Gems From Saint
Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202), one of the Fathers of the
Church, and Bishop of Lyons, was a most prolific writer, and defender of the
Catholic Church against the heresies of his day. He is often quoted. In his many
writings, he mentioned the Catholic Church by name several times.
Here are
some of his "Gems".
"...as these teachers who are destitute of truly divine wisdom maintain; while
the Catholic Church possesses one and the same faith throughout the whole world,
as we have already said."
Adversus Haereses, Book I, chapter 10
"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. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with
this Church, on account of its preeminent authority -- that is, the faithful
everywhere -- inasmuch as the Apostolic Tradition has been preserved
continuously by those who are everywhere."
Adversus Haereses, Book III,
chapter 3-2
"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, proclaiming the one
God, omnipotent, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Creator of man, who brought
on the deluge, and called Abraham, who led the people from the land of Egypt,
spake with Moses, set forth the law, sent the prophets, and who has prepared
fire for the devil and his angels. From this document, whosoever chooses to do
so, may learn that He, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, was preached by the
Churches, and may also understand the apostolical tradition of the Church, since
this Epistle is of older date than these men who are now propagating falsehood,
and who conjure into existence another god beyond the Creator and the Maker of
all existing things. 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. 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."
Adversus Haereses, Book III, chapter 3-3
"The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole
depository of apostolical doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot
trace their origin up to the apostles."
Adversus Haereses, Book III, chapter
4 Prologue
"Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth
among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the
apostles,"
Adversus Haereses, Book III, chapter 4-1
"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." But Eve
was disobedient; for she did not obey when as yet she was a virgin. 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," inasmuch as they,
having been created a short time previously, had no understanding of the
procreation of children: for it was necessary that they should first come to
adult age, 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; 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... 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."
Adversus
Haereses, Book III, chapter 22-4
"Wherefore it is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church -- those
who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who,
together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift
of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also
incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession,
and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, [looking upon them]
either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismaries puffed up and
self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and
vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth. And the heretics, indeed,
who bring strange fire to the altar of God -- namely, strange doctrines -- shall
be burned up by the fire from heaven, as were Nadab and Abiud. But such as rise
up in opposition to the truth, and exhort others against the Church of God,
[shall] remain among those in hell (apud inferos), being swallowed up by an
earthquake, even as those who were with Chore, Dathan, and Abiron. But those who
cleave asunder, and separate the unity of the Church, [shall] receive from God
the same punishment as Jeroboam did."
Adversus Haereses, Book IV, chapter
26-2
"He shall also judge those who give rise to schisms, who are destitute of the
love of God, and who look to their own special advantage rather than to the
unity of the Church; and who for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which
occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ,
and so far as in them lies, [positively] destroy it -- men who prate of peace
while they give rise to war, and do in truth strain out a gnat, but swallow a
camel. For no reformation of so great importance can be effected by them, as
will compensate for the mischief arising from their schism. He shall also judge
all those who are beyond the pale of the truth, that is, who are outside the
Church; but he himself shall be judged by no one."
Adversus Haereses, Book
IV, chapter 33-7
"Now all these [heretics] are of much later date than the bishops to whom the
apostles committed the Churches; which fact I have in the third book taken all
pains to demonstrate. It follows, then, as a matter of course, that these
heretics aforementioned, since they are blind to the truth, and deviate from the
[right] way, will walk in various roads; and therefore the footsteps of their
doctrine are scattered here and there without agreement or connection. But the
path of those belonging to the Church circumscribes the whole world, as
possessing the sure tradition from the apostles, and gives unto us to see that
the faith of all is one and the same..."
Adversus Haereses, Book V, chapter
20-1
"And indeed, although he writes again to the Corinthians and to the
Thessalonians for their correction, nevertheless it is shown that there is one
Church spread abroad through the whole world; for John, too, in the Apocalypse,
though he writes to only seven Churches, yet speaks to all. Besides these, there
is one to Philemon, and one to Titus, and two to Timothy, in affection and love,
but nevertheless regarded as Holy in the Catholic Church, in the ordering of
churchly discipline. There is also circulated one to the Laodiceans and another
to the Alexandrians, forged under the name of Paul, in regard to the heresy of
Marcion; and there are several others which cannot be received by the Church,
for it is not suitable that gall be mixed with honey. The Epistle of Jude,
indeed, and the two ascribed to John, are received by the Catholic
Church."
The Muritorian Fragment
Cardinal John Newman, a convert from Anglicanism said it
best in regards to historical documents: "To be deep in history is to cease to
be Protestant."
Compiled September 7, 2001
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