Patristic Theology - Learning from Irenaeus

         

Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor around 120 A.D .He was the disciple of Polycarp who was a straight disciple of the Apostle John. Around 150 A.D Irenaeus was sent to Gaul (France) to Pastor the people who emigrated from Asia Minor to Gaul. A persecution(161 - 180 A.D) broke out against the Church by orders of the Emperor Marcus aurelius and the Christians were killed using ingenious methods . Irenaeus escaped death as he was sent to Rome to fight the heretics.
   Irenaeus wrote an apologetic work called "Against Heresies" and a pastoral work called ,"Epideixis" also called  "Proof of the Apostolic Preaching".
St.Irenaeus of Lyon

The most important truth a Christian can learn from Irenaeus is his Theory of Redemption called "RECAPITULATION", which he taught as the Apostolic teaching about Christ's work of Redemption. This proved not only as a pastoral work but also as an response to the Gnostic heresies ,who denied the human nature of Christ , and consequently his incarnation , death and resurrection.

   "Caput" means head , and recapitulation talks about Christ being the head of the new human race who are none other than the born again believers . 'Adam is the head of the old human race which is corrupt as is it's head . Adam failed in garden and so does everyone who has adam as his head. Christ , according to Romans 5 is the second Adam. He triumphs where Adam failed. He obeys God perfectly in everything. Right from the temptation in the wilderness to even death on the cross , Christ obeys fully and remains perfectly holy. Those who have Christ as their head live the life of perpetual victory over sin , overcoming temptations by the power of the Holy Spirit just like Christ obeyed. These willing choose to come under the headship of  Christ through repentance and faith . They receive the sacraments . They receive the transformation which has this victorious , sin overcoming life as it's output. They receive a new nature and form a new human race with the hope of sharing in the immortality and the divine nature of  Christ.
             
      To participate in the divine nature is to
 1. Have a  new nature
 2. Live a life of overcoming sin
 3. Have hope of immortality - Eternal life

This happens when a person chooses Christ as his head (Lord)
  1. Repents of his old life under the headship of adam and the old sinful nature
  2. Believes in Christ
  3. Receives the sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion)

   For Irenaeus redemption was about getting restored to the God intended image i.e to the image of Christ. It includes forgiveness of sins and jsutification , but that does not end there. It proceeds to sanctification. It is during sanctification that a person is getting actually restored to the image of Christ through  transformation which begins at justification which inturn is accomplished when a person repents and believes in Christ.
    In recapitulation , we seen a reversing of corruption which was set into motion by Adam's sin. As the reversal of corruption occurs , there also occurs a progress in holiness or mirroring of Christ and divine nature and God's glory in the new man under Christ's head.

   "Irenaeus clearly envisioned salvation as a transformation of the humans into partakers of divine nature"
             Robert Olson , The Story of Christian Theology ; twenty centuries of tradition and reform 





BIBLICAL BASIS FOR THE RECAPITULATION THEORY OF IRENAEUS

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4

    Irenaeus's theory is based biblical text and is provides a wholistic picture of redemption available in Christ . This is very important as an accurate understanding of redemption will help the Church in being the witness God intended it to be. 
  In the face of  Calvinism which stresses election and forensic justification at the cost of other aspects of salvation and in the face of the superficiality which stems from not stressing hard core discipleship and in the face of a Church which abuses the grace of God as a license for sin , Irenaeus' recaptulation theory of redemption proves to be a wholistic model which will help the individual believers and the Church as a whole to "Work out their salvation with fear and trembling " and will help shine the light of the glory of Christ in the pitch darkness of this world.