1. Baptismal Texts
acknowledged by all as a teacher... Being a teacher, therefore, he also possessed the age of a teacher, not despising or evading any condition of humanity, nor evading any condition of humanity, nor setting aside in himself that law which he had 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 again1 to God—infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and the old ...
111.17 1-3. 1111: GIF I OK l i l t SP1RIP 1:. .. the Spirit of God as a dove descended upon [Jesus]; this Spirit of whom it was declared by Isaiah, 'And the Spirit of God shall rest upon him llsaiah 11.21', as I have already said. And again, 'the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me [Isaiah 61.1]'. That is the Spirit of whom the Lord declares, 'For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you (John
16.7]'. And again, giving to the disciples the power of regeneration into God 3, he said to them, 'Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit [Matt. 28.19| . .'
2: ... For as a compact lump of dough cannot be formed of dry wheat without fluid matter, nor can a loaf possess unity, so, in like manner, neither could we, being many, be made one in Christ Jesus without the water from heaven. And as dry earth does not bring forth unless it receives moisture, in like manner we also, being originally a dry tree, could never have brought forth fruit unto life without the voluntary ram from above. For our bodies have received unity among themselves by means of that laver which leads to incorporation; but our souls by means of the Spirit4 . ..
3: ... we have need of the dew of God5, that we be not consumed by fire, nor be rendered unfruitful6, and that where we have an accuser there we may also have
1 The phrase 'bom again to God' is a clear reference to baptism. Though his was an age in which chiefly adults were baptized, Irenaeus indicates here thai he knew of the baptism of infants anil children.
2 (n this chapter, Irenaeus treats of'the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The gnostics held that the superior being, Christ, descended upon the man. Jesus. In response, Irenaeus shows that it was the Spirit who descended upon the Word made flesh, that sameSpirit which is given to those saved in him at baptism. Hence themes affecting the meaning of Christian baptism are mixed into the discourse on Christ's baptism.
3 Note here the imagery of regeneration to denote what happens through baptism. Note also the use of the preposition with the accusative, eis Tbeov, 'into God'
4 Irenaeus is here using several images expressing the union of many in one to designate the effect of the gift of the Spirit m baptism. Note how with the image of incorporation, or union with a body, he combines both the material and the spiritual. That the human body and not only the soul is saved is of constant interest to Irenaeus, and here he speaks of the external unity of the church as a unity of many bodies, to which external unity corresponds inner union in the Spirit.
5 Irenaeus has just referred to the dew on the fleece in the story of Gideon. Judges 6, 36-40.
6 Here we find a theme common in Irenaeus. The worship of God is not rooted in a need on God's part, but it is a gift to human beings that allows them to show their own relation to God, in a worship that harmonizes with good works. The metaphor is that of a well-cared tree producing good fruit.
Baptismal Texts
an advocate, the Lord commending to the Holy Spirit his own human race, on whom he had shown compassion when it fell among thieves, and bound up its wounds, giving two royal coins; so that we, receiving the image and superscription of the Father and the Son, might cause the coins entrusted to us to be fruitful, counting out the increase to the Lord1.
1 Irenaeususes the story of the Samaritan who tended the wounded man and paid for him at the inn with two coins Luke 10.29-37 to illustrate the gift of the Spirit in baptism.
Using the idea of the image imprinted on a coin, he notes that by the Spirit the Christian receives the image of both Father and Son, the two images typified by the two coins,
Irenaeus of Lyons on Baptism and Eucharist
2. Eucharistie Texts AGAINST THE HERESIES
1.13.2 IMF ELCIIARISTIC RUTS OF THt MARCOSIANS'
Feigning to give t h a n k s 2 for the c u p mixed with w i n e a n d d r a w i n g o u t at length the w o r d of in v o c a t i o n 3 , he m a k e s t h e c u p a p p e a r p u r p l e a n d red, so that G r a c e ' , w h o is a m o n g the s u p e r i o r beings, m a y be t n o u g n t to drip her o w n blood into that c u p t h r o u g h m e a n s of his invocation, a n d that t h o s e w h o are present m i g h t greatly desire to taste of that drink, so t h a t Grace, w h o is i n v o k e d by t h e magician, m i g h t d r i p o n t h e m too. Again, h a n d i n g mixed c u p s to t h e w o m e n h e c o m m a n d s t h e m to give t h a n k s [or m a k e eucharist) in his presence. 5 A n d w h e n this has b e e n d o n e , he himself brings forth a n o t h e r c u p m u c h l a r g e r t h a n t h e o n e eucharistized by the d e l u d e d w o m a n 6 , a n d p o u r s f r o m t h e smaller cup, w h i c h
1 Irenaues is here describing the rites of the gnostic followers of Marcus, known as the Marcosians. Of late there has been renewed interest in this description, because of what it may confirm about early orthodox liturgies in Judeo-Christian churches. Though
Marcus perverts the rite, what he does has some basis in authentic celebration. Thus this text is compared with reconstructions of Judeo-Christian liturgies based chiefly on the Didache 9, the seventh book of the Apostolic Constitutions, some texts from the apocryphal acts, and their comparison with Jewish traditions of blessing.
The Greek text for this passage is cited in Fpiphanius./tar. xxxiv.l and Hippolvtus.
Pbilnsoph. vi.39.40.
2 The Greek verb is eucharistein, usually translated as to give thanks'. It may here however be a more generic term for blessing, signifying a variant form of prayer that blesses
God. either with praise, with thanksgiving, or with invocation. The Jewish blessing of God or berakah allows for all three forms, bui the constant is the doxology of the divine name.
J The Greek term is epiclesis, usually associated with petition and the invocation of a name in whose power the favour is asked. Some early prayers allow for an invocation of the Word and in speaking of the prayer Irenaeus himself has the invocation of the name of the Word Incarnate in view. Later the word is used to designate the invocation of the Spirit over the sacramental elements of bread, wine, oil and water, or over persons.
With Irenaeus, however, we should not expect to find a clearly developed liturgical vocabulary, nor a developed theology of the Spirit. Neither prayer forms nor vocabulary had in his time reached the clarity and stability to which we have become accustomed.
4 The Greek word used is charis, and it is used here as a proper name for one of the intermediary beings of the gnostic hierarchy.
5 The exercise of such a prayer role by women used to be seen as one of the traits of heterodox bodies. Now that \ e w Testament studies have shown the leadership of women in early house-churches and the presence of women among the prophets of early times, it is no longer clear that women were excluded from invoking liturgical blessings in ecciesial assemblies. For some, the Marcosian liturgy in this regard mav simply reflect an orthodox practice, later discontinued and prohibited.
6 The text here slips into the singular, having used the plural further up.
Eucharistie Texts
has been m a d e eucharist by the w o m a n , into the o n e which he himself brought forward, saying over it1: M a y that Grace 2 w h o is before all things, u n t h i n k a b l e a n d unspeakable, fill y o u r inner self a n d increase in you her knowledge, planting the mustard seed in good g r o u n d |cf. Matt. 13.3 lj. And saying such w o r d s and driving the wretched w o m a n to madness, he appears to have worked wonders, w h e n the larger c u p was filled f r o m the smaller, even to overflowing. A n d performing other similar acts, he deceived m a n y and d r e w t h e m after nimself.
IV. 17.1-4: O N T H E S A C R I F I C E S O F T H E
L A W '
17.1: Moreover, the prophets indicate in the fullest m a n n e r that it was n o t because he needed their service, but on their o w n account, that G o d prescribed the observances f o u n d in the Law. In turn, as we will show, the Lord clearly taught that G o d did not need their oblation but prescribed it for the sake of the h u m a n being w h o offers it4.
W h e n he saw t h e m [the people] neglecting righteousness 5, and t u r n i n g f r o m the love of G o d , and nonetheless thinking that G o d could be propitiated 6 through sacrifices a n d o t h e r figurative observances, Samuel said to t h e m : T h e
Lord does not desire holocausts a n d sacrifices, but rather that the Lord's voice
' The form of the following prayer fits into the genre of blessing in Jewish and JudeoChristian context. Though we are now accustomed to consider blessing prayers composed of thanksgiving and invocation, with the proper doxology invocation alone could constitute a blessing. There are several examples of this for the eucharist in the apocryphal acts, of Thomas, Peter and John respectively.
2 In prayers of Judeo-Christian communities, one finds invocation of the Name (i.e. of God as revealed in the name of Jesus or the works of grace), or the Mother or the Dove
(both of these a naming of God as the source of blessings on creatures). As noted above, later such invocation developed into an invocation of the name of the Holy
Spirit.
5 Having considered the sacrifices of the gnostics and pagan sacrifices, both linked with belief in intermediaries between God and creatures, Irenaeus sets out to consider the sacrifices established by God. beginning with the sacrifices of the Law. This disquisition on the reason for sacrifice and on the proper way of offering it, is important background to his discussion of the sacrifice of the new covenant, the eucharist.
4 Irenaeus clearly lays down the pnnciple that the reason for ritual observance, particularly sacrifice, is to be found in human nature, not in any need for worship on God's part.
This is taught both by the prophets and by the Lord, i.e. Jesus Christ.
5 The Latin word ajustitia, which translates the Greek dikaiosune. It refers to that in the human person which results from God's justifying action, but also connotes the right conduct that follows and is demanded by the Law. Hence the English word
'righteousness' to convey both senses of the word.
6 In understanding sacrifice in general and the eucharist in particular, much hangs on the use of the word 'propitiate'. In ordinary usage it could mean to render satisfaction for wrong done, or to assuage one who has been angered. It may well be used in that sense here, indicating the mistaken notion of the people that they could avert God's eyes from their wrong-doing by offering sacrifices. When Irenaeus uses propitiation of Christ's death or of the eucharist, he makes it clear that this has nothing to do with divine anger but that such sacrifice is rendered rather out of divine compassion. On Christ's death as propitiation, cf. Against the Heresies IV.16 (ANF I 471).
Irenaeus of Lyons on Baptism and Eucharist
might be heard. Behold a ready obedience prevails over sacrifice, and attention to God's voice over the fat of rams [1 Sam 15.22]. David also said: 'Sacrifice and oblation you did not want, but you have perfected my ears, holocausts for sin you have not asked (Psalm 51.17]'. By this he taught that God desires obedience, for it is this which saves them, not sacrifices and holocausts, which avail nothing towards righteousness, and in this he prophesied the new covenant . ..'.
17.2: It was not, as many venture to say, like a human being moved [by anger], that God rejected their sacrifices, but it was out of compassion for their blindness and in order to teach the nature of true sacrifice by whose offering they shall propitiate2 God, so that they can receive life as a divine gift. As it is said elsewhere: 'The sacrifice to God is an afflicted heart: a sweet savour to God is a heart glorifying the One who formed it3. ..'
IV. 17.4-18.6.THE EUCHARIST
17.44: From all of this it is evident that God did not seek sacrifices and holocausts from them, but the faith and obedience and righteousness which bring salvation.
As God teaches them through Hosea the prophet: 'I desire mercy rather than sacrifice and the knowledge of God more tnan holocausts [Hosea 6.6]'. Besides, the Lord also exhorted them to the same effect, saying: 'But if you had known what this means: I wish mercy and not sacrifice, you would never have condemned the innocent [Matt. 12.71'. In this he bears witness to the prophets that they preached the truth, accusing his hearers of the guilt of their own foolishness.
17.5: The Lord gave directions to his disciples to offer first-fruits to God from God's own creatures, not as though God stood in need of them, but that they themselves may be neither unfruitful nor ungrateful'.5 Thus, he took the bread, which comes from creation, and he gave thanks, saying: 'This is my
1 Irenaeus continues to show the priority of obedience over sacrifice, with quotations from Psalms 39.7; 50.18-19; 49.9-13, 14-15; Isaiah 1.10, 16-18.
2 Anger is clearly absent from propitiation in this case. The word might well be translated
'draw near', signifying some action on humanity's part by which out of divine generosity it can make some movement towards righting relationships with God.
5 As they stand, these words are not found in anv scriptural passage. They possibly refer to Psalm 50 [511.
In what follows (17.2 and 17.3) the point continues to be made about the compassion which God extends to the people, showing them the way to salvation, even though their sacrifices were unpleasing to him because of their false motivation.
* This concludes the discussion of Old Testament observances and leads into the eucharist.
5 The reason for sacrifice is here found in human nature. It allows human beings to show their gratitude, by offering the first-fruits of that creation of which they are themselves a part. In the old dispensation, it was literally the first-fruits of harvest or flock that were offered each year, signifying the dedication of all fruit, all work and all life to God. In the new covenant, the bread and wine of each eucharist have the symbolic role of first-fruits of all of creation.
Eucharistie Texts