Irenaeus of Lyons

Rating:
Summary: A Creative and Insightful Analysis
Review: In this book, Eric Osborn provides a creative and insightful analysis of the intellectual life of a second century genius. Osborn does an excellent job of explaining Irenaeus?s ideas in readable style. He illustrates the combination of poetic and logical thinking that led to Irenaeus?s theological and philosophical conclusions, and he persuasively presents the second century writer as an artistic genius who interwove ?imagery and logic, poetry and argument? in distinguishing Christianity from such second century heresies as Valentinian Gnosticism. He also illustrated how visual Irenaeus was in his view of the Bible and the world. Osborn explained, for example, that to Irenaeus, ?The diversity of the world is a splendid harmony from the composer of a wonderful universe.? (page 256). Irenaeus was fascinated with ?the rich natural beauty in which Adam was placed.? (page 256).

The book?s primary weakness, I found, was that it reveals both an active and a contemplative side of Irenaeus, and beautifully addresses the contemplative side, while it left me wanting to know more of how Osborn would analyze Irenaeus?s active side. Osborn provides an intricate and insightful analysis of Irenaeus?s theology and philosophy. However, Irenaeus was not only an intellectual. He was also a pastor and evangelist living at the outer geographic reaches of Christianity in an era of martyrdom. I would like to have had more chapters analyzing the more active side of Irenaeus's work.

Among these, Osborn convincingly argues that Irenaeus was an extremely visual man with the soul of an artist, which cannot help but raise the question of what Irenaeus had to say about women. Indeed, at least one incident that Irenaeus reported in ?Against Heresies? beautifully illustrates Osborn?s key theses, and helps to explain what motivated Irenaeus to write. I was left wondering why Osborn did not discuss it. Specifically, Irenaeus wrote about an incident in which the wife of one of his own deacons fell victim to the heretic Marcus: ?His wife, a woman of remarkable beauty, fell a victim both in mind and body to this magician, and, for a long time, travelled about with him. At last, when, with no small difficulty, the brethren had converted her, she spent her whole time in the exercise of public confession, weeping over and lamenting the defilement which she had received from this magician.? (?Against Heresies? 1:13:5.) Irenaeus?s description places far greater emphasis on the woman?s ?remarkable beauty? and her weeping when she returned to the Church and to her husband, rather than railing criticism for her sin. The incident beautifully illustrates Osborn?s point that Irenaeus was an extremely visual and artistic man, but Osborn did not discuss it. Elsewhere in ?Against Heresies,? Irenaeus offers interesting details about women in the second century church and in the heretical sects. I was left wondering what Osborn would have written on the subject of Irenaeus's view of women in the church, if he had addressed it.

The other issue that I wish Osborn had addressed in more detail is Irenaeus?s life as pastor and missionary of a martyr church. Osborn offers enormous insight into the active side of Irenaeus, but the references are scattered throughout the text. I would like to have had a separate chapter on that topic. He tells us that Irenaeus settled in Celtic Gaul, where the church had existed since the mid-second century (in Lyons and Vienne) (pp. 2-4). He became bishop of Lyons in 177, after the previous bishop was martyred together with a large number of parishioners (page 4). He undertook to write about heresies because he believed he could bring heretics back to the truth (page 130). He encouraged daily study of the scriptures (pages 160, 173). He quoted from New Testament scriptures 1,065 times in ?Against Heresies,? even placing the Gospels and Pauline Epistles at a higher level of authority than the Old Testament (Pages 172, 179-180). Irenaeus?s church was a martyr church, in which ?martyrdom was the peak of moral excellence because it most clearly reflected the ultimate goodness of the cross. . . .? (page 241). Such death must be marked by both faith and love, and ?is never an isolated act, but always the act of a member of the church.? (Pages 241-242). Such comments were spread through Osborn?s pages of theological analysis, offering insight into Irenaeus's manner as a pastor, bishop and missionary. I wish that, in some future revised edition, Osborn would devote more attention to that aspect of Irenaeus?s work.

All told, these weaknesses of the text also reveal its strength. After reading 267 pages, I was left wanting to study Irenaeus more, and I never once felt exhausted by Osborn?s careful analysis.

Rating:
Summary: A Creative and Insightful Analysis
Review: In this book, Eric Osborn provides a creative and insightful analysis of the intellectual life of a second century genius. Osborn does an excellent job of explaining Irenaeus's ideas in readable style. He illustrates the combination of poetic and logical thinking that led to Irenaeus's theological and philosophical conclusions, and he persuasively presents the second century writer as an artistic genius who interwove "imagery and logic, poetry and argument" in distinguishing Christianity from such second century heresies as Valentinian Gnosticism. He also illustrated how visual Irenaeus was in his view of the Bible and the world. Osborn explained, for example, that to Irenaeus, "The diversity of the world is a splendid harmony from the composer of a wonderful universe." (page 256). Irenaeus was fascinated with "the rich natural beauty in which Adam was placed." (page 256).

The book's primary weakness, I found, was that it reveals both an active and a contemplative side of Irenaeus, and beautifully addresses the contemplative side, while it left me wanting to know more of how Osborn would analyze Irenaeus's active side. Osborn provides an intricate and insightful analysis of Irenaeus's theology and philosophy. However, Irenaeus was not only an intellectual. He was also a pastor and evangelist living at the outer geographic reaches of Christianity in an era of martyrdom. I would like to have had more chapters analyzing the more active side of Irenaeus's work.

Among these, Osborn convincingly argues that Irenaeus was an extremely visual man with the soul of an artist, which cannot help but raise the question of what Irenaeus had to say about women. Indeed, at least one incident that Irenaeus reported in "Against Heresies" beautifully illustrates Osborn's key theses, and helps to explain what motivated Irenaeus to write. I was left wondering why Osborn did not discuss it. Specifically, Irenaeus wrote about an incident in which the wife of one of his own deacons fell victim to the heretic Marcus: "His wife, a woman of remarkable beauty, fell a victim both in mind and body to this magician, and, for a long time, travelled about with him. At last, when, with no small difficulty, the brethren had converted her, she spent her whole time in the exercise of public confession, weeping over and lamenting the defilement which she had received from this magician." ("Against Heresies" 1:13:5.) Irenaeus's description places far greater emphasis on the woman's "remarkable beauty" and her weeping when she returned to the Church and to her husband, rather than railing criticism for her sin. The incident beautifully illustrates Osborn's point that Irenaeus was an extremely visual and artistic man, but Osborn did not discuss it. Elsewhere in "Against Heresies," Irenaeus offers interesting details about women in the second century church and in the heretical sects. I was left wondering what Osborn would have written on the subject of Irenaeus's view of women in the church, if he had addressed it.

The other issue that I wish Osborn had addressed in more detail is Irenaeus's life as pastor and missionary of a martyr church. Osborn offers enormous insight into the active side of Irenaeus, but the references are scattered throughout the text. I would like to have had a separate chapter on that topic. He tells us that Irenaeus settled in Celtic Gaul, where the church had existed since the mid-second century (in Lyons and Vienne) (pp. 2-4). He became bishop of Lyons in 177, after the previous bishop was martyred together with a large number of parishioners (page 4). He undertook to write about heresies because he believed he could bring heretics back to the truth (page 130). He encouraged daily study of the scriptures (pages 160, 173). He quoted from New Testament scriptures 1,065 times in "Against Heresies," even placing the Gospels and Pauline Epistles at a higher level of authority than the Old Testament (Pages 172, 179-180). Irenaeus's church was a martyr church, in which "martyrdom was the peak of moral excellence because it most clearly reflected the ultimate goodness of the cross. . . ." (page 241). Such death must be marked by both faith and love, and "is never an isolated act, but always the act of a member of the church." (Pages 241-242). Such comments were spread through Osborn's pages of theological analysis, offering insight into Irenaeus's manner as a pastor, bishop and missionary. I wish that, in some future revised edition, Osborn would devote more attention to that aspect of Irenaeus's work.

All told, these weaknesses of the text also reveal its strength. After reading 267 pages, I was left wanting to study Irenaeus more, and I never once felt exhausted by Osborn's careful analysis.