Feb 11, 2023

Irenaeus of Lyons

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Dating back to the second century, today’s prayer originated with Irenaeus of Lyons (in modern-day France) (130-202).  Irenaeus was introduced to Christ through Polycarp, who was said to have been taught by the apostle John.

We owe Irenaeus a debt of gratitude for resisting a heretical movement called Gnosticism. His most influential work written in AD 180, Against Heresies, sounded the alarm for this early departure from biblical Christianity. Gnostics believed Jesus was divine but not really human, so he did not really die on the cross to offer his life as atonement for sins. The implications of this defection were far-reaching, and it would explain why numerous letters in the New Testament have this false teaching in their sights. Irenaeus clearly articulated that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, a central affirmation of the Christian faith.  Keep in mind the New Testament canon had not yet been resolved. Irenaeus made extensive use of all four gospels and all but four of the New Testament epistles, thereby demonstrating that many of these writings were already considered authoritative by the church. He observed the subtle way heresies gained a hearing the church. “Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered.  On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself,” he wrote.

Irenaeus was instrumental in guiding the early church in its infancy. His name meaning peacemaker fits him well since peacemaking was his lasting contribution.  Irenaeus leads us to pray:

Give maturity to beginners, O Father,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            give intelligence to the little ones,
give aid to those who are running their course.
Give sorrow to the negligent,
give fervor of spirit to the lukewarm.
Give to the perfect [those in their older years] a good consummation,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Prayers of the Early Church, Edited by J. Manning Potts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          James R. Payton, Jr.,”Who is Irenaeus of Lyons?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Eric Osborn, Irenaeus of Lyons, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

 

 

Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.