to live separated from life, and the means of life is found in fellowship with God; but fellowship with God is to know God, and to take pleasure in His gentle mercy. [goodness]	Ὡς γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστον, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ἀγαθότης αὐτοῦ ἀνεξήγητος, δι' ἧς βλεπόμενος ζωὴν ἐνδίδωσι τοῖς ὁρῶσιν αὐτόν. Ἐπεὶ ζῆσαι ἄνευ ζωῆς οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν, ἡ δὲ ὕπαρξις τῆς ζωῆς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ περιγίνεται μετοχῆς, μετοχὴ δὲ Θεοῦ ἐστι τὸ γινώσκειν Θεὸν καὶ ἀπολαύειν τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ.
4.20.6. Human beings shall therefore see God in order to live, being made immortal by that sight and even entering into God. This as I have already said, was foretold in symbols by the prophets: namely, that God would be seen by human beings who carry His Spirit within them and who always wait patiently for His coming. In the same way also Moses says in Deuteronomy, We shall see on that day that God will speak with human beings, and they will live (Deut. 5:24).	20, 6. Homines igitur videbunt Deum ut vivant, per visionem immortales facti et pertingentes usque in Deum. Quod, sicut praedixi, per prophetas figuraliter manifestabatur quoniam videbitur Deus ab hominibus qui portant Spiritum ejus et semper adventum ejus sustinent. Quemadmodum et in Deuteronomio Moyses ait : In die ista videbimus, quoniam loquetur Deus ad hominem, et viuet.
[...] All learn through His word that there is one God the Father who enfolds all and who bestows on all their very being. Thus it is written in the Gospel: No one has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; He has declared [Him] (John 1:18).	[…] qui continet omnia et omnibus esse praestat, quemadmodum in Evangelio scriptum est Deum nemo uidit unquam, nisi unigenitus Filius, qui est in sinu Palris, ipse enarrauit.
4.20.7. [...] the Word became the dispenser of the father's grace for the benefit of humankind, for whom he made such generous provision: thus He truly reveals God to humanity and presents humanity back to God, while at the same time preserving the invisibility of the Father. Thus humanity is protected from despising God and always possess something towards which they may advance. But on the other hand, God is revealed to humanity through many dispensations lest human beings, falling away from God altogether, should cease to exist.	20, 7. […] Et propterea Verbum dispensator paternae gratiae factus est ad utilitatem hominum, propter quos fecit tantas dispositiones, hominibus quidem ostendens Deum, Deo autem exhibens hominem; et invisibilitatem quidem Patris custodiens, ne quando homo contemptor fieret Dei et ut semper haberet ad quod proficeret, visibilem autem rursus hominibus per multas dispositiones ostendens Deum, ne in totum deficiens a Deo homo cessaret esse:
For the glory of God is a living human being; and human life [consists in] the vision of God.	gloria enim Dei vivens homo, vita autem hominis visio Dei.
For if the manifestation of God which is made by means of the creation, affords life to all living in the earth, much more does that revelation of the Father which comes through the Word, give life to those who see God.	Si enim quae est per conditionem ostensio Dei vitam praestat omnibus in terra viventibus, multo magis ea quae est per Verbum manifestatio Patris vitam praestat his qui vident Deum.
(2) THEOSIS »cont
THEOSIS

A Foreshadowing of the doctrine of “Theosis” -	Divinization
Book 5, Prologue, ANF 1, p. 526	SC 153, pp. 624-647
[ …] I write against the heretics] following the only true and steadfast Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love,	1. Τῷ δὲ μόνῳ βεβαίῳ καὶ ἀληθεῖ διδασκάλῳ ἑπόμενος τῷ Λόγῳ Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, τῷ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν αὐτοῦ ἀγάπην
become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself.	γεγονότι τοῦτο ὅπερ ἐσμέν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς εἶναι καταρτίσῃ ἐκεῖνο ὅπερ ἐστὶν αὐτός.
(3) EPEKTASIS-Eternal Progress »cont
EPEKTASIS - Eternal	Progress

Book 2, 28 ANF 1, pp. 399-400	SC 294, pp. 274-275
2.28.3. If, therefore, even with respect to creation, there are some things [the knowledge of] which belongs only to God, and others which come with in the range of our own knowledge, what ground is there for complaint, if, in regard to those things which we investigate in the Scriptures (which are throughout spiritual), we are able by the grace of God to explain some of them, while we must leave others in the hands of God, and that	Gr. frg. 4. Εἰ [οὖν] καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τῆς κτίσεως ἔνια μὲν ἀνάκειται τῷ Θεῷ, ἔνια δὲ καὶ εἰς γνῶσιν ἐλήλυθε τὴν ἡμετέραν, τί χαλεπὸν, εἰ καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ζητουμένων, ὅλων τῶν γραφῶν πνευματικῶν ὑπαρχουσῶν, ἔνια μὲν ἐπιλύομεν κατὰ χάριν Θεοῦ, ἔνια δὲ ἀνατίθεμεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ
not only in the present world, but also in that which is to come, so that God should for ever teach, and man should for ever learn the things taught him by God?	οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ἵνα ἀεὶ μὲν Θεὸς διδάσκῃ, ἄνθρωπος δὲ διαπαντὸς μανθάνῃ παρὰ Θεοῦ. [...]
As the apostle has said on this point, that, when other things have been done away, then these three, “faith, hope, and charity, shall endure.”²²⁹ For faith, which has respect to our Master, endures unchangeably, assuring us that there is but one true God, and that we should truly love Him for ever, seeing that He alone is our Father; while we hope ever to be receiving more and more from God, and to learn from Him, because He is good, and possesses boundless riches, a kingdom without end, and instruction that can never be exhausted.	Sicut et Apostolus dixit, reliquis partibus destructis, haec tunc perseuerare, quae sunt fides, spes, caritas. Semper enim fides quae est ad magistrum nostrum permanet firma, adsuerans nobis quoniam solus uere Deus, et ut diligamus eum semper, quoniam ipse solus Pater, et speramus subinde plus aliquid accipere et discere a Deo, quia bonus est et diuitias habens indeterminabiles et regnum sine fine et disciplinam immensam
If, therefore, according to the rule which I have stated, we leave some questions in the hands of God, we shall both preserve our faith uninjured, and shall continue without danger; and all Scripture, which has been given to us by God, shall be found by us perfectly consistent; and the parables shall harmonize with those passages which are perfectly plain; and those statements the meaning of which is clear, shall serve to explain the parables; and through the many diversified utterances [of Scripture] there shall be heard²³¹ one harmonious melody in us, praising in hymns that God who created all things.	Gr. frg. 5. Εἰ οὖν καθ' ὃν εἰρήκαμεν τρόπον, ἔνια τῶν ζητημάτων ἀναθήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἡμῶν διαφυλάξομεν, καὶ ἀκίνδυνοι διαμενοῦμεν, καὶ πᾶσα γραφὴ δεδομένη ἡμῖν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ σύμφωνος ἡμῖν εὑρεθήσεται, καὶ αἱ παραβολαὶ τοῖς διαῤῥήδην εἰρημένοις συμφωνήσουσι, καὶ τὰ φανερῶς εἰρημένα ἐπιλύσει τὰς παραβολὰς, καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν λέξεων πολυφωνίας ἓν σύμφωνον μέλος ἐν ἡμῖν αἰσθήσεται [....]
4) ROMAN PRIMACY »cont
ROMAN PRIMACY and APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

Book 3, 3, ANF 1, pp. 416-418.	SC 211, pp. 30-45
3.3.1. It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world; and we are in a position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches, and [to demonstrate] the succession of these men to our own times; those who neither taught nor knew of anything like what these [heretics] rave about.	3,1. Traditionem itaque apostolorum in toto mundo manifestatam in omni Ecclesia adest perspicere omnibus qui uera uelint uidere, et habemus adnumerare eos qui ab apostolis instituti sunt episcopi in Ecclesiis et successores eorum usque ad nos, qui nihil tale docuerunt, neque cognouerunt quale ab his deliratur.
The Gnostics are Clearly	Imposters
For if the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to “the perfect” apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches themselves. For they were desirous that these men should be very perfect and blameless in all things, whom also they were leaving behind as their successors, delivering up their own place of government to these men; which men, if they discharged their functions honestly, would be a great boon [to the Church], but if they should fall away, the direst calamity.	Etenim si recondita mysteria scissent apostoli, quae seorsum et latenter ab reliquis perfectos docebant, his uel maxime traderent ea quibus etiam ipsas Ecclesias committebant. Valde enim perfectos et irreprehensibiles in omnibus eos uolebant esse quos et successores relinquibant, suum ipsorum locum magisterii tradentes: quibus emendate agentibus fieret magna utilitas, lapsis autem summa calamitas.
3.3.2. Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say, ] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops.	3,2. Sed quonium ualde longum est in hoc tali uolumine omnium Ecclesiarum enumerare successiones, maximae et antiquissimae et omnibus cognitae, a gloriosissimis duobus apostolis Petro et Paulo Romae fundatae et constitutae Ecclesiae, eam quam habet ab apostolis traditionem et adnuntiatam hominibus fidem per successiones episcoporum peruenientem usque ad nos indicantes, confundimus omnes eos qui quoquo modo, uel per sibiplacentiam uel uanam gloriam uel per caecitatem et sententiam malam, praeter quam oportet colligunt:
For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its pre- eminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolic tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere.	Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire ecclesiam, hoc est eos qui sunt undique fideles, in qua semper ab his qui sunt undique conseruata est ea quae est ab apostolis traditio.
Greek (speculative) retroversion: πρὸς ταύτην εκκλησίαν διὰ τὴν ἱκανωτέραν ἀρχὴν ἀνάγκη πᾶσαν συμφωνεῖν ἐκκλησίαν, τουτέστι τοὺς πανταχόθεν πιστούς ἐν ἥ ἀεὶ τοῖς πανταχόθεν ἐφυλάχθη ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων παράδοσις.}
(5) APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION »cont
APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION	(cont.)

3. The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric. This man, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes. Nor was he alone [in this], for there were many still remaining who had received instructions from the apostles. In the time of this Clement, no small dissension having occurred among the brethren at Corinth, the Church in Rome despatched a most powerful letter to the Corinthians, exhorting them to peace, renewing their faith, and declaring the tradition which it had lately received from the apostles, […]	Γr. frg. 3. Θεμελιώσαντες οὖν καὶ οἰκοδο-μήσαντες οἱ μακάριοι ἀπόστολοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, Λίνῳ τὴν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς λειτουργίαν ἐνεχείρισαν· τούτου τοῦ Λίνου Παῦλος ἐν ταῖς πρὸς Τιμόθεον ἐπιστολαῖς μέμνηται. Διαδέχεται δὲ αὐτὸν Ἀνέγ-κλητος. Μετὰ τοῦτον δὲ τρίτῳ τόπῳ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν κληροῦται Κλήμης, ὁ καὶ ἑωρακὼς τοὺς μακαρίους ἀποστόλους καὶ συμβεβληκὼς αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔτι ἔναυλον τὸ κήρυγμα τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τὴν παράδοσιν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχων, οὐ μόνος· ἔτι γὰρ πολλοὶ ὑπελείποντο τότε ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων δεδιδαγμένοι. Ἐπὶ τούτου οὖν τοῦ Κλήμεντος στάσεως οὐκ ὀλίγης τοῖς ἐν Κορίνθῳ γενομένης ἀδελφοῖς, ἐπέστειλεν ἡ ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐκκλησία ἱκανωτάτην γραφὴν τοῖς Κορινθίοις, εἰς εἰρήνην συμβιβάζουσα αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀνανεοῦσα τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἣν νεωστὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων παράδοσιν εἰλήφει.
To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then, sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him, Anicetus. Sorer having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the apostles, hold the inheritance of the episcopate. In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us.	Γr. frg. 4. Τὸν δὲ Κλήμεντα τοῦτον διαδέχεται Εὐάρεστος, καὶ τὸν Εὐάρεστον Ἀλέξανδρος, εἶθ' οὕτως ἕκτος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καθίσταται Ξύστος, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Τελεσφόρος, ὃς καὶ ἐνδόξως ἐμαρτύρησεν· ἔπειτα Ὑγῖνος, εἶτα Πίος, μεθ' ὃν Ἀνίκητος· διαδεξαμένου τὸν Ἀνίκητον Σωτῆρος, νῦν δωδεκάτῳ τόπῳ τὸν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων κατέχει κλῆρον Ἐλεύθερος. Τῇ αὐτῇ τάξει καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ διδαχῇ ἥ τε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παράδοσις καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυγμα κατήντηκεν εἰς ἡμᾶς.
And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.	Et est plenissima haec ostensio, unam et eandem uiuificatricem fidem esse quae in Ecclesia ab apostolis usque nunc sit conseruata et tradita in ueritate.
4. But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom,⁷ departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true.	Γr. frg. 5. Καὶ Πολύκαρπος δὲ οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων μαθητευθεὶς καὶ συναναστραφεὶς πολλοῖς τοῖς τὸν Κύριον ἑωρακόσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων κατασταθεὶς εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐν τῇ ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπίσκοπος, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἑωράκαμεν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμῶν ἡλικίᾳ–ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ παρέμεινεν καὶ πάνυ γηραλέος ἐνδόξως καὶ ἐπιφανέστατα μαρτυρήσας ἐξῆλθεν τοῦ βίου–, ταῦτα διδάξας ἀεὶ ἃ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔμαθεν, ἃ καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία παραδίδωσιν, ἃ καὶ μόνα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ.
To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time,—a man who was of much greater weight, and a more stedfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles,—that, namely, which is handed down by the Church.⁸	Μαρτυροῦσι τούτοις αἱ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐκκλησίαι πᾶσαι καὶ οἱ μέχρι νῦν διαδεδεγμένοι τὸν Πολύκαρπον, πολλῷ ἀξιοπιστότερον καὶ βεβαιότερον ἀληθείας μάρτυρα ὄντα Οὐαλεντίνου καὶ Μαρκίωνος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν κακογνωμόνων. Ὃς καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀνικήτου ἐπιδημήσας τῇ Ῥώμῃ, πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν προειρημένων αἱρετικῶν ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μίαν καὶ μόνην ταύτην ἀλήθειαν κηρύξας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων παρειληφέναι τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας παραδιδομένην.
There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”	Καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ ἀκηκοότες αὐτοῦ ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου μαθητὴς ἐν τῇ Ἐφέσῳ πορευθεὶς λούσασθαι καὶ ἰδὼν ἔσω Κήρινθον ἐξήλατο τοῦ βαλανείου μὴ λουσάμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπειπών· "Φύγωμεν, μὴ καὶ τὸ βαλανεῖον συμπέσῃ, ἔνδον ὄντος Κηρίνθου τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροῦ."
And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “Dost thou know me? ”“I do know thee, the first-born of Satan.” Such was the horror which the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth; as Paul also says, “A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.”⁹	Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Πολύκαρπος Μαρκίωνί ποτε εἰς ὄψιν αὐτῷ ἐλθόντι καὶ φήσαντι· "Ἐπιγίνωσκε ἡμᾶς", ἀπεκρίθη· "Ἐπιγινώσκω, ἐπιγινώσκω τὸν πρωτότοκον τοῦ Σατανᾶ." Τοσαύτην οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτῶν ἔσχον εὐλάβειαν πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ μέχρι λόγου κοινωνεῖν τινι τῶν παραχαρασσόντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς καὶ Παῦλος ἔφησεν· "Αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος."
There is also a very powerful¹⁰ Epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who choose to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth.	Ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἐπιστολὴ Πολυκάρπου πρὸς Φιλιππησίους γεγραμμένη ἱκανωτάτη, ἐξ ἧς καὶ τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα σωτηρίας δύνανται μαθεῖν.
Then, again, the Church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles.	Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησία ὑπὸ Παύλου μὲν τεθεμελιωμένη, Ἰωάννου δὲ παραμείναντος αὐτοῖς μέχρι τῶν Τραϊανοῦ χρόνων, μάρτυς ἀληθής ἐστιν τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων παραδόσεως.
(6) EUCHARISTIC ESCHATOLOGY »cont
EUCHARISTIC ESCHATOLOGY

The Office of Readings, Saturday of the 2^rd Week of O.T.	The Liturgy of the Hours, vol.3, pp. 105-106
Book 4, 18 , ANF 1, p. 486	SC 10, pp. 610-612
5. Then, again, how can they say that the flesh, which is nourished with the body of the Lord and with His blood, goes to corruption, and does not partake of life? Let them, therefore, either alter their opinion, or cease from offering the things just mentioned. But our opinion is in accordance with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn establishes our opinion.	Gr.frg.7. Πῶς τὴν σάρκα λέγουσιν εἰς φθορὰν χωρεῖν καὶ μὴ μετέχειν τῆς ζωῆς τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ τρεφομένην; Ἢ τὴν γνώμην οὖν ἀλλαξάτωσαν, ἢ τὸ προσφέρειν τὰ εἰρημένα παραιτησάσθωσαν. Ἡμῖν δὲ σύμφωνος τῇ γνώμῃ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία βεβαιοῖ τὴν γνώμην.
For we offer to Him His own, announcing consistently the fellowship and union of the flesh and Spirit. For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly; so also our bodies, when they receive the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of the resurrection to eternity.	Προσφέρομεν αὐτῷ τὰ ἴδια, ἐμμελῶς κοινωνίαν καὶ ἕνωσιν καταγγέλλοντες σαρκὸς καὶ Πνεύματος. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἄρτος προσλαβόμενος τὴν ἐπίκλησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκέτι κοινὸς ἄρτος ἐστίν, ἀλλ' εὐχαριστία ἐκ δύο πραγμάτων συνεστηκυῖα, ἐπιγείου τε καὶ οὐρανίου, οὕτως καὶ τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν μεταλαμβάνοντα τῆς εὐχαριστίας μηκέτι εἶναι φθαρτά, τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς εἰς αἰῶνα ἀναστάσεως ἔχοντα.


MARIOLOGY and RECAPITULATION
Book 3, 22. ANF 1, p. 455.
3.22.3. Wherefore Luke points out that the pedigree which traces the generation of our Lord back to Adam contains seventy-two generations, connecting the end with the beginning, and implying that it is He who has recapitulated in Himself all nations dispersed from Adam downwards, and all languages and generations of men, together with Adam himself.	^[3.22.3-4] 1. Propter hoc Lucas genealogiam, quae est a generatione Domini nostri usque ad Adam, septuaginta duas generationes habere ostendit, finem conjungens initio, et significans quoniam ipse est qui omnes gentes exinde ab Adam dispersas, et universas linguas, et generationem hominum cum ipso Adam in semetipso recapitulatus est.
Hence also was Adam himself termed by Paul “the figure of Him that was to come,”⁴³⁸ because the Word, the Maker of all things, had formed beforehand for Himself the future dispensation of the human race, connected with the Son of God; God having predestined that the first man should be of an animal nature, with this view, that he might be saved by the spiritual One. For inasmuch as He had a pre-existence as a saving Being, it was necessary that what might be saved should also be called into existence, in order that the Being who saves should not exist in vain.	Unde et a Paulo typus futuri dictus est ipse Adam : quoniam futuram circa Filium Dei humani generis dispositionem in semetipsum fabricator omnium Verbum praeformaverat, praedestinante Deo primum animalem hominem, videlicet ut a spiritali salvaretur. Cum enim praeexisteret salvans, oportebat et quod salvaretur fieri, uti non vacuum sit salvans.
4. In accordance with this design, Mary the Virgin is found obedient, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”⁴³⁹ But Eve was disobedient; for she did not obey when as yet she was a virgin.	*Consequenter autem et Maria virgo obediens invenitur, dicens : Ecce ancilla tua Domine, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.* Eva vero inobediens : non obaudivit enim, adhuc cum esset virgo.**
And even as she, having indeed a husband, Adam, but being nevertheless as yet a virgin (for in Paradise “they were both naked, and were not ashamed,”⁴⁴⁰ inasmuch as they, having been created a short time previously, had no understanding of the procreation of children:	Quemadmodum illa virum quidem habens Adam, virgo tamen adhuc exsistens (erant enim utrique nudi in Paradiso, et non confundebantur, quoniam paulo ante facti, non intellectum habebant filiorum generationis;
for it was necessary that they should first come to adult age,⁴⁴¹ and then multiply from that time onward), having become disobedient, was made the cause of death, both to herself and to the entire human race;	oportebat enim illos primo adolescere, dehinc sic multiplicari) inobediens facta, et sibi, et universo generi humano causa facta est mortis:
so also did Mary, having a man betrothed [to her], and being nevertheless a virgin, By Yielding Obedience, Become The Cause Of Salvation , both to herself and the whole human race. ^[2]	sic et Maria habens praedestinatum virum. et tamen virgo, obediens, et sibi et universo generi humano causa facta est salutis.
And on this account does the law term a woman betrothed to a man, the wife of him who had betrothed her, although she was as yet a virgin; thus indicating the back-reference from Mary to Eve,	Et propter hoc Lex earmn quae desponsata erat viro, licet virgo sit adhuc, uxorem ejus qui desponsaverat vocat, eam quae est a Maria in Evam recirculationem significans :
because what is joined together could not otherwise be put asunder than by inversion of the process by which these bonds of union had arisen;⁴⁴² so that the former ties be cancelled by the latter, that the latter may set the former again at liberty.	quia non aliter quod colligatum est solveretur, nisi ipsae compagines alligationis reflectantur retrorsus ; ut primae conjunctiones solvantur per secundas, secundae rursus liberent primas.
And it has, in fact, happened that the first compact looses from the second tie, but that the second tie takes the position of the first which has been cancelled.⁴⁴³ For this reason did the Lord declare that the first should in truth be last, and the last first.⁴⁴⁴	Et evenit primam quidem compaginem a secunda colligatione solvere, secundam vero colligationem prim solutionis habere locum. Et propter hoc Dominus dicebat primos quidem novissimos futuros et novissimos primos.
And the prophet, too, indicates the same, saying, “instead of fathers, children have been born unto thee.”⁴⁴⁵ For the Lord, having been born “the First-begotten of the dead,”⁴⁴⁶ and receiving into His bosom the ancient fathers, has regenerated them into the life of God, He having been made Himself the beginning of those that live, as Adam became the beginning of those who die.⁴⁴⁷ Wherefore also Luke, commencing the genealogy with the Lord, carried it back to Adam, indicating that it was He who regenerated them into the Gospel of life, and not they Him.	Et propheta autem hoc idem significat, dicens : Pro patribus nati sunt tibi filii. Primogenitus enim mortuorum natus Dominus, et in sinum suum recipiens pristinos patres, regeneravit eos in vitam Dei, ipse initium viventium factus, quoniam Adam initium morientium factus est. Propter hoc et Lucas initium generationis a Domino inchoans in Adam retulit, significans quoniam non illi hunc, sed hic illos in Evangelium vitae regeneravit.
And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.	Sic autem et Evae inobedientiae nodus solutionem accepit per obedientiam Mariae. Quod enim alligavit virgo Eva per incredulitatem, hoc virgo Maria solvit per fidem.
Book 5, 19. ANF 1, p. 547. The Office of Readings, Friday of the 2^rd Week of Advent, The Liturgy of the Hours, vol.1, pp. 244-245
1. That the Lord then was manifestly coming to His own things, and was sustaining them by means of that creation which is supported by Himself, and was making a recapitulation of that disobedience which had occurred in connection with a tree, through the obedience which was [exhibited by Himself when He hung] upon a tree, [the effects] also of that deception being done away with, by which that virgin Eve, who was already espoused to a man, was unhappily misled,—was happily announced, through means of the truth [spoken] by the angel to the Virgin Mary, who was [also espoused] to a man.	1. Manifeste itaque in sua propria venientem Dominum, et sua propria eum bajulante conditione, quae bajulatur ab ipso, et recapitulationem ejus quae in ligno fuit inobedientiae, per eam quae in ligno est obedientiam, facientem, et seductione illa soluta, qua seducta est male illa, quie jam viro destinata erat virgo Eva, per veritatem evangelisata est bene ab angelo jam sub viro Virgo Maria.
For just as the former [Eve] was led astray by the word of an angel, so that she fled from God when she had transgressed His word; so did the latter [Mary], by an angelic communication, receive the glad tidings that she should bear (portaret) God, being obedient to His word.	Quemadmodum enim illa per angelicum sermonem seducta est, ut effugeret Deum praevaricata verbum ejus, ita et haec per angelicum sermonem evangelisata est, ut portaret Deum obediens ejus verbo.
And if the former did disobey God, yet the latter was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that the Virgin Mary might become the patroness (advocata) of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so is it rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience.	Et si ea inobediret Deo, sed et haec suasa est obedire Deo, uti virginis Evae virgo Maria fieret advocata. Et quemadmodum adstrictum est morti genus humanum per virginem, salvatur per virginem: aequa lance disposita virginalis inobedientia per virginalem obedientiam;
For in the same way the sin of the first created man (protoplasti) receives amendment by the correction of the First-begotten, and the coming of the serpent is conquered by the harmlessness of the dove, those bonds being unloosed by which we had been fast bound to death.	adhuc enim protoplasti peccatum per correptionem primogeniti emendationem accipiens, et serpentis prudentia devicta in columbae simplicitate, vinculis autem illis resolutis, per quae alligati eramus morti.

8) CHRISTOLOGICAL RECAPITULATION »cont
CHRISTOLOGY, SOTERIOLOGY and RECAPITULATION
Book 3, 18. ANF 1, 445-446
1. As it has been clearly demonstrated that 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;	1. Ostenso manifeste, quod in principio Verbum exsistens apud Deum, per quem omnia facta sunt, qui et semper aderat generi humano, hunc in novissimis temporibus secundum praefinitum tempus a Patre, unitum suo plasmati, passibilem hominem factum, exclusa est omnis contradictio dicentium : Si ergo tunc natus est, non erat ergo ante Christus. Ostendimus enim, quia non tunc coepit Filius Dei, exsistens semper apud Patrem ;
but when He became incarnate, and was made man, He {recapitulated} ³²⁵ 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.	sed quando incarnatus est, et homo factus, longam hominum expositionem in seipso recapitulavit, in compendio nobis salutem praestans, ut quod perdideramus in Adam, id est, secundum imaginem et similitudinem esse Dei, hoc in Christo Jesu reciperemus.
Book 5, 2. ANF 1, pp. 526-527.
1. He has therefore, in His work of recapitulation, summed up all things, both waging war against our enemy, and crushing him who had at the beginning led us away captives in Adam, and trampled upon his head, as thou canst perceive in Genesis that God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall be on the watch for (observabit¹⁷⁹ ) thy head, and thou on the watch for His heel.”¹⁸⁰ For from that time, He who should be born of a woman, [namely] from the Virgin, after the likeness of Adam, was preached as keeping watch for the head of the serpent. This is the seed of which the apostle says in the Epistle to the Galatians, “that the law of works was established until the seed should come to whom the promise was made.”¹⁸¹ This fact is exhibited in a still clearer light in the same Epistle, where he thus speaks: “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman.”¹⁸² For indeed the enemy would not have been fairly vanquished, unless it had been a man [born] of a woman who conquered him. For it was by means of a woman that he got the advantage over man at first, setting himself up as man’s opponent. And therefore does the Lord profess Himself to be the Son of man, comprising in Himself that original man out of whom the woman was fashioned (ex quo ea quae secundum mulierem est plasmatio facta est), in order that, as our species went down to death through a vanquished man, so we may ascend to life again through a victorious one; and as through a man death received the palm [of victory] against us, so again by a man we may receive the palm against death.	^{[p. 380]} Omnia ergo recapitulans recapitulatus est, et adversus inimicum nostrum bellum provocans, et elidens eum qui, in initio in Adam captivos duxerat nos, et calcans ejus caput, quemadmodum habes in Genesi dixisse serpenti Deum : Et inimicitiam ponam inter te et inter mulierem, et inter semen tuum et semen ejus: ipse tuum ^{[p. 381]} observabit caput, et tu observabis ejus calcaneum. Ex eo enim qui ex muliere Virgine habebat nasci secundum similitudinem Adam, preconabatur observans caput serpentis, id est semen, de quo ait Apostolus in epistola qum est ad Galatas: Legem factorum positam, donec veniret semen cui promissum est. Manifestius autem adhuc in eadem ostendit epistola, sic dicens : Cum autem venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum, factum de muliere. Neque enim juste victus fuisset inimicus, nisi ex muliere homo esset, qui vicit eum. Per mulierem enim homini dominatus est ab initio, semetipsum contrarium statuens homini. Propter hoc et Dominus semetipsum Filium Hominis confitetur, principalem hominem illum, ex quo ea quae secundum mulierem est plasmatio facta est, in semetipsum recapitulans: uti quemadmodum per hominem victum descendit in mortem genus nostrum, sic iterum per hominem victorem ascendamus in vitam. Et quemadmodum accepit palmam mors per hominem adversus nos, sic iterum nos adversus mortem per hominem accipiamus palmam.
Recapitulation Implied in the Sanctification of Each Stage of Life
Book 2, 22. ANF 1,
4. Being thirty years old when He came to be baptized, and then possessing the full age of a Master,¹⁴⁵ He came to Jerusalem, so that He might be properly acknowledged¹⁴⁶ by all as a Master. For He did not seem one thing while He was another, as those affirm who describe Him as being man only in appearance; but what He was, that He also appeared to be. Being a Master, therefore, He also possessed the age of a Master, not despising or evading any condition of humanity, nor setting aside in Himself that law which He had¹⁴⁷ appointed for the human race, but sanctifying every age, by that period corresponding to it which belonged to Himself. For He came to save all through means of Himself—all, I say, who through Him are born again to God¹⁴⁸ —infants,¹⁴⁹ and children, and boys, and youths, and old men. He therefore passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, being at the same time made to them an example of piety, righteousness, and submission; a youth for youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctifying them for the Lord. So likewise He was an old man for old men, that He might be a perfect Master for all, not merely as respects the setting forth of the truth, but also as regards age, sanctifying at the same time the aged also, and becoming an example to them likewise. Then, at last, He came on to death itself, that He might be “the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence,”¹⁵⁰ the Prince of life,¹⁵¹ existing before all, and going before all.¹⁵²	^[p.330] 2. Triginta quidem annorum exsistens cum veniret ad baptismum, deinde magistri aetatem perfectam habens, venit Hierusalem, ita ut ab omnibus juste audiretur magister: non enim aliud videbatur et aliud erat, sicut inquiunt qui putativum introducunt; sed quod erat, hoc et videbatur. Magister ergo exsistens magistri quoque habebat aetatem, non reprobans nec supergrediens hominem, neque solvens suam legem in se humani generis, sed omnem aetatem sanctificans per illam qum ad ipsum erat similitudinem. Omnes enim venit per semetipsum salvare: omnes inquam, qui per eum renascuntur in Deum, infantes, et parvulos, et pueros, et juvenes, et seniores. Ideo per omnem venit aetatem, et infantibus infans factus, sanctificans infantes: in parvulis parvulus, sanctificans hanc ipsam habentes aetatem, simul et exemplum illis pietatis effectus, et justitiae, et subjectionis: in juvenibus juvenis, exemplum juvenibus fiens, et sanctificans Domino. Sic et senior in senioribus, ut sit perfectus magister in omnibus, non solum secundum expositionem veritatis, sed et secundum aetatem, sanctificans simul et seniores, exemplum ipsis quoque fiens: deinde et usque ad mortem pervenit, ut sit primogenitus ex mortuis, ipse primatum tenens in omnibus, princeps vitae, prior omnium, et praecedens omnes.

³¹⁵ Irenaeus seems here to have written “three” for “two” from a lapse of memory)

[1] The Greek fragment from the Florilegium Achridense lacks the Greek for commixtio et communio, probably because of the problematic use of these terms in the later Christological controversies.

²³¹The Latin text is here untranslateable. Grabe proposes to read, “una consonans melodia in nobis sentietur;” while Stieren and others prefer to exchange aisqhsetai for asqhsetai.

⁷Polycarp suffered about the year 167, in the reign of Marcus Aurelius. His great age of eighty-six years implies that he was contemporary with St. John for nearly twenty years.

⁸So the Greek. The Latin reads: “which he also handed down to the Church.”

¹⁰ianwtath. Harvey translates this all-sufficient, and thus paraphrases: But his Epistle is all-sufficient, to teach those that are desirous to learn.

⁴⁴¹This seems quite a peculiar opinion of Irenaeus, that our first parents, when created, were not of the age of maturity.

[2] obaudiens, et sibi et uniuerso generi humano cause facta est salutis; {gr. retr: u(pakousasa e(aut$= te kai\ t$= pa/s$ a)nqrwpo/thti ai)ti/a e)ge/neto swthri/aj.

⁴⁴²Literally, “unless these bonds of union be turned backwards.”

⁴⁴³It is very difficult to follow the reasoning of Irenaeus in this passage. Massuet has a long note upon it, in which he sets forth the various points of comparison and contrast here indicated between Eve and Mary; but he ends with the remark, “haec certe et quae sequuntur, paulo subtiliora.”

⁴⁴⁷Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 20–22.

³²⁵Th Syriac has, commenced afresh. The Latin has, “in seipso recapitulavit,” He summed up in Himself. [As the Second Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 47.]

¹⁷⁹thrhsei and teresei have probably been confounded.

¹⁴⁵Or, “teacher,” magistri.

¹⁴⁶Harvey strangely remarks here, that “the reading audiret, followed by Massuet, makes no sense.” He gives audiretur in his text, but proposes to read ordiretur. The passage may, however, be translated as above, without departing from the Benedictine reading audiret.

¹⁴⁷“Neque solvens suam legem in se humani generis.” Massuet would expunge “suam;” but, as Harvey well observes, “it has a peculiar significance, nor abrogating his own law.”

¹⁴⁸“Renascuntur in Deum.” The reference in these words is doubtless to baptism, as clearly appears from comparing book iii. 17, 1.

¹⁴⁹It has been remarked by Wall and others, that we have here the statement of a valuable fact as to the baptism of infants in the primitive Church.

¹⁵²[That our Lord was prematurely old may be inferred from the text which Irenaeus regards as proof that he literally lived to be old. St. John viii. 56, 57; comp. Is. liii. 2.]

xcxxcxxc F ” “ This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990....x.... ’ “”.

vol.1, pp. 287-288

Book 4, 18 , ANF 1, p. 486