Book 3: The Christian Faith, as Drawn from the Apostles’ Teachings
Book 3
The Christian Faith, as Drawn from the Apostles’ Teachings
Dear friend, you asked me to expose the Valentinian teachings (which their devotees imagine to be concealed), show their disagreements, and compose a treatise refuting them. I have endeavored to present both their doctrine (which springs from Simon Magus, the father of all heretics) and the succession of their teachers, and to present arguments against them. To expose these heretics is enough to convict them; to help with that, I have sent you two books so far. The first comprises the opinions of all these heretics and shows what they practice and how they live; the second casts down and overthrows their perverse teachings simply by laying them bare and open to view.
In this third book, I will bring forward proofs from the Scriptures to supply more of what you request. Above and beyond what you counted on, you will receive the means of combating and defeating those who, in whatever way, are propagating falsehood. . . . All this will enable you to defend the only true and life-giving faith, which the Church has received from the apostles and imparted to her children. The Lord of all gave his apostles the power of the gospel, and we have come to know the truth through them. That truth is the teaching of the Son of God, who declared: “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” [Luke 10:16]. (3:pref)
We have learned the plan of our salvation from no one else than the ones through whom the gospel has come down to us. At first, they proclaimed it in public, but later on, in accordance with God’s will, they handed it down to us in the Scriptures,1 to be the ground and pillar of our faith [1 Tim 3:15]. It is unlawful to assert that they preached before they possessed “complete knowledge” [“gnosis”], as the heretics dare to say, who boast that they have improved on the apostles. After our Lord rose from the dead, the apostles received power from on high [Luke 24:49] when the Holy Spirit came down upon them [Acts 1:8], were filled with all his gifts, and thus received complete knowledge. They departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things sent from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven toward humankind [Luke 2:14]. They all equally and individually possessed the gospel of God. Matthew produced a written gospel for the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, laying the foundations of the church there. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, handed down to us in writing what Peter had preached. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the gospel Paul preached. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who had leaned upon his breast [John 13:23], also published a gospel while he was living at Ephesus in Asia. (3:1,1)
These have all declared to us that there is one God, the creator of heaven and earth, announced by the law and the prophets, and one Christ the Son of God. If anyone does not agree to these truths, that person despises the companions of the Lord. Even more, that person despises Christ himself the Lord. Beyond even that, such a person also despises the Father and so stands self-condemned, resisting and opposing his own salvation—as is the case with all heretics. (3:1,2)
However, when these heretics are shown from the Scriptures to be in error, they respond by disparaging these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, do not have authority, and are ambiguous. These false teachers urge that the truth cannot be extracted from them by anyone who is ignorant of tradition: they allege that the truth was not handed on by written documents, but orally. They claim that this is what Paul meant when he declared, “among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age” [1 Cor 2:6]. And this “wisdom” which each of them sets forth turns out to be the ideas he has dreamed up! . . . (3:2,1)
When we refer them to the tradition which originated from the apostles, which has been preserved through the succession of presbyters in the Churches, they object to tradition, claiming to be wiser—not merely than the presbyters, but even than the apostles—because they have discovered the unadulterated truth. . . . So it comes down to this, that these people will not yield, either to Scripture or to tradition. (3:2,2)
This is how the adversaries with whom we have to deal act: like slippery serpents, they try to escape at all points. Consequently, they need to be opposed at all points, so that possibly, by cutting off their retreat, we may succeed in turning them back to the truth. While it is not an easy thing for a soul under the influence of error to repent, yet, on the other hand, it is not altogether impossible to escape from error when the truth is brought alongside it. (3:2,3)
Everyone who wants to see the truth can behold the tradition of the apostles in any church anywhere in the world. We can list all those whom the apostles instituted as bishops in the churches, and the succession from them down to our own times. None of them taught or knew of anything like what these heretics rave about. If the apostles had known “hidden mysteries” which they were going to impart to “the perfect” apart and privately from the rest, the apostles would undoubtedly have delivered them to those to whom they were committing the churches. After all, they wanted these men whom they were leaving behind as their successors, to whom they were committing the leading role in governing the Church, to be perfect and blameless in all things. . . . (3:3,1)
However, it would be tedious to list the successions of all the churches in a volume like this. Even so, we can answer the heretics and their adherents by . . . pointing to that tradition derived from the apostles which is found in the very great, very ancient, and universally known church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul. The faith they preached to humanity has come down to our time through the successions of bishops. It is necessary for every church to agree with this church because of its significance: many faithful have traveled to Rome from all places and found there the apostolic tradition which has been preserved everywhere else also. (3:3,2)
Having founded and built up the church in Rome, the blessed apostles committed the office of bishop there into the hands of Linus. Paul mentions this Linus in his letters to Timothy [2 Tim 4:21]. Anacletus succeeded him; and next, in the third place from the apostles, Clement received the bishopric. He had seen the blessed apostles and conversed with them, so he might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing in his ears and their traditions before his eyes. He was not alone in this: many were still alive who had been taught by the apostles. In Clement’s time, a serious conflict arose in the church at Corinth; the church in Rome sent a vigorous letter to the Corinthians,2 exhorting them to peace and renewing their faith by declaring again the tradition which it had recently received from the apostles. That apostolic tradition proclaims that there is one God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, the creator of humankind, who sent the flood, who called Abraham, who led the people from the land of Egypt, who spoke with Moses and gave the law, who sent the prophets, and who has prepared fire for the devil and his angels. Whoever wants to may learn from this letter that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ was preached by the churches; that person can then understand the apostolic tradition of the Church, since this letter is older than these heretics who are now propagating falsehood and who conjure into existence another god besides the creator and maker of all things. After Clement came 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. Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherus—in the twelfth place from the apostles—now has the inheritance of the episcopate.3 In this order and via this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, the preaching of the genuine truth, has come down to us. This is most abundant proof that there is one and the same life-giving faith, which has been handed down and faithfully preserved in the Church from the apostles until now. (3:3,3)
Further, Polycarp was instructed by apostles and conversed with many who had seen Christ; the apostles in Asia appointed him bishop of the church in Smyrna. I saw him in my early youth, for he lived a long time. As a very old man, he endured a glorious and noble martyrdom and departed this life.4 He had always taught what he had learned from the apostles—which is what the Church has handed down, and which alone is true. All the Asiatic churches testify to these things, as do those who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time. They are leaders of much greater significance and are more steadfast witnesses of truth than Valentinus, Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. Indeed, Polycarp came to Rome in the time of Anicetus and turned many people away from these heretics to the Church of God. He declared that he had received only one truth from the apostles—the one handed down by the Church.
Some also heard from him that when John, the disciple of the Lord, went to the baths at Ephesus but discovered that Cerinthus was there, he rushed out of the bathhouse without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us flee, in case the bathhouse falls down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is inside it.” On another occasion, Marcion met Polycarp and asked, “Do you know who I am?” Polycarp responded, “I know who you are: you are the first-born of Satan!” These stories reveal the determination of the apostles and those who had learned from them not even to interact with those who corrupt the truth. This squares with what Paul instructs, “After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned” [Titus 3:10].
There is also a very powerful letter of Polycarp written to the Philippians,5 from which those who are eager to learn about salvation can get to know the character of his faith and the preaching of the truth. Furthermore, the church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, among whom John remained until the times of Trajan, is a faithful witness of the tradition of the apostles. (3:3,4)
Since we have such proofs, we do not need to seek from others the truth which is easy to get from the Church: the apostles, like a rich man depositing his wealth in a bank, placed everything related to the truth in her hands, so that whoever wants to can draw the water of life out of her [Rev 22:17]. She is the door to life; all others are thieves and robbers [John 10:7–8]. Consequently, we should turn away from the heretics and be sure to turn to the Church, so that we may lay hold of the tradition of the truth. . . .
What would we do if the apostles had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, in that case, to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they committed the churches? (3:4,1)
This is what the numerous barbarian nations who believe in Christ do. Salvation has been written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, but they carefully preserve the ancient tradition—believing in one God, the creator of heaven and earth, and everything in them, through Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of his surpassing love towards his creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, thus uniting humanity in himself to God; having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendor, he will come again in glory as the savior of those who are saved and the judge of those who are judged, and will send into eternal fire those who pervert the truth and despise his Father and his advent.
As regards our language, those who have believed this faith without recourse to written documents are barbarians, but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are very wise indeed because of faith: they please God, living their lives in all righteousness, chastity, and wisdom. If anyone were to preach to them in their own language what the heretics have dreamed up, they would immediately stop their ears and run as far away as possible, unwilling even to listen to such blasphemy. Rooted in the ancient tradition of the apostles, they do not accept any of the instruction offered in the elegant diction of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever taken root. (3:4,2)
Before Valentinus, none embraced his views; no one held notions like Marcion’s before him; indeed, none of these perversely-minded heretics had a forerunner for his particular teaching. . . . All of them brought forward their apostasy much later, after the Church had already long been in existence. (3:4,3)
Since then the tradition from the apostles exists and is preserved in the Church, let us turn to the Scriptural proof furnished by the apostles who wrote the gospel, in which they recorded the doctrine about God, pointing out that our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth [John 14:6], and that no lie is found in him. . . . Since they were disciples of the truth, the apostles would not stoop to falsehood, for a lie has no fellowship with the truth, just as darkness has none with light [2 Cor 6:14]; one drives the other out. . . . (3:5,1)
. . . The apostles, who were commissioned to find those who were wandering, to be sight for those who could not see and medicine for the sick, did not just offer them their own ideas: they presented the truth that had been revealed to them. . . . They learned this approach from the Lord himself, who used to teach his disciples, healing those who were suffering and restraining sinners from sin. He did not tell them what would fit with the ideas they already held or would square with the views of those who asked him questions; without hypocrisy or respect of person, he proclaimed the doctrine that leads to salvation. (3:5,2)
This is clear from the words of the Lord, who genuinely revealed to the circumcision the Son of God, who had been foretold as Christ by their prophets. He presented himself as the one who had restored liberty to humankind and granted them incorruption as an inheritance. As well, the apostles taught the Gentiles to turn aside from their wood and stone idols, which they imagined to be gods, and to worship the true God, who had created and made the entire human family, and who nourished, increased, strengthened, and preserved their lives by his creation [Acts 14:15, 17]. The apostles taught them to trust in his Son Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from apostasy with his own blood so that we could become a holy people [1 Pet 2:9]. They further declared that he will descend from heaven in his Father’s power and judge all, and will abundantly bestow the good things of God on those who will have kept his commandments. He who appeared in these last times, the chief cornerstone, has gathered into one and united those who were far off and those who were near [Eph 2:17]—that is, the circumcision and the uncircumcision—enlarging Japheth, and placing him in the dwelling of Shem [Gen 9:27]. (3:5,3)
Neither the Lord, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the apostles would ever have called him God who was not God definitely and absolutely, unless he was truly God; nor would they have called anyone Lord except God the Father, who rules over all, and his Son, who has received dominion from his Father over all creation, as this passage has it: “The LORD says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’” [Ps 110:1]. Here the Scripture presents the Father addressing the Son: he gave him the inheritance of the nations and subjected all his enemies to him. Since the Father is truly Lord and the Son truly Lord, the Holy Spirit has fitly designated them by the title of Lord. . . . (3:6,1)
No other is named as God or is called Lord except the one who is God and Lord of all, who also said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” [Exod 3:14]; and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who makes those who believe in his name the children of God [John 1:12]. Further, the Son spoke to Moses and said, “I have come down to deliver them” [Exod 3:8], for he was the one who descended and ascended for the salvation of humanity [Eph 4:9,10]. God has been declared through the Son, who is in the Father and has the Father—the one who is—in himself. So, the Father bears witness to the Son, and the Son announces the Father. Isaiah also says, “You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” [Isa 43:10]. (3:6,2)
Therefore I also call upon you, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Israel, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the abundance of your mercy have had favor towards us, that we may know you who made heaven and earth, who rules over all, who are the only and the true God, above whom there is no other God. By our Lord Jesus Christ, pour out the governing power of the Holy Spirit; grant to every reader of this book to know you, that you alone are God, to be strengthened in you, and to avoid every heretical, godless, and unfaithful teaching. (3:6,4)
. . . Nothing created can ever be compared to the Word of God by whom all things were made, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. (3:8,2)
John declared that all things—whether angels, archangels, thrones, or dominions—were both established and created by the one who is God over all, through his Word. When he had spoken of the Word of God as having been in the Father, he added, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” [John 1:3]. David also, when he had enumerated his praises, specifically included all that I have mentioned, both the heavens and all the powers in them: “He commanded and they were created; he spoke, and it came to be” [Pss 148:5; 33:9]. Whom did he thus command? The Word, no doubt: “By the word of the LORD, the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth” [Ps. 33:6]. But David indicates that God himself made all things freely, just as he pleased: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases” [Ps 115:3]. The things established are distinct from the one who established them, and what has been made from the one who made it. He himself is uncreated, without beginning or end, and needs nothing. He is sufficient for himself, but he gives being to everything else. The things he made received their beginnings; whatever has a beginning, though, is also liable to dissolution, so it always needs the care of him who made all things. . . . (3:8,3)
It has already been demonstrated and will still further be clearly shown that neither the prophets, nor the apostles, nor the Lord Christ himself acknowledged any other Lord or God except the God and Lord supreme; that the prophets and the apostles confessed the Father and the Son, but called no other “God” and confessed no other as Lord; and that the Lord himself handed down to his disciples that the Father is the only God and Lord, that he alone is God and ruler of all. It is incumbent on us to follow their witness on this, if we are truly their disciples. . . . So, there is one and the same God, the Father of our Lord, who promised through the prophets that he would send his forerunner. He made his salvation (that is, his Word) visible to all flesh, by the Word himself becoming incarnate, so that in all things their king might become manifest. . . . (3:9,1)
. . . There is one and the same God, who was proclaimed by the prophets and announced by the gospel; and his Son, who was of the fruit of David’s body (that is, of the virgin of the house of David) and was called Immanuel. Balaam prophesied about his star: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” [Num 24:17]. Matthew says that the Magi, coming from the east, declared, “We observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage” [Matt 2:2]; and that, having been led by the star to the house of Jacob to Immanuel, they showed who it was they worshiped by the gifts they offered. . . . (3:9,2)
Then, speaking of his baptism, Matthew said, “The heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’” [Matt 3:16–17]. “Christ” did not descend on Jesus then, for Christ was not one and Jesus another. The Word of God—who is the savior of all, and the ruler of heaven and earth (Jesus, as I have already pointed out), who took flesh to himself and was anointed by the Spirit from the Father—was made Jesus Christ. As Isaiah said, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth” [Isa 11:1–4]. Further, pointing out ahead of time that and why he would be anointed, Isaiah declared, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” [Isa 61:1]. (3:9,3)
Speaking in reference to the angel, Luke said that Gabriel was sent by God and said to the virgin, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” [Luke 1:30]. Concerning the Lord, he said, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” [Luke 1:32–33]. Who else is there who can reign over the house of Jacob forever, except Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of the Most High God, who promised by the law and the prophets that he would make his salvation known to all flesh?
He became the Son of man for this purpose, that humans also might become the children of God. . . . With his incarnation everything entered a new phase. The Word arranged his coming in the flesh in a unique way, so that he might win back to God that human nature which had departed from God. . . . (3:10,2)
. . . The angels’ exclamation, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace” [Luke 2:14], glorified him who is the creator of the highest (that is, of super-celestial beings) and the maker of everything on earth, who has sent the blessing of his salvation from heaven to his own handiwork (that is, to human beings). . . . (3:10,3)
. . . John, the disciple of the Lord, desiring to put an end to all false teaching and to establish the rule of truth in the Church, taught that there is one almighty God who made all things, both visible and invisible, by his Word—showing at the same time that by the Word, through whom God made the creation, he also bestowed salvation on that humanity which was created. That is why John began his teaching in the gospel by declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” [John 1:1–5]. He says, “all things,” which includes this creation of ours. (3:11,1)
. . . But none of the heretics believe that the Word of God became flesh. If anyone carefully examines all their systems, that person will find that all of them teach that the Word of God did not become incarnate. . . . Some teach that “Christ” seemed to be human, but that he was not really born and did not become flesh. Some others hold that he did not assume a human form at all, but that, like a dove, he descended upon that Jesus who was born from Mary. But the Lord’s disciple exposed them all as false witnesses when he said, “The Word became flesh and lived among us” [John 1:14]. (3:11,3)
These are the first principles of the gospel—that there is one God, the maker of this universe, who was proclaimed by the prophets and who through Moses brought in the law, which proclaims the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledges no other God or Father except him. . . . (3:11,7)
It is not possible for the gospels to be either more or fewer in number than they are. Since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, and since the Church has spread throughout the whole world, and since the “pillar and bulwark” [1 Tim 3:15] of the Church is the gospel and the Spirit of life, it is fitting that she has four pillars, breathing out immortality in all directions and giving new life to humankind. From this it is evident that the Word, the artificer of all, who sits enthroned upon the cherubim [Ps 80:1; cf. Exod 25:17–22] and contains all things, who was manifested to humanity, has given us the gospel under four viewpoints, which are nonetheless bound together by one Spirit. . . . As the Scripture says, “The first living creature [was] like a lion,” symbolizing his ability to achieve his purposes, leadership, and royal power; “the second living creature like an ox,” signifying his sacrificial and sacerdotal order; but “the third living creature with a face like a human face,” a significant description of his advent as a human being; “and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle” [Rev 4:7], pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with his wings over the Church.
The gospels we have comport with these descriptions. John tells of his original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, declaring: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” [John 1:1]; also, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” [John 1:3]. This is also why his gospel is full of confidence, for that is who he was. Luke focuses on his priestly character: he begins his gospel with Zechariah the priest offering sacrifice to God—for now the fatted calf is ready, which will be sacrificed in order to bring the younger son home [cf. Luke 15:11–32]. For his part, Matthew declares his generation as a man, beginning his gospel with “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” [Matt 1:1], and “Now the birth of Jesus the Christ took place in this way” [Matt 1:18]. His is the gospel of his humanity. . . . Mark, on the other hand, begins with the prophetical spirit coming down from on high to people: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah” [Mark 1:1–26]. . . . That is why he offers a condensed, running narrative, for that is characteristic of the prophets.
The Word of God himself used to speak with the patriarchs before Moses’ time, in ways suited to his divinity and glory, but for those under the law he set up the priestly and liturgical service. Afterwards, when he became human for us, he poured out the gift of the heavenly Spirit over all the earth, protecting us with his wings. The way the Son of God took was the pattern for the living creatures, and the respective living creatures manifested the character of each gospel.
The living creatures are four in number, as are the gospels. This is the way the Lord arranged things. There were four principal covenants given to the human race: one, before the flood, was with Adam; the second, after the flood, came under Noah; the third was the giving of the law through Moses; and the fourth renews human beings and repristinates all things in itself through the gospel, raising and carrying human beings on its wings into the heavenly kingdom. (3:11,8)
. . . The followers of Valentinus are utterly reckless. They put forth their own fantasies, boasting that they possess more gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of audacity as to entitle the writing they have recently compiled “The Gospel of Truth,”7 although it does not agree with the gospels of the apostles in anything. The result is that they really have no gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have published is the gospel of truth, but it is utterly unlike those handed down to us from the apostles, then some may decide that what has been handed down from the apostles can no longer be reckoned the true gospel. But I have proved by numerous arguments that the apostolic gospels alone are true and reliable, and that their number can be neither increased nor decreased. Since God “made all things by measure” [Wis 11:20] to work together, it was fitting that the emphases of the gospels should also be well arranged, in harmony with each other. . . . (3:11,9)
. . . The apostles preached faith in him to the Jews who did not believe on the Son of God. From the prophets, the apostles declared that the Christ whom God had promised to send he had sent in Jesus, the one whom they crucified and God raised up [Acts 2:36]. (3:12,2)
. . . Peter, along with John, preached to them this straightforward message of good news, that the promise which God had made to the fathers had been fulfilled in Jesus. They certainly did not proclaim some other god; they preached the Son of God, who was made human and suffered. In this way they led Israel into knowledge, preaching the resurrection of the dead through Jesus [Acts 4:2], showing that God had fulfilled whatever the prophets had proclaimed about the suffering of Christ. (3:12,3)
. . . These are the voices of the Church from which every church had its origin. These are the founding voices of the great city composed of the citizens of the new covenant. These are the voices of the apostles. These are voices of the disciples of the Lord, the truly “perfect,” who, after the Lord had ascended into heaven, were perfected by the Spirit and called upon the God who made heaven and earth and the sea—as was announced by the prophets—and Jesus Christ his Son, whom God anointed. They knew no other [God]. . . . “With great power,” it was added, “the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” [Acts 4:33], saying to them, “The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him” [Acts 5:30–32]. “And every day,” it is said, “in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Christ” [Acts 5:42], the Son of God. This was the knowledge of salvation, by which those who acknowledge his Son’s advent became “complete” in God’s sight. (3:12,5)
. . . According to what the heretics teach, nobody can have the rule of truth. Anyone who has received their instruction will remember that their teachers adjusted what they said to the way each person thought, depending on his capabilities. But the advent of the Lord would have been superfluous and without purpose, if he came intending to accept and maintain whatever ideas about God people had grown up with. It was a much more difficult challenge to preach that the one whom the Jews had seen as a man, and had fastened to the cross, was Christ the Son of God, their eternal king. . . . The apostles did not speak to the Gentiles in conformity with their notions, but told them with boldness that their gods were not gods, but the idols of demons [1 Cor 10:19–20; cf. Ps 96:5]. . . . Thus they pushed aside what were no gods and turned their hearers to the one who alone is God, the true Father. (3:12,6)
We can understand what the apostles used to proclaim, the nature of their preaching, and their idea about God from the words which Peter spoke in Caesarea to Cornelius the centurion and the Gentiles who were with him. . . . Peter saw the vision in which the voice from heaven said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” [Acts 10:15]. This happened to teach him that the God who in the law had distinguished between clean and unclean had purified the Gentiles through the blood of his Son, the very one whom Cornelius worshiped. . . .
The apostles preached the Son of God about whom people were ignorant, and his coming to those who had already been instructed about God. . . . It is clear from Peter’s words that he proclaimed to them the God whom they already knew, but he also testified to them that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the judge of the living and the dead. He commanded them to be baptized into him for the remission of sins. He also witnessed that Jesus was himself the Son of God, who, having been anointed with the Holy Spirit, is called Jesus Christ. . . . Throughout the world, the entire Church, firmly rooted in the apostles’ teaching, perseveres in the very same conviction about God and his Son. (3:12,7)
. . . This is the mystery which Paul says was made known to him by revelation [Eph 3:3], that he who suffered under Pontius Pilate is Lord of all, king, God, and judge, and that he has received power from him who is the God of all, because he “became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” [Phil 2:8]. . . . (3:12,9)
Those who so wish may consult the very words and acts of the apostles and can see for themselves that the whole range of the doctrine of the apostles proclaimed one and the same God, who led Abraham from his homeland and promised him an inheritance; in due course, this same God gave him the covenant of circumcision. Later, this same God called out of Egypt his descendants, who had been outwardly preserved by circumcision, which he had given as a sign so that they might not be like the Egyptians. The apostles preached that he was the maker of all things, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the God of glory. This God is one, with no other above him. . . . The Mosaic law and the grace of the new covenant, each fitted appropriately for their respective times, were granted by one and the same God for the benefit of humanity. (3:12,11)
Some people of perverse mind have repudiated the Mosaic legislation because they adjudge it different from and opposed to the teaching of the gospel, but they have not carefully examined why each covenant is different. . . . In what remains in this work8 I will deal with the reasons for the difference between the covenants, on the one hand, and, on the other, show their unity and harmony. (3:12,12)
Both the apostles and their disciples taught as the Church preaches. . . . The apostles preached to the Jews that the Jesus whom they had crucified was the Son of God, the judge of the living and the dead, and that he received from his Father an eternal kingdom in Israel. To the Greeks they preached one God, who made everything, and Jesus Christ his Son. (3:12,13)
Luke tells us, not in boasting but as one bound by the truth, that he was closely associated with Paul as his fellow laborer in the Gospel (3:14,1). . . . Through Luke we have become acquainted with many important parts of the gospel—for instance, the generation of John, the history of Zechariah, the coming of the angel to Mary, the exclamation of Elizabeth, the descent of the angels to the shepherds, the message they brought, the testimony of Anna and of Simeon about Christ, and that at twelve years of age he was left behind at Jerusalem, as well as the baptism of John, how old the Lord was when he was baptized, and that this occurred in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar. . . . Besides all these, he records what Christ said to his disciples after the resurrection, and that they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. (3:14,3)
. . . The heretics wander from the truth, because their teaching departs from the one who is the true God. They do not believe that his only-begotten Word—who is always present with the human race, who was united to and mingled with his own creation, according to the Father’s pleasure, and became flesh—is himself Jesus Christ our Lord, who suffered for us and rose again on our behalf, and who will come again in his Father’s glory to resurrect all who have lived, to show his salvation, and to judge with consummate justice everything he has made. . . . In every respect, he is human, the formation of God: he took humanity into himself, the invisible becoming visible, the incomprehensible being made comprehensible, the impassible becoming capable of suffering, and the Word being made human, thus summing up all things in himself. So, just as in super-celestial, spiritual, and invisible things, the Word of God is supreme, so also in things visible and corporeal he possesses the supremacy. He has taken to himself the pre-eminence and has constituted himself head of the Church, in order to draw all things to himself at the proper time [Col 1:15–20]. (3:16,6)
With him nothing is incomplete or at the wrong time, as with the Father nothing is incongruous. The Father foreknew all these things, and the Son accomplished them at the proper time, in the proper order. . . . As Paul says, “When the fulness of time had come, God sent his Son” [Gal 4:4]. Our Lord accomplished all that had been foreknown by the Father in the appointed and fitting order, season, and hour. . . . He accomplishes the overarching and all-embracing will of his Father, for he himself is the savior of those who are saved and the Lord of those who are under authority. He is the God of everything that has been made, the only-begotten of the Father, the Christ who was announced, and the Word of God who became incarnate when the fulness of time had come—when the Son of God had to become the son of man. (3:16,7)
Consequently, no one can be accepted as a Christian who, pretending to great insight, teaches that Jesus was one, but Christ was another, and the only-begotten still another (from whom again is the Word), and that the savior is yet another—who these disciples of error claim were produced by those who, in a degenerate state, were made Aeons. Outwardly, such people seem to be sheep: in what they publicly say, they sound like us, for they use many of the same words we do. But inwardly they are wolves. Their doctrine is homicidal: it conjures up a number of gods, multiplies Fathers, and demeans (and divides!) the Son of God in many ways. These are the ones against whom the Lord warned us ahead of time, and his disciple, in his letter, commands us to avoid them: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for” [2 John 7–8]. He also says, “Many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist” [1 John 4:1–3]. (3:16,8)
. . . Giving to the disciples the power of regeneration into God, Christ said to them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” [Matt 28:19]. God had promised that in the last times he would pour the Spirit upon servants and handmaids, so that they would prophesy [Joel 2:28]. That is why the Spirit descended on the Son of God made the son of man: by fellowship with him, the Spirit became accustomed to living in the human race, resting upon human beings, and dwelling in the handiwork of God, in order to accomplish the will of the Father in them and renew them from their old habits into the newness of Christ. (3:17,1)
David asked for this Spirit: “Sustain in me a willing spirit” [Ps 51:12]. As Luke says, after the Lord’s ascension, the Spirit descended upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, giving them power to admit all nations into life and to open the new covenant to them. This is why the disciples praised God with one accord in all languages [Acts 2:4–6,11]: the Spirit thus brought distant tribes to unity and offered to the Father the first-fruits of all nations. This is also why the Lord promised to send the helper [John 16:7] who would join us to God. . . . As dry earth does not produce unless it receives moisture, so we, like dry trees, could never have brought forth fruit unto life without the rain he freely poured out from above. Our bodies have been united through the washing which leads to incorruption, but our souls have been united by the Spirit. . . . The Lord, receiving the Spirit as a gift from his Father, grants it to those who partake of him, sending the Holy Spirit upon all the earth. (3:17,2)
The Spirit descended at the appointed time, and the Son of God, the only-begotten, who is also the Word of the Father, came in the fulness of time, becoming incarnate for the sake of humankind. He became fully human while remaining one and the same, as the Lord himself testifies, the apostles confess, and the prophets announce. . . . (3:17,4)
Since it has now been clearly demonstrated that the Word, who existed in the beginning with God, by whom all things were made [John 1:1, 3], who was also always present with humanity, was in these last days, at the time appointed by the Father, united to his own workmanship, since he became a human being subject to suffering, it follows that every objection is set aside of those who say, “If our Lord was born at that time, then Christ had no previous existence.” I have already shown that the Son of God did not then begin to exist, since he was with the Father from the beginning. When he became incarnate and was made human, he began anew the long line of human beings and, to state it briefly, furnished us with salvation. Consequently, what we had lost in Adam—namely, the image and likeness of God—we recovered in Christ Jesus. (3:18,1)
It was impossible that those who had once for all been conquered, and who had been destroyed through disobedience, could reform themselves and grasp the prize of victory. It was impossible that those who had fallen under the power of sin could attain salvation. So the Son accomplished both these things. As the Word of God he descended from the Father, became incarnate, humbled himself, even to death [Phil 2:8], and fulfilled the plan of our salvation. Paul does not hesitate to exhort us to believe this when he urges, “Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down) or who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)” [Rom 10:6–7]. Then he continues, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” [Rom 10:9]. He tells us why the Son of God did these things: “For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” [Rom 14:9]. Further, writing to the Corinthians, he declares, “But we proclaim Christ crucified” [1 Cor 1:23], and he adds, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?” [1 Cor 10:16]. (3:18,2)
But who is it, then, that has had fellowship with us in the matter of food? . . . He is the one preached by Paul: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” [1 Cor 15:3–4]. It is clear that Paul knew no other Christ except the one who suffered and was buried and rose again, who also had been, and of whom he speaks as, human. For after remarking, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised” [1 Cor 15:12], he continues, offering the reason for his incarnation: “for since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being” [1 Cor 15:21].
Every time he refers to the passion of our Lord, to his human nature, or to his subjection to death, he uses the name of Christ: “Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died” [Rom 14:15]; and again, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” [Eph 2:13]; and again, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’” [Gal 3:13; cf. Deut 21:23]; and again, “So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed” [1 Cor 8:11]. This clearly shows that a Christ who could not suffer did not descend upon Jesus, but that he himself, because he was Jesus Christ, suffered for us. He who lay in the tomb and rose again, who descended and ascended, was the Son of God who had been made the son of man, as the name itself indicates.
The title “Christ” implies the one who anoints, the one who is anointed, and the anointing itself with which he is anointed. It is the Father who anoints, but the Son is anointed by the Spirit, who is the anointing, as the Word declares through Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me” [Isa 61:1]: this points out the anointing Father, the anointed Son, and the anointing which is the Spirit. (3:18,3)
. . . As man contending for humanity, the Lord fought and conquered. Through obedience he completely did away with disobedience: he bound the strong man [Matt 12:29], set the weak free, and granted salvation to his own handiwork by destroying sin. He is a most holy and merciful Lord, and he loves humanity. (3:18,6)
He caused human nature to cleave to and become one with God. On the one hand, unless a human being had overcome the enemy of humanity, the enemy would not have been justly defeated. On the other hand, unless it had been God who had freely given salvation, we could never have possessed it securely. Unless humanity had been joined to God, humanity could never have become a partaker of incorruptibility. So, it was incumbent upon the mediator between God and men [1 Tim 2:5], via his relationship to both, to bring them to friendship and peace, and so to present humankind to God, while revealing God to humankind. . . .
This is also why he passed through every stage of life, restoring all of them to communion with God. . . . It behooved him who was to destroy sin and redeem humankind under the power of death to be made human, for humanity had been drawn by sin into bondage and was held by death, so that sin should be destroyed by man, and humankind should be delivered from death. For as by the disobedience of the one man who was originally molded from virgin soil, many were made sinners and forfeited life, so it was necessary that, by the obedience of one man, who was originally born from a virgin, many should be justified [Rom 5:19] and receive salvation. . . . What he appeared to be he also was: God recapitulated in himself the ancient formation of man, so that he might kill sin, deprive death of its power, and give life again to humankind. His works are sure. (3:18,7)
. . . Since the heretics refuse to know him who from the virgin is Immanuel, they are deprived of his gift, which is eternal life [Rom 6:23]. Since they do not receive the incorruptible Word, they remain in mortal flesh and are debtors to death, for they do not obtain the antidote of life. . . . Those who despise the incarnation of the Word of God rob human nature of its exaltation unto God and show themselves ungrateful to the Word of God, who became flesh for them. This was why the Word of God was made human, and he who was the Son of God became the son of man—that human beings, taken into the Word and receiving adoption, might become the children of God.
By no other means could we have attained incorruptibility and immortality, unless we had been united to incorruptibility and immortality. How could we be joined to incorruptibility and immortality unless incorruptibility and immortality had first become what we are, so that the corruptible might be swallowed up by incorruptibility, and the mortal by immortality [1 Cor 15:53], so that we might receive adoption as children [Gal 4:5]? (3:19,1)
. . . Even those who have attained only a small portion of the truth understand that he is utterly unique, for he is God and Lord and king eternal and the incarnate Word—as proclaimed by all the prophets, the apostles, and by the Spirit himself. The Scriptures would not have declared these things about him if he had only been a human being like others. But the divine Scriptures testify that, beyond all others, he who had a pre-eminent birth from the Most High Father also experienced a pre-eminent birth from the virgin [Isa 7:14]. They also declare that he was a man without beauty who would experience suffering [Isa 53:2–3]; that he sat upon the foal of a donkey [Matt 21:5; Zech 9:9]; that he received sour wine to drink [Matt 27:48; Ps 69:21]; that he was despised among the people [Isa 53:3]; that he humbled himself even to death [Phil 2:8]; and that he is the holy Lord, the Wonderful Counselor, the beautiful in appearance, and the Mighty God [Isa 9:6], the one coming on the clouds as the judge of all [Dan 7:13]. (3:19,2)
As he became human to experience temptation, so also he was the Word who is glorified. The Word remained quiescent, so that he could be tempted, dishonored, crucified, and suffer death, but the human nature was borne along by the divine nature when it conquered, endured, performed acts of kindness, rose again, and was received up into heaven. The Son of God, our Lord, being the Word of the Father was also the son of man, since he was born according to his human nature from a human being, Mary. The Lord himself gave us a sign of this, which no one asked for in the depth below or in the height above [Isa 7:11]: no one expected that a virgin could conceive, or that it was possible for one who remained a virgin to bring forth a son, so that what was thus born should be “God with us” [Isa 7:14]. He thus descended to the earth below, seeking the sheep which had perished (that is, his own peculiar handiwork), and ascended to the height above, offering and commending to his Father that human nature which had been found. In himself he became the first-fruits of the resurrection of humankind, so that, just as the head rose from the dead, so also the remaining parts of the body—that is, everyone who receives eternal life—may arise when the time of that judgment which came because of disobedience has arrived. . . . (3:19,3)
God showed himself long-suffering when humanity failed him, since God foresaw the victory which the Word would achieve for him. When strength was made perfect in weakness [2 Cor 12:9], it showed the kindness and transcendent power of God. In his patience, God allowed Jonah to be swallowed by the whale. His purpose was not that Jonah would be consumed and perish, but that, having been vomited up, he might be subject to God and glorify him more who had granted him such an unanticipated deliverance, and so might bring the Ninevites to a lasting repentance. This would result in their being converted to the Lord, who would deliver them from death, since they would be struck with awe by the portent which had been wrought in Jonah’s case, as the Scripture says that the king of Nineveh proclaimed: “All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind: he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish” [Jonah 3:8–9].
In the same way, from the beginning, God permitted humanity to be swallowed up by the great whale, who was the author of transgression, but not so that humankind should perish altogether when so engulfed. God arranged and prepared the plan of salvation, which was accomplished by the Word through the sign of Jonah for those like Jonah who submit to the Lord and confess themselves to be his servants, saying, “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” [Jonah 1:9]. Thus, humankind would receive an unexpected salvation from God, rise from the dead, glorify God, and repeat the word uttered in prophecy by Jonah: “I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice” [Jonah 2:2]. For this, humankind would forever glorify God and give thanks without ceasing for that salvation which he has bestowed, “so that no one might boast in the presence of God” [1 Cor 1:29]. . . . (3:20,1)
This was God’s purpose: that humanity, enduring all things and acquiring the knowledge of death, and then attaining the resurrection from the dead and learning by experience who is the source of his deliverance, might always live in a state of gratitude to the Lord for the gift of incorruptibility. Thus, humankind should come to love God more, for the one to whom more is forgiven, loves more [Luke 7:41–43]. Human beings should recognize how weak and mortal they are; they should thus come to understand that God is immortal and so powerful that he can confer immortality on what is mortal and eternity on what is temporal. Then they should also appreciate the other attributes of God and think of him in accordance with his divine greatness. . . . The Word of God lived among us and became the son of man, so that he might accustom humankind to receive God, and God to dwell in humanity, as the Father intended. (3:20,2)
Consequently, the Lord himself, who is Immanuel from the virgin [Isa 7:14], is the sign of our salvation: the Lord himself saved them, because they could not be saved by their own efforts. Therefore, when Paul emphasizes human infirmity, he says, “I know that nothing good dwells within me” [Rom 7:18], showing that the “good” of our salvation is not from us, but from God. He also declares, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” [Rom 7:24]. Then he introduces the deliverer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” [Rom 7:25]. Isaiah makes the same point when he says, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you’” [Isa 35:3–4]. Here we see that we must be saved, not by ourselves, but by the help of God. (3:20,3)
So God became human, and the Lord himself saved us, giving us the sign of the virgin. This should not be understood as some now presume to expound the Scripture: “Behold, a young woman”—not “a virgin”—“shall conceive, and bear a son” [Isa 7:14], as Theodotion the Ephesian, Aquila of Pontus, and some Jewish proselytes have translated the verse. . . . This prediction was uttered before the people were deported to Babylon, before the Medes and Persians came to power. It was translated into Greek by the Jews themselves as “a virgin”9 long before our Lord’s advent. . . . (3:21,1)
Before the Romans developed their empire, while the Macedonians still held Asia, Ptolemy the son of Lagus, eager to adorn the library which he had founded in Alexandria with a collection of the valuable writings of all sorts of people, requested that the people of Jerusalem translate their Scriptures into the Greek language.10 At that time, they were still subject to the Macedonians, and so they sent to Ptolemy seventy of their elders, who were thoroughly skilled in the Scriptures and in both languages, to fulfill his desire. However, he wanted to test them individually, since he was concerned that they might consult with each other and conceal the truth in the Scriptures by their translation, so he separated them from each other and commanded them all to produce the identical translation. He did this with respect to all the books. When they had completed their work and assembled before him, each of them compared his translation with that of all the others. God was glorified and the Scriptures were acknowledged as truly divine, for all of them read out a common translation, which each had prepared, in the identical words and the very same names, from beginning to end—so that even the Gentiles present perceived that the Hebrew Scriptures had been translated into Greek by the inspiration of God. . . . (3:21,2)
The Scriptures were translated with such fidelity by the grace of God. He has prepared and shaped our faith in his Son from them and has preserved the unadulterated Scriptures for us in Egypt—where the house of Jacob flourished long ago after fleeing from the famine in Canaan [Gen 46:5–7], and where our Lord also was preserved when he fled from Herod’s persecution [Matt 2:13–15]. Since this translation of the Scriptures was made before our Lord’s descent to earth and was produced before the Christians appeared (for our Lord was born about the forty-first year of the reign of Augustus, but Ptolemy, in whose time the Scriptures were translated, was much earlier), these men who would now try to translate the term differently are clearly shown to be impudent and presumptuous, especially when we refute them out of these Scriptures and push them toward a belief in the advent of the Son of God. Our faith is steadfast, unfeigned, and the only true one, clearly proven from these Scriptures, which were translated in the way I have related. The preaching of the Church is without interpolation: the apostles, who are more ancient than all the heretics, agree with the translation (as “a virgin”), and it harmonizes with the tradition of the apostles. . . . (3:21,3)
The one and only Spirit of God, who proclaimed the advent of the Lord, gave by these elders a proper translation of what had been truly prophesied. Through the apostles he announced that the fullness of time had come, that the kingdom of heaven had drawn near, and that he was dwelling within those who believe on him who was born Immanuel of the virgin. . . . (3:21,4)
. . . In this promise, Scripture excluded all male influence. . . . It stressed “the fruit of the womb,” to declare that he would be from a virgin, as Elizabeth testified when filled with the Holy Spirit, saying to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” [Luke 1:42]. . . . Those who alter the passage of Isaiah to say, “Behold, a young woman will conceive,” will thus end up presenting him as Joseph’s son. . . . (3:21,5)
. . . But when he said, “The Lord himself will give you a sign,” he spoke about something unanticipated in regard to his conception, something which could be accomplished only by God the Lord of all. . . . What would have been remarkable, or what would have been the “sign,” in a young woman conceiving by a man and having a child? That happens all the time. But since an unexpected salvation was to be provided through the work of God, so also was an unexpected birth from a virgin. God gave the sign and accomplished it without male involvement. (3:21,6)
Because of this, Daniel, foreseeing his advent, said that a stone, cut out without hands, came into this world [Dan 2:34]. This is what “without hands” means, that his coming into this world was not by the work of human hands (that is, of men who do stone cutting). Joseph had no part in it, except for cooperating with Mary in the pre-arranged plan. . . . (3:21,7)
For as by one man’s disobedience sin entered, and death prevailed because of sin; so also the obedience of one man, since righteousness has been introduced, will bring life to those who before were dead [Rom 5:19]. The first-formed himself, Adam, received his substance from untilled and as yet virgin soil (“for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground” [Gen 2:5]), and was formed by the hand of God (that is, by the Word of God, for “all things came into being through him” [John 1:3]), for the Lord took dust from the earth and formed man. The same was true of the Word, who recapitulated Adam in himself and received a genuine birth, so that he could gather up Adam into himself from Mary, who was still a virgin. If, then, the first Adam had a man for his father and was born of human seed, it would have been appropriate to say that the second Adam was begotten of Joseph. But if the former was taken from the dust and God was his maker, it was incumbent that the latter also, making a recapitulation in himself, should be formed as man by God himself, to have an analogy with the former as to his origin. . . . (3:21,10)
So, those who allege that he took nothing from the virgin11 err greatly. . . . For if the one from the earth was formed and received his substance from the handiwork of God himself, but the other did not, then he who was made after the image and likeness of the former did not actually replicate what the first was. In that case, he would have to be viewed as an inconsistent piece of work, ill-suited to his task and calling. . . . If he did not receive the substance of flesh from a human being, he never became man or the son of man, and if he did not become what we were, what does it matter if he suffered and endured? Everyone will admit that we are bodies taken from the earth and souls receiving spirit from God. This is what the Word of God became, recapitulating his own handiwork in himself. . . . The apostle Paul, moreover, in the Letter to the Galatians, declares plainly, “God sent his Son, born of a woman” [Gal 4:4]. Again, in the Letter to the Romans, he writes of “his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” [Rom 1:3–4]. (3:22,1)
By what the heretics teach, his descent into Mary would have been superfluous: why did he come down into her if he was going to take nothing from her? . . . (3:22,2)
In due course, Mary the virgin was found obedient, saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” [Luke 1:38]. Eve had been disobedient, for she did not obey when she was still a virgin. (To be sure, she had a husband, Adam, but she was still a virgin. In paradise “the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed” [Gen 2:25], since they had only been created a short time previously and at that point had no understanding of the procreation of children. It was necessary that they should first come to adult age, and then they would begin to multiply [Gen 1:28].) Becoming disobedient, Eve became the cause of death, both for herself and for the entire human race12; but Mary, engaged to a man but still a virgin, yielded obedience and so became the cause of salvation, both for herself and for the whole human race. . . .
The Lord, as “the first-born of the dead” [Rev 1:5], has embraced the ancients and regenerated them into the life of God, for he made himself the beginning of those that live, as Adam became the beginning of those who die [1 Cor 15:20–22]. This is why, in tracing the genealogy of the Lord, Luke carried it back to Adam [Luke 3:23–28], thus indicating that Jesus Christ was the one who regenerated them into the gospel of life, and not they him. This is also how the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by the obedience of Mary: what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, the virgin Mary set free through faith. (3:22,4)
Consequently, it was necessary that the Lord, coming to his lost sheep, recapitulating human history, and seeking his own handiwork, should save the very man who had been created after his image and likeness (that is, Adam). The Lord fulfilled the period of condemnation which had been incurred through disobedience, the period “that the Father had set by his own authority” [Acts 1:7]. In this way, the entire economy of salvation for humankind came to pass according to the good pleasure of the Father, so that God might not be defeated nor his wisdom lessened in the estimation of his creatures. If humanity, created by God for life but injured by the tempting serpent, lost life and could not return to it but was utterly abandoned to death, then God would have been conquered, and the wickedness of the serpent would have prevailed over the will of God. . . . Promising that they should be “like God” [Gen 3:5]—something out of their reach—the serpent worked death in them. The one who had led humankind captive was justly captured in his turn by God, and humanity, which had been led captive, was released from the bonds of condemnation. (3:23,1)
This Adam was truly the first-formed man, about whom Scripture says that the Lord said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” [Gen 1:26]. We have all descended from him and have all inherited his title. But since humanity is saved in Jesus Christ, it is fitting that he who was created the original man was saved, as well. For it would be absurd to maintain that he who was so gravely injured by the enemy and was the first taken captive was not rescued by him who conquered the enemy, but that his descendants were whom he had begotten in that captivity. Further, the enemy would hardly have been conquered if the most ancient spoils had remained in his control. . . . (3:23,2)
After Adam transgressed, as Scripture relates, God pronounced no curse upon Adam, but upon the ground, which he was to work. . . . As the punishment of his transgression, man received the toilsome task of tilling the earth; in the sweat of his face, he would eat bread, and he would return to the dust from which he had been taken [Gen 3:17, 19]. Similarly, the woman received her share of toil—specifically, labor, groans, the pain of childbirth, and a state of subjection in which she would serve her husband [Gen 3:16]. In this way they would neither perish altogether under God’s curse nor, if they had not been reprimanded, would they be led to despise God.
But the curse in all its fulness fell upon the serpent, which had beguiled them: “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures’” [Gen 3:14]. And the Lord says the same thing in the gospel to those who are found at his left hand: “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt 25:41]. In these words he indicated that eternal fire was not originally prepared for humanity, but for the one who beguiled humanity and caused them to sin—for the one who led the apostasy and for those angels who became apostate along with him. But those human beings will justly endure this fire who, like him, persevere in works of wickedness, without repentance, and without retracing their steps. (3:23,3)
The case of Adam was not like what happened later with Cain; it was altogether different. Having been beguiled by another through the false promise of immortality, Adam was immediately seized with terror and hid himself—not as if he were able to escape from God, but, in a state of confusion at having transgressed his command, he felt unworthy to appear before God and converse with him. Since “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” [Prov 9:10], the sense of sin leads to repentance. God shows compassion to the repentant. Adam showed his repentance by his conduct, in making a covering for himself out of fig leaves, when there were many other leaves which would have irritated his body to a lesser degree. However, he chose a covering which suited his disobedience, since he was awed by the fear of God. Resisting the erring and lustful propensity of his flesh (since he had now lost his natural disposition and childlike mind, and had come to the knowledge of evil), the covering he made for himself and his wife served continence, since he feared God and waited for his coming. By his actions, he thus indicated his thoughts, which must have been something like this: “Since by disobedience I have lost the robe of sanctity which I had from the Spirit, I now acknowledge that I deserve a covering of this sort, which allows no sensual gratification, but gnaws and irritates the body.” And he would probably have retained this clothing afterwards, so as to humble himself, had not God, who is merciful, clothed them with tunics of skins instead of fig leaves. . . .
God detested the one who had led humanity astray, but by degrees—little by little—he showed compassion to the ones who had been beguiled. (3:23,5)
For this reason, God drove them out of paradise, separating them from the tree of life—not because he wanted to protect the tree of life from them, as some teach, but because God pitied them. He did not want them to continue to live forever as sinners, or for the sin which had engulfed them to last forever, or for evil to have no end or remedy. So, God set a bound to sin by interposing death, thus causing sin to cease [Rom 6:7], putting an end to it by the dissolution of the flesh into the earth. Thus humankind, eventually ceasing to live to sin, and dying to it, might begin to live to God. (3:23,6)
For this reason he put enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed, which would continue. The one whose foot’s sole would be bitten would have power to tread on the enemy’s head; but the other would bite, kill, and impede the steps of humanity [Gen 3:15] until the seed appointed to tread on his head would come—the one born of Mary, of whom the prophet declared, “You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot” [Ps 91:13]. . . . (3:23,7)
. . . The preaching of the Church is consistent everywhere, continues on an even course, and has its authentication from the prophets, the apostles, and all the disciples. It covers the entire history of God’s merciful dealing with humanity and presents a sure path to human salvation—namely, our faith. What we have received from the Church we preserve. By the Spirit of God it is always renewing its youth, as if it were some precious deposit in an excellent vessel, which renews the vessel containing it, as well. This gift of God has been entrusted to the Church, as breath was to the first created man, for this purpose, that all members receiving it may be given life. The Church enjoys communion with Christ through the Holy Spirit, the sure pledge of incorruption, who confirms our faith. . . . Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church, and every kind of grace; but the Spirit is truth [1 John 5:6]. . . . (3:24,1)
. . . The Father excels all in wisdom, humans and angels alike, because he is Lord, judge, just, and ruler over all. He is good, merciful, patient, and saves whom he will. Goodness does not desert him when he exercises justice, nor is his wisdom lessened, for he saves those whom he should save and judges those worthy of judgment. . . . (3:25,3)
God, who benevolently causes his sun to rise upon all and sends rain upon the just and unjust alike [Matt 5:45], will judge those who, enjoying his equally distributed kindness, have lived their lives in disregard of his gifts, spending their days in wantonness and luxury, in opposition to his benevolence, even blaspheming him who has conferred such great benefits on them. (3:25,4)
. . . We pray for them, loving them better than they seem to love themselves. Because our love is true, it will benefit them, if they will only receive it. To be sure, it is a severe remedy, scraping out the proud and putrid flesh from a wound, since it puts an end to their pride and haughtiness. We will not become weary of trying with all our might to stretch out a hand to them, though. . . . May we succeed in persuading them to abandon their error and to stop blaspheming their creator, who is the only true God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (3:25,7)
1. Irenaeus’ formulation offers insight into how Christians viewed the relationship of Scripture and tradition in the late second century: he speaks of written Scripture as part of tradition (Greek, paradosis—that which is “handed down”).
2. Formerly known as “1 Clement,” this document is now commonly referred to as “The Letter of the Romans to the Corinthians,” written c. 95 CE; it is available in AposFrs 28–101.
3. Since Eleutherus served as bishop of Rome from 174 to 189, this helps date the composition of (at least the first three books of) AH.
4. Irenaeus is referring to what is reported in “The Martyrdom of Polycarp,” available in AposFrs 226–45.
5. Irenaeus refers to “The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians,” available in AposFrs 206–21.
6. The punctuation of the NRSV has here been adjusted to accommodate Irenaeus’ point.
7. This was the title of a Gnostic gospel; it is available in GS 253–64.
8. Irenaeus refers here to this third book of AH.
9. Here Irenaeus embarks on a defence of the Greek translation of Isa 7:14 as found in the Septuagint (LXX). The Hebrew word almah means “young woman,” without indication whether she was a virgin or not; the LXX translated the Hebrew term with the Greek parthenos, which means “virgin.”
10. Irenaeus is summarizing the relevant sections of “The Letter of Aristeas,” which recounts the story; it is available in OTP 12–34.
11. Cf. 1:7,2 (above) and 3:22,2 (immediately below).
12. Here Irenaeus probably had in mind the declaration, “From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die” (Sir 25:24).