Jesus – God and Man
The Journey Toward Understanding
Part Three: Behold the Man
I. Ignatius of Antioch (d110s)
A. Biography
What are some of the ways Ignatius of
Antioch emphasizes the humanity of Christ in Chapter 9 of Epistle to the Trallians (pp38-41 in Nichols, For Us and
For Our Salvation)?
Bishop of Antioch
Martyred c110 under Emperor Trajan
B. Ignatius of Antioch’s Defense of the Incarnation
1. Ignatius of Antioch Against Docetism
“Mary then did truly conceive a body which
had God inhabiting it. And God the Word
was truly born of the Virgin, having clothed
Himself with a body of like passions with our
own. He who forms all men in the womb,
was Himself really in the womb, and made
for Himself a body of the seed of the virgin,
but without any intercourse of man. He was
carried in the womb, even as we are, for the
usual period of time; and was really born, as
we also are; and was in reality nourished with milk, and partook of
common meat and drink, even as we do. And when He had lived among
men for thirty years, He was baptized by John, really and not in
appearance; and when He had preached the Gospel three years, and done
signs and wonders, He who was Himself the Judge was judged by the Jews,
falsely so called, and by Pilate the governor; was scourged, was smitten on
the cheek, was spit upon; He wore a crown of thorns and a purple robe;
He was condemned; He was crucified in reality, and not in appearance,
not in imagination, not in deceit. He really died, and was buried, and rose
from the dead, …” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Trallians, Ch 10)
“[Christ was] truly begotten of God
and of the Virgin…”
(Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Trallians, Ch 9)
“The Word … did dwell in flesh…” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrneans, Ch 2)
• John 1:1 1In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• John 1:14 14The Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us.”
2. Ignatius of Antioch’s Defense of the Biblical Description of Christ’s Work
a. Defense of the Reality of Christ’s Sufferings
If Christ is to be the Savior the Bible describes him to be,
he must be fully human
“[They claim] He became a man iiinnn aaappppppeeeaaarrraaannnccceee, that He did not in reality take unto Him a body, that He died iiinnn
aaappppppeeeaaarrraaannnccceee, and did not in very deed suffer.” (Ignatius of
Antioch, Epistle to the Trallians, Ch 10)
“…certain unbelievers maintain, that He only seemed to suffer,
.”
(Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrneans, Ch 2)
“… you must pray to God for them, if by any means they may be brought to repentance…”
(Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrneans, Ch 4)
“…if, as some that are without God, that is, the unbelieving, say, that He only seemed to suffer (they themselves only seeming to exist), tthheenn wwhhyy aamm II iinn
bboonnddss?” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Trallians,
Ch 10)
“But as for me, I do not place my hopes in one who died for me in appearance, but in reality.” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the
Trallians, Ch 10)
b. Defense of the Reality of Christ’s Resurrection
“…even as after the same manner His Father will so
raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus,
apart from whom we do not possess the true
life.” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Trallians, Ch 9)
“…He suffered truly … He truly rose again.” (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrneans, Ch 2)
• Luke 24:37 37“Look at my hands and my
feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
• John 20:27 27“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put
it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
II. Irenaeus of Lyons (c115-c202)
A. Biography
• Born c115
near Smyrna,
in Asia Minor
(modern-day
Turkey)
John Polycarp Irenaeus Hippolytus
• c150, sent to Gaul (modern France) as
presbyter (elder); settled in
Lugdunum (modern Lyons)
• 170s, heresies seep into Gaul from
Rome; Irenaeus sent to Rome to
address the situation
• 177, Emperor Marcus Aurelius began
severe persecution of Christians in
Gaul (Irenaeus was still in Rome)
Marcus Aurelius
• 180s, Irenaeus returns to find majority
of church martyred; made Bishop of
Lyons until martyrdom in 202
Irenaeus’ magnum opus! A 5-volume critical
examination of Gnosticism!
Gnostics claimed to have “secret teaching” from John.
Then why wouldn’t Irenaeus have been
aware of this through Polycarp,
John’s own disciple???
God
Physical Matter
Proarche Monotes Henotes
B. Irenaeus vs. Gnosticism
1. Irenaeus on Gnostic Claims to Authority
2. Irenaeus on Gnostic Teachings on Creation
Adversus Haereses
Against Heresies
Gnostics believed God could have no
contact with physical matter…
… So God sent fort emanations
from himself to do his dirty work
for him
Irenaeus Mocks, as long as we are “inventing” characters in our creation story, why not a gourd, or a cucumber?
3. Irenaeus on Gnostic Teachings on Christ and Redemption
a. Irenaeus’ View of Christ
Gnostics believed the body is a “prison”
from which the spirit must escape.
Christ is a spiritual messenger, sent to
show us the way out.
“[If the Apostles heard the heresies we have
today,] they would at once stop their ears
and flee as far off as possible, not enduring
even to listen to the blasphemous address.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III.4)
“Irenaeus is saying in the strongest language possible that the teachings of
the Docetists and the Gnostics are diametrically opposed to the teachings of
the Bible.” (Stephen J. Nichols, For Us and For Our Salvation, 31-32)
“[The apostles proclaimed]
the one Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, who was enfleshed
[incarnated] for our
Salvation.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, I)
b. Irenaeus’ View of Redemption
Recapitulation
Christ is a new source for humanity
• Rom 5:12, 15-19 12
[S]in entered the world through one man, an death through sin, and in this way
death came to all men, because all sinned . . . 15
…[I]f the many died by the trespass
of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace
of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16
Again, the gift of God is not
like the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought
condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17
For
if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18
Consequently, just as
the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act
of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19
For just as through
the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Adam Our first representative or
“federal head”
Jesus Our new representative or
“federal head”
“[In Christ,] God recapitulated in
Himself the ancient formation of
man [Adam] that he might kill sin,
deprive death of its power, and
vivify man…” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies,
III.17.7)