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DOCTORES ECCLESIAE
REDEMPTIVE HOSPITALITYIN IRENAEUS:
A Model for Ecumenicityin a Violent World
1
Hans Boersma
IMMATURITY AS OCCASION FOR HOSPITALITY
The second-century church father, Irenaeus, sustains hope for the fu- Irenaeus sustainsture by means of a vision that I have elsewhere referred to as "eschato- hope for the futurelogical hospitality."2 This eschatological hospitality is God's hospitable by means of a visionfuture that ensures the restoration and maturation of human beings that I have elsewher ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ referred to asHans Boersma, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies Department, Trinity "eschatologicalWestern diversity, 7600 GloverRoad, Langley, BC, CANADA V2Y1Y1 hospitality. "
1.1 want to express my appreciation to Dr. Robert E. Webber, Dr. Dennis L. Okholm and
the other members of the CCCU Faculty Development Workshop in Theology held atWheaton College (May 27-June 3, 2001) for their interaction with some of the material
that I am presenting in this paper.
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Irenaeus anchorshis hope for the
future in the one
Godwho hasincreasingly
revealed himself inthe Old and the
New Testaments.
Irenaeus looks atthe incarnation ofthe Word in Jesus
Christas the fullestrevelation of God.This implies that
God extends hiseschatological
hospitalityproleptically
in Christ.
created in the image and likeness of God. Irenaeus anchors his hope for
the future in the one God who has increasingly revealed himself in the
Old and the New Testaments. This one God is the transcendent signi
fier enabling Irenaeus' confidence in a future that consists of an end toviolence. In Irenaeus' eschatological understanding, the kingdom of
God consists of the perfection of God's good created order, including
its temporality, spatiality and linguistic determinacy. For some
postmodern thinkers, such determinacy may seem problematic: how
is it possible to combine determinacy and justice in the messianic fu
ture? Do the particularities of time and space not imply the continua
tion of violence?3 Irenaeus escapes this dilemma in two ways. First, he
counterbalances his view of the eschaton as a continuation of the cre
ated order with apophatic strategies that build on mystical theology
and tend toward human deification. Second, he understands God's
eschatological hospitality so to transcend this-worldly categories that
he is able to accept the tension between the determinacy of an
eschatological created reality and the indeterminacy of the mystical
reality oftheosis. The one God of history is the transcendent warrant ofan eschatological hospitality that overcomes the violence of our cur
rent this-worldly realities and that offers an incentive for human hos
pitality. Thus, the transcendent warrant implied in Irenaeus
eschatological vision enables the hu man flourishing of hospitality in
the face of injustice and violence. Humans may trust that the future isopen to them and that they will share in an eschaton in which present
injustices and oppression are overcome.
It is one thing, however, to say that eschatological hospitality receives
its transcendent warrant in the one God of history; it is yet another
thing to trust this God as the God who will, in fact, bring about such a
hospitable future. How can we know that God's eschatological hospi
tality is trustworthy and is not a mere extension of human injustice and
violence? This is where issues of eschatology and soteriology intersect.
Irenaeus looks at the incarnation of the Word in Jesus Christ as the fullestrevelation of God. This implies that God extends his eschatological hos
pitality proleptically in Christ. If God's revelation in Christ is trustwor
thy, people have reason to trust God for the future, as well. In this essay,
therefore, I want to explore Irenaeus' understanding of redemption and
3. Jacques Derrida is of the opinion that hospitality must be "unconditional" or "pure
hospitality." This "pure hospitality" is not able to welcome anyone in particular within
the horizons of historical and temporal existence, for it is always waiting for the other
to come { venir). See Jacques Derrida, "Hospitality, Justice and Responsibility: A Dia
logue with Jacques Derrida," in QuestioningEthics: Contemporary Debates in Philosophy, edRichard Kearney and Mark Dooley (London: Routledge, 1999), pp. 65-83. Part of the prob
lem with Derrida's understanding of hospitality is the consistent posture of waiting (al
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the way in which he sees God's eschatological hospitality manifested in
the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God's hospitality in Christ implies that human beings are, at least in
some sense, not quite at home. The physical and ethical understand
ings of redemption, advocated in later Eastern and Western modes of
thought respectively have different ways of conceiving the obstacles
on our homeward journey. They agree that human beings do not (or, at
least, no longer) have a natural, created capacity to see God, to be in
communion with him, and so to share in the future kingdom of God. It
is God's saving act that makes this possible.4 But what exactly is the
obstacle standing in the way of this salvation? This question is one of
the most widely debated issues among students of Irenaeus. Accord
ing to some, the obstacle for Irenaeus is immaturity, which naturallycomes with certain limits, perhaps even with violence and death. When
God created the world, he created it good, but not perfect. Likewise,
Adam and Eve were not yet perfect either. They were created as chil
dren, and needed time to grow further into maturity and fellowship
with God. This "evolutionary" approach emphasizes the human goal
of deification in Irenaeus and accepts a physical model of redemption
(in which the incarnation itself constitutes redemption for humanity).5
This deification is seen as the maturation of the "image" and the "like
ness" of God in human beings.6 Others see sin as the main obstacle.
Adam and Eve were disobedient and thus brought sin, violence and
death into the world. Christ's coming intervened, removed the obstacle
of sin and re-opened the way to God. This "restoration" approach sees
forgiveness and restoration as the goal for Irenaeus. It corresponds to
an ethical model of redemption, which emphasizes the human response
as the way in which to appropriate salvation.7 In this essay I will argue
that Irenaeus combines the evolutionist and restorationist elements of
later Eastern and Western thought,8 and that in doing so he also weaves
4. Salvation, for Irenaeus, consists of vision of God and communion with God. SeeMar)
7 Ann Donovan, "Insights on Ministry: Irenaeus/7 Toronto Journal of Theology! (1986),pp. 82-85.
5. Demetrios J. Constantelos, "Irenaeos of Lyons and His Central Views on Human
Nature," St Vladimirs Theological Quarterly33 (1989), pp . 351-63; Denis Minns, Irenaeus(Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1994), pp. 56-82.
6. For Irenaeus' distinction between "image" and "likeness," see Gustaf Wingren, Manand the Incarnation: A Study in the Biblical Theology of Irenaeus, trans. Ross Mackenzie(Philadelphia: Muhlenberg, 1959), pp . 14-26, 90-100; John Behr, Asceticism and Anthro
pology in Irenaeus and Clement(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 89-90.
7. John Lawson, The Biblical Theology of SaintIrenaeus (London: Epworth, 1948), pp. 192-97.
8. More recent students of Irenaeus have tended to observe both evolutionist andrestorationist tendencies, though they are not always agreed on the success of the
Irenaean integration of the two themes See Robert F Brown "On the Necessary Imper
God's hospitalityin Christ impliesthat human beings
are, at leastin some sense,ttot quite at home.
In this essay I willargue that Irenaeuscombines theevolutiottist andrestorationistelements of laterEastern andWestern thought,
a?tdthat i?tdoht g she also weavestogether varioustheories ofredemption thatlater theologianshave te?tdedtoregardas mutuallyexclusive.
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consistent
evolutionary model,
alongwith a
physical viewofredemption,
tends not to
attribute
a significant
theologicalrole
to the Fall.
Irenaeus may
be the first
theologianfor
zvhom the Fall
actually plays
"more than an
incidental
r/
role,but it is clear
that this role is
not a large one.
together various theories of redemption that later theologians have
tended to regard as mutually exclusive. Irenaeus thus turns out to be
an irenic theologian, whose understanding of what I will call God's
"redemptive hospitality" in Christ holds out ecumenical promise: thechurch can onlyfulfil its mission of redemptive hospitality in a violent
world to the degree that her own witness stems from a truly catholic
unity and is reflective of the wideness of God's redemptive hospitali ty
extended to the world in Jesus Christ.
The significance of the Fall plays a large role in the discussions sur
rounding Irenaeus' soteriology A consistent evolutionary model, along
with a physical view ofredemption, tends not to attribute a significant
theological role to the Fall. According to this interpretation of Irenaeus,
creation set human beings on a course to perfection a perfection that was reached, in principle, in the joining of the human and divine na
tures in the incarnation. It is not difficult to enlist support for this ap
proach from Irenaeus. He explicitly argues that God did not "exhibit
man as perfect from the beginning." The reasons for this are that "cre
ated things must be inferior to him who created them, from the very
fact of their later origin" and that "man could not receive this [perfec
tion], being as yet an infant."9
Adam and Eve were created as imma
ture infants and had "n o understanding ofthe procreation of children."10
Irenaeus comments that "by their continuing in being throughout a long
course of ages, they shall receive a faculty of the Uncreated, through the
gratuitous bestowal ofeternal existence upon them by God." This requires
man making progress day by day and ascending towards the perfect,that is, approximating to the uncreated One. Forthe Uncreated is perfect,that is, God. Now it as necessary that man should in the first instance becreated; and having been created, should receive growth; and havingreceived growth, should be strengthened; and having been strengthened,should abound; and having abounded, should recover...; and havingrecovered, should be glorified; and being glorified, should see his Lord.ForGod is He who is yet to be seen, and the beholding ofGod is productive of immortality, but immortality renders one nigh unto God.11
The picture is one of near-uninterrupted progress toward perfection.12
Irenaeus may be the first theologian for wh om the Fall actually plays
9. Irenaeus against Heresies [henceforth AH\, in Ante-Nicene Tathers, vol. 1, ed. Alexander
Roberts and James Donaldson (Christian Literature, 1885; reprint, Peabody: Hendrickson,
1994), IV.381.
10. AH 111.22A; cf. St. Irenaeus, Proofof the Apostolic Preaching(henceforth Dem), trans
Joseph P. Smith (New York: Paulist, 1952), p. 14.
11. AH1V383.
12. Brown d isput es that Irenae us' "recovery " langu age here is a reference to the Fall.
Even if Brown is wrong on this particular exegetical point, he is right in concluding,
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"more than an incidental" role,13
but it is clear that this role is not a
large one. While the Fall is not entirely excusable, Adam and Eve's
spiritual and moral immaturity the natural concomitant of their
young age made them an easy prey for Satan. The Fall, therefore, was, in Nielsen's words, "hardly more than an intermezzo."
1 4
The intermezzo of the Fall became the occasion for God to display his
grace. Irenaeus points out that for Paul "m an has been delivered over
to his own infirmity, lest, being uplifted, he might fall away from the
truth." God is able to use humani ty' s weakness to acquaint them with
the power ofGod: "For how could a man have learned that he is him
self an infirm being, and mortal by nature, but that God is immortal
and powerful, unless he had learned by experience wha t is in both?
For there is nothing evil in learning one's infirmities by endurance;yea, rather, it has even the beneficial effect of preventing him from form
ing an undue opinion of his own nature {non aberrare in natura sua)."15
Likewise, the death that God had threatened to execute upon eating from
the tree of knowledge turns out to be in Irenaeus an act of mercy. To be
sure, Adam and Eve's act of disobedience meant that on the very same
day that they ate from the tree they died.16
But God then removed Ada m
from the tree of life, not out ofenvy, "but because He pitied him" and did
not want that "the sin which surrounded him should be immortal, and
evil interminable and irremediable."
17
It is not Adam and Eve, but Satanwho bears the brunt ofIrenaeus' indictment, so that he emphatically states
that God did not curse Adam personally, while "the curse in all its full
ness fell upo n the serpent which had beguiled them."1 8
The immaturity and imperfection of the prelapsarian situation is more
than an interesting Irenaean idiosyncrasy On the one hand, in opposi
tion to his Gnostic and Marcionite opponents , Irenaeus wants to main
tain that God created the world good, and that time and matter are not
to be despised. Thus, the vocabulary that Irenaeus uses to describe cre
ation is fascinatingly down-to-earth.
19
The God of redemption is also13. H.E W. Turner, Patristic Doctrine of Redemption: A Study of the Dez>elopmentofDoctrine
during tfieFirstFive Centuries (London: Mowbray; New York: Morehouse-Gorham, 1952), p. 74.
14. J.T. Nielsen, Adam andChristin the Theology of Irenaeus of Lyons: An Examination of the
Function of the Adam-Christ Typology in the Adversus Haereses of Irenaeus, against the Back
groundof the Gnosticism of His Time (Assen: Van Gorcum, 1968), 62. Cf. Dem. 12: "But the
ma n was a little one, and his discre tion still und eve loped, wherefore also he was easily
misled by the deceiver/'
15. AHV3.1.
16. ^#V.23.1-2; cf. Dem. 15.
17. ..18. AH111.233.
19 Irenaeus often speaks about creation using terms such as plasma plasmatw caro
The intermezzo of
the Fallbecame the
occasionfor God to
display his grace.
In opposition tohis Gnostic and
Marcioriteopponents, Irenaeuwants to maitttainthatGodcreatedthe worldgood,and that timeand matterare notto be despised.
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As long as thecreated orderis ?tot
yet fully drawn into
the light of thepresence of God,creation remains
in a state ofimmaturity and
itnperfection thatIrenaeus believes
needs God'shospitality to open
up possibilities ofrenewal andperfection.
the God ofcreation, and this is a fact to be celebrated, not one to ac
knowledge grudgingly. On the other hand, Irenaeus is keenly aware
that God's immanence, his direct involvement with the created order,
brings him face to face with imperfection and immaturity, withcreational limitations, identities and boundaries that are shaped in par
ticular ways. One might even wish to argue that violence and death
are necessarily a part of the created order with its historical and tem
poral limitations, so that perfection and deification would mean not
just human maturation but also the overcoming of the violence and death
inherent in creation itself. Irenaeus does not go quite this far, perhaps at
the cost of some consistency.20 Nonetheless, as long as the created order is
not yet fully drawn into the light ofthe presence ofGod, creation remains
in a state ofimmaturity and imperfection that Irenaeus believes needsGod's hospitality to open up possibilities ofrenewal and perfection.21
AHERMENEUTIC OF HOSPITALITY
Adam and Eve'sgrowth to maturitywas meant to draw
them into thepresence of the one
God the Godwith the two hands,
as Irenaeusdescribes the
trinitarianrelationships.
Adam and Eve's growth to maturity was meant to draw them into the
presence of the one God the God with the two hands, as Irenaeus
describes the trinitarian relationships.22
The unity of God is a crucial
theme for Irenaeus, over against the multiple Gnostic emanations and
the Marcionite separation between the God ofcreation and the Fatherof Jesus Christ.23 The Word that has become incarnate is the very God
who created heaven and earth. The incarnate Word, therefore, shows
God's very character. Adam and Eve may have been created in the
image and likeness ofGod, but Adam was ultimately no more than an
imperfect type of the Christ to come. It is Christ who truly shows what
it means to be created in the image of God. Thus, when Irenaeus ac
knowledges that Adam and Eve are created in the "image and like
ness" ofGod, he sees this expression not just as an ontological or fac
tual description, but especially as a calling or, we might say, as a
reminder ofthe hospitality ofGod, which is truly shown in Jesus Christ.
In a fascinating passage, Irenaeus comments:
For in times long past, it wa s said that ma n was created after the imageof God, but i t wa s not [actually] shown; for the Word was as yet invis-
20. F.Altermath argues unpersuasively (and ignoring the two passages that I mention
in footnote 16) that Irenaeus sees man as created mortal and that he sees death as part of
the natural prelapsarian situation ( 'The Purpose of the Incarnation according to
Irenaeus," Studia Patristica 13 [1975], pp. 63-68).
21. Interestingly, Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki appeals to Irenaeus for an evolutionary un
derstanding ofviolence {The Tall to Violence: Original Sin in Relational Theology [NewYork: Continuum, 1994], pp. 86-87).
22. AH V.l.3; V.6.1. See also Mary Ann Donovan, One Right Reading? A Guide to Irenaeus
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ible, after whose image man was created. Wherefore also he did easilylose the similitude. When, however, the Word ofGod becameflesh,Heconfirmed both these: for He both showed forth the image truly, sinceHe became Himself what was His image; and He re-established the
similitude after a sure manner, by assimilating man to the invisibleFatherthrough means of the visible Word.
24
The Word of God is interpreted here not only as the climax of humanity's
"evolution" to perfection but also as the template for the creation of
humanity. The incarnation of the Son of God thus becomes the hinge
on which Irenaeus' entire theological enterprise turns, both hermeneu-
tically and soteriologically.
A superficial reading of Irenaeus might give the impression that he is
unfair in his criticism ofGnostic interpretations of biblical passages: They
"patch together old wives' fables," Irenaeus alleges, "and then endeavour, by violently drawing awayfrom their properconnection, words, ex
pressions, and parables whenever found, to adapt the oracles of God to
theirbaseless fictions."25
One wonders at times whether Irenaeus' own
exegesis is any less arbitrary and violent. The Bishop of Lyons nonethe
less provides a degree of hermeneutical consistency by arguing that the
Scriptures need to be read in the light of God's hospitality in Christ:
If anyone, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find inthem an account of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the new calling
(vocationis). For Christ is the treasure that was hid in the field, that is, inthis world (for 'the field is the world'); but the treasure hid in the Scriptures is Christ, since He was pointed out by means of types andparables.... When it [i.e., the law] is read by the Christians, it is a treasure, hid indeed in a field, but brought to light by the cross of Christ... .
26
Christ, and the cross in particular, is the key to the interpretation of the
Scriptures. This brings Irenaeus to a strong plea for the unity of re
demptive history. Where Marcion objects to divine violence in the Old
Testament, Irenaeus turn s arou nd and accuses him of a hermeneutic of
violence! The God of creation is the God of redemption, and the God of
the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. For Irenaeus, thereis one economy, one dispensation. In retrospect, we can see Christ
throughout the Old Testament.27
Irenaeus thus counters what he re
gards as his oppo nents' hermeneutic of violence with a hermeneut ic of
hospitality, which sees God's welcome in Christ throughout the pages
of Scripture. Indeed, "the Son of God is implanted everywhere through
out his [i.e., Moses'] wr itings: at one time, indeed, speaking wit h
24. AHV.16.2.
25. AH1.8.1. Irenaeus repeated ly accuses his oppone nts of "abu sing /' "injuring/ ' "vio
lating/7
"perverting" or "mutilating" Scripture (1.9.1,3-4; II.24.3; III.12.12).
26. 1\2. Irenaeus add s that one needs to rely on the bishops and presbyters, who
have received "the certain gift of truth" (IV 26 2)
The ittcarnation
of the Son of God
thus becomes the
hinge on which
Irenaeus'entire
theologicalenterpr
turns, both
hermeneuticallyan
soteriologically.
Christ, a?tdthe
cross inparticular,
is the key to the
interpretation
of the Scriptures.
This brings
Irenaeus to a
strongplea
for the unity of
redemptive history
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The entire economy, from creation toconsummation, is
viewed in the lightof the saving
characterof theWord: the Word
was presentthroughout the Law
and the Prophets;he walked and
talked with Adamin the garden.
Abraham, when about to eat with him; at another time with Noah,
giving to him the dimensions [of the ark]; at another, inquiring after
Adam; at another, bringing dowrn judgment upon the Sodomites; and
again, when He becomes visible and directs Jacob on his journey, and
speaks with Moses from the bush."28
Not only is the Son of God present throughout the Law and the Proph
ets, bu t as the eternal, invisible Word of God he already functioned as
the anti-type for the creation of Adam and Eve in the image of God.
This means that the incarnation of the Word is not the mere conse
quence of sin: "For inasmuch as He had a pre-existence as a saving
Being, it was necessary that what might be saved should also be called
into existence, in order that the Being who saves should not exist in
vain."29
The entire economy, from creation to consummation, is viewed
in the light of the saving character of the Word: the Word was present
throughout the Law and the Prophets; he walked and talked with
Adam in the garden.30 His saving character God's "redemptive
hospitality" stems from eternity.
VICTORY AND REDEMPTIVE HOSPITALITY
Irenaeus refusesto separate
Christologyfromsoteriology. The
eternal Word thatspoke the zuorld into
being is the Word
that saves fromsin anddeath.
Significant though the evolutionary strand may be in Irenaeus' think
ing, it is not an independent notion. After all, the Word had pre-existence as a saving Being. God's eternal hospitality is always already aredemptive hospitality. Irenaeus refuses to separate Christology fromsoteriology. The eternal Word that spoke the world into being is the
Word that saves from sin and death. Since the unity of God's dispen
sation stems from his eternal plan, the need for a saving act did not
take God by surprise.
The purpose of the incarnation, therefore, is not just ontological in na
ture, in the sense that it is meant to transform, perfect and deify hu ma n
beings. This may well be the ultimate goal of the incarnation, but
Irenaeus also has a more immedia te goal in mind. He explicitly states
that the purpose of the incarnation was to overcome sin and death:
"For it behoved Him who was to destroy sin, and redeem man under
the power of death, that He should Himself be made that very same
thing which he was, that is, man; who had been drawn by sin into
bondage, but was held by death, so that sin should be destroyed by
28. AHTV.IOA; cf. Dem. 25, 27, 43-85; Tragments from the lost Writings oflremeus (henceforth Trag), in Ante-Ntcene Tathers, vol. 1, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson(Christian Literature, 1885; reprint, Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), p. 54.
29. AH111.223. Irenaeus also connects creation and providence to the Son of God beingimprinted on the universe in the form of a cross (AH\7.18.3; Dem. 34; cf. Tiessen, Irenaeus,
136 42)
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man, and man should go forth from death/'31
Irenaeus regards the incar
nation as necessary to "destroy" sin, to overcome "power" or the "bond
age" of death. Death is not merely the outcome of God's pity; it is also the
enemy that needs to be overcome. The incarnation is not just the climax of
an uninterrupted evolutionary growth of humankind. Important though
it may be the incarnation by itself is not enough for Irenaeus to render
the human race immortal.32
The incarnation has not only an ontological,
but also a soteriological purpose. This indicates that Irenaeus takes hu
man bondage and sin the consequences of the Fall seriously
The history of Christian thought has witnessed different models and
metaphors to explain God's redemptive hospitality in Christ, the most
notable ones being the Christus Victormodel, the satisfaction model andthe moral influence model. In what follows we will see that Irenaeus'
theology is an interesting combination of elements from each of thesethree models. Irenaeus' Christus Vctorieme is not worked out in as muchdetail as it is in some of the later church fathers, such as Origen and Gre
gory of Nyssa. It is nonetheless key to Irenaeus' understanding of God's
redemptive hospitality. When one traces the Christus Victortheme inIrenaeus, a dynamic picture emerges: Satan has abused Adam and Eve's
moral immaturity, has tempted them into disobedience and has thus cap
tured and imprisoned the human race. Repeatedly, Irenaeus refers to Sa
tan as the "strong man" whom Christ has bound and robbed (Matt 12:29).B
In a characteristic passage, Irenaeus comments:For as in the beginning he [the apostate angel of God] enticed man totransgress his Maker's law, and thereby got him into his power; yet hispower consists in transgression and apostasy, and with these he boundman [to himself]; so again, on the other hand, it was necessary thatthrough man himself he should, when conquered, be bound with thesame chains with which he had bound man, in order that man, beingset free, might return to his Lord, leaving to him (Satan) those bonds bywhich he himself had been fettered, that is, sin. For when Satan is bound,man is set free; since "none can enter a strong man's house and spoilhis goods, unless he first bind the strong man himself."
34
Irenaeus sees Adam's transgression as the "bonds" or the "chains" that
Satan uses to bind human beings.35
God in turn puts Satan in chains.
31. 1118.7. See also Dem. 31: "So the Wordwas madeflesh,in orderthat sin, destroyed
by means ofthat same flesh through which it had gained mastery and taken hold and
lorded it, should no longer be in us...." Cf. Turner, Patristic Doctrine ofRedemption, pp.
52-53.
32. So also Andrew J. Bandstra, "Paul and an Ancient Interpreter: A Comparison of the
Teaching of Redemption in Paul and Irenaeus," Calvin TheologicalJournal'5 (1970): 56;
Trevor A. Hart, "Irenaeus, Recapitulation and Physical Redemption," in Christ in Our
Place: The Humanity of God in Christ for theReconciliation of the World, ed. Trevor A. Hart
an d Daniel P. Thimell (Exeter: Paternoster; Allison Park: Pickwick, 1989), p. 155.
33. AHm.8.2; 18.6; 23.1; cf. III.23.7.
The history of
Christian thought
has ivitties sed
different models
and metaphors to
explain God's
redemptive
hospitality in
Christ, the most
notable ones being/^Christus
Victor model the
satisfaction model
and the moral
influence model.
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The cross only has aminor place in
connection with theChristus Victor
theme. This is anoteworthy
observation,because it meansthat for Irenaeus
the cross is notthe central backdrop
to the victoryof Christ.
Irenaeus employsthe notion of
recapitulation toexplain the means
of redemption inChrist. It is
particularly indiscussing
recapitulation,therefore, thatIrenaeus needs to
demonstrate thehospitable character
ofredemption.
There may seem to be a violent edge to Irenaeus' vocabulary here. But
Irenaeus immediately deals with this apprehension: whereas apostasy
used deception and violence whereby "it insatiably snatched away what
was not its own," God uses "persuasion" instead of "violent means"
and does not infringe upon "justice."36 It is only upon repentance,
Irenaeus states, that people are again loosed from these shackles of sin.37
Irenaeus' insistence on God's non-violence is to some extent a rhetori
cal ploy. The persuasion and repentance of hu man beings may perhaps
be non-violent, but when Christ "robs" the strong man (Matt
12:29),"crushes" the devil (Gen 3:15)38
and "destroys" death, does this
not raise suspicions of violence as Christ's means of redemption, and
does this not put the genuinely hospitable character of God's redemp
tion into question? Indeed, the violence of the imagery is unmistak
able. Nonetheless, the question must be asked: hozv exactly does Christrob the strong man and destroy death? Is it necessary to press the meta
phors of violence here? Interestingly, when we scan Irenaeus' writings in
search for an answer to this question, we find that he does not speculate
about a ransom being paid to the devil or about the devil being tricked
into thinking that Jesus was a mere human. Later church fathers would
use the ransom imagery and the theme of trickery to explain how Christwas victorious on the cross thus resorting to means that might perhaps
cause some hesitations about the character of God's redemptive justice
and hospitality. But Irenaeus does not do this. In fact, the cross only has aminor place in connection with the Christus Victor ieme.39 This is a noteworthy observation, because it means that for Irenaeus the cross is not the
central backdrop to the victory of Christ.40
This naturally leads to the
question: how then did Christ loosen the chains and bind the strong man?
What is it that effects atonement and reconciliation?
RECAPITULATION AND REDEMPTIVE HOSPITALITY
The Christus Victortheme illustrates that Irenaeus complements hisevolutionary model with a restoration model of redemption. The prob
lem of the Fall may be no more than an "intermezzo," but it is a serious
intermezzo nonetheless, requiring Christ to destroy the power of death.
Irenaeus employs the notion of recapitulation to explain the means of
redemption in Christ. It is particularly in discussing recapitulation,
36. AHV.l.l; cf. .23.1.
37. Trag 43.
38. See .4/.23.7; V.21.1.39. Irenaeus makes the connection in AH.20.3.
40 This does not mean that Christ's death on the cross does not play an important role
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therefore, that Irenaeus needs to demonstrate the hospitable character
of redempt ion. He takes his notion of recapitulation from Ephesians
1:10, which speaks of anakephalaidsis, although he works it out more
broadly than does the Pauline letter.
41
Scattered throughout Adversus haereses, Irenaeus mentions a number of
examples where Christ recapitulates Adamic existence. In order to grasp
more fully what Irenaeus has in mind with recapitulation, it may be
helpful to trace some of Irenaeus' thinking on this theme.42
He closely
connects recapitulation to the incarnation and comments that the Word
took on hu ma n flesh in order to present hu ma n beings to God: "For in
what way could we be partakers of the adopt ion of sons, unless we
had received from him through the Son that fellowship which refers to
himself, unless his Word, having been made flesh, had entered into
communion with us?"4 3
Irenaeus is consistently and strongly anti-
docetic. Christ must have taken on true human flesh, for salvation is
impossible wit hou t it. It is difficult to over-emphasize the importance
of this point for Irenaeus. The close connection between incarnation
and redemption has been the main reason behind the interpretation of
Irenaeus' soteriology as being physical in nature. And even thou gh I
am not convinced that Irenaeus goes quite as far as making the incar
nation by itselfr(i.e., in isolation) redempt ive in nature,
44the incarnation
is emphatically present as a necessary precondition for the restoration
of fellowship with God and, indeed, as part of Christ' s recapitulation,is itself redemptive in character.
The reason for the close relationship between incarnation and recapitu
lation lies in the fact that in the incarnation the Word comes to us as the
second Adam. Just as Adam was moulded from untilled virgin soil
(Gen 2:5), so Christ was born of a virgin.45
The only reason why Christ
was not taken directly from dust (as Adam had been), but was bor n
from a human being, was that Christ had to have the same humanity
that Adam had "the verysame formation should be summed up"
so that recapitulation would truly be that of the human race.46
41. For an argument plead ing for an Irenaean reading of Eph 1:10, see John McHugh, "A
Reconsideration of Ephesians 1.10b in the Light ofIrenaeus," in Paul and Paulinism: Essays
in Honour of CK. Barrett, ed. M.D. Hooker and S.G. Wilson (London: SPCK, 1982), pp. 302-09.
42. See also Lawson, Biblical Theology of Saint Irenaeus, 140-98; William P. Loewe, "Myth
and Counter-Myth: Irenaeus' Story of Salvation," in InterpretingTradition: The Art of Theo-
logicalReflection, The Annual Publication of the College Theology Society, vol. 29, ed. Jane
Kopas (Chico: Scholars Press, 1983), pp. 46-52; Christopher Smith, "Chiliasm and Reca
pitulation in the Theology of Irenaeus," Vigihae Christianae 48 (1994), pp. 313-31.
43. AtfIII.18.7; cf. III.19.1; 22.1-2; V.1.2; 14.1.
44. Cf. Tiessen, Irenaeus, pp . 161-62: "It is frequently recognized, therefore, that althoughIrenaeus's doctrine of recapitulation might logically lead to universal salvation, for
Irenaeus it does not conclude that way "
He closely connectsrecapitulationto the incarnationand commentsthatthe Word tookon human fleshin orderto presenthuman beingsto God.
The reason forthe closerelationship
betweenincarnation andrecapitulation liesin thefact thatin the incarnationthe Word comesto us as thesecond Adam.
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The Word becameincarnate, Irenaeusmaintains, in order
that Christ mightrecapitulate Adam 's
temptation and bevictorious oversin.
By retracing thecreation, temptationand death of Adam,
Christ as the newhumanity reverses
the effects of the
Fall and restoreshumanity.
Irenaeus sees the Fall as necessitating this recapitulation of Adamic hu
manity. The Word became incarnate, Irenaeus maintains, in order that
Christ might recapitulate Adam's temptation and be victorious over sin.47
Thus, Irenaeus mines the temptation narratives for analogies between
Christ and Adam.48
Christ 's obedience is a recapitulation here a retrac
ing and reversing of Adam's disobedience. Christ 's victory over temp
tation is for Irenaeus a significant par t of the answer to the question howChrist gains the victory over Satan, sin and death. Christ gains the victory
not by employing counter-violence but by faithful obedience in the face
of Satanic temptation. Interestingly, Irenaeus works out Christ's retracing
of Adam's temptation in some detail by repeated analogies between the
tree of knowledge and the tree of the cross. The handwriting of our debt
has been fastened to the cross for the remission of sins, "so that as by
means of a tree we were made debtors to God, [so also] by means of a treewe may obtain the remission of our debt."49
Christ's passion on the cross had to take place, Irenaeus argues, on the
sixth day of the week, for Adam and Eve had sinned and died on the
sixth day. Christ recapitulated in himself the entire day, "thus granting
him [Adam] a second creation by means of his passion, which is that
[creation] out of death."50 Christ himself "points out the recapitulation
that should take place in his own person of the effusion of blood from
the beginning," says Irenaeus with a reference to the blood of the mar
tyrs of the Old Testament.51
By retracing the creation, temptation and death of Adam, Christ as the
new humanity reverses the effects of the Fall and restores humanity.
But Christ not only takes on the same flesh as Adam; he also retraces
every age of all human beings:
For he came to save all through means of himself all, I say, who
through him are born again to God infants, and children, and boys,
and youths, and old men. He therefore passed through every age, be
coming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for chil
dren, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, being at the same timemade to them an example of piety righteousness and submission; a
youth for youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctify
ing them for the Lord. Likewise, he was an old man for old men, that
he might be a perfect Master for all, not merely as respects the setting
forth of the truth, but also as regards age, sanctifying at the same time
47.AtfIII.18.7.
48. A//V.21.1-3. This passage is particularly instructive in that it places recapitulationin the context of the Christus Victortheme: "He has therefore, in His work of recapitulation, summed up all things, both waging war against our enemy, and crushing him
who had at the beginning led us awav captives in Adam, and trampled upon hishead" (V.21.1).
49 AHW17 2 Cf V 16 3; 17 3; 19 1; Dem 34; Trag 28
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the aged also, and becoming an example to them likewise. Then, atlast, he came on to death itself, that he might be "the first-born fromthe dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence," the Princeof Life, existing before all, and going before all.
52
This quotation shows something of the ambivalence in Irenaeus'
thought. It almost seems as though Christ recapitulating every age
group in and of itself sanctifies those age groups, leading to a physical
understanding of redemption. Irenaeus draws back from this conclu
sion, however, by his references to Christ as an example. The physical
and the ethical elements of redemption go hand in hand for Irenaeus.
Irenaeus's theology of recapitulation does not have the logical rigour
and precision of some of the later explications of the various strands of
atonement theology.53
It is clear, however, that the incarnation of the
Word is God's own entry into the very lives of the victims of Satan's
oppression and bondage. God's hospitality is redemptive not by merely
waiting for human ity 's homecoming but by God himself journeying
into the far country. His hospitality submits to the historical and tem
poral particularities of human existence with all of its limitations and
exclusions, even to violence and death itself. God's redemptive hospi
tality is, for Irenaeus, a creational and incarnational hospitality.
The incarnation of
the Wordis God's
ozvn entry into the
very lives of thevictims of Satan 's
oppression and
bondage. God's
hospitality is
redemptive not
by merely waiting
for humanity's
homecoming
but by God himself
journeying into
the far country.
SACRIFICE AND REDEMPTIVE HOSPITALITY
Recapitulation of Adamic existence creation, temptation and death
is for Irenaeus the means by which Christ gains the victory. In other
words, Irenaeusworks with a Christus Victormodel, but it is one that is
built not arou nd ransom or trickery54
but around recapitulation, which
includes the passion and death of Christ. The cross has significance, in
Irenaeus's thought, not only in the more general sense that Christ's death
is part of his work of recapitulation, but throughout Irenaeus' writing,
there are also some of the more objective atonement categories of latersatisfaction theology, such as sacrifice and propitiation. When arguing
that God has cancelled the Law of Moses, Irenaeus points out that people
52. AH11.22A; cf. III.18.7; IV.38.2. With an appeal to tradition and John 8:56-57, Irenaeus
argues that Jesus reached the age of 50 (AH11.22.5-6; cf. George Ogg, "The Age of Jesus
When He Taught/' New Testament Studies 5 [1958-59], pp. 291-98).
53. Just to add to the confusion, according to Irenaeus the reversal of disobedience takes
place not only in Christ, but also in Mary: Eve disobeyed as a virgin, while Mary obeyed
as a virgin. Eve disobeyed an angel, while Mary obeyed an angel. As Adam was re
stored in Christ, so Eve was restored in Mary: "For what the virgin Eve had bound fast
through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith" (111.21; cf. V.19.1;21.1; Dem. 33). Irenaeus does not explain how Mary's recapitulation contributes to hu
man redemption.
Throughout
Irenaeus's writitig,
there are also some
of the more
objective atottement
categories oflater
satisfaction
theology, such assacrifice and
propitiation.
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Irenaeus appearsto assume albeit
with a degree of
ambiguity thatChrist's sacrificialdeath on the cross
is propitiatoryin character.
The notion ofChrist's death being
sacrificial andpropitiatory
remains marginalin Irenaeus. Not
only sof but evenChrist's suffering assuch is by no meanscentral to Irenaeus.
under the Old Covenant often wrongly thought that they could "propiti
ate" God by means of their sacrifices.55 They should have realized tha
the transcendent God "stands in need of nothing."56 Throughout this ar
gument, Irenaeus appears to assume a connection between the Leviticasacrifices and the idea of propitiationthough he is careful to safeguard
divine transcendence: God does not need human sacrifices.57
Irenaeus appears to assume albeit with a degree of ambiguity
that Christ 's sacrificial death on the cross is propitiatory in character.58
To be sure, Irenaeus is not entirely unambiguous . Some of the passage
that speak of Christ's death as a sacrifice do not make clear that thi
sacrifice has to do with the condemnation for sin,59 and other passage
in which Irenaeus speaks of Christ "propitiating" the Father do not
make clear whether it is Christ's obedience (in the face of temptationor Christ's death that propitiates the Father.60 Irenaeus expresses the
connection between Christ's sacrifice and propitiation perhaps mos
clearly when he says that the Lord "did not make void, but fulfilled the
law, by performing the offices of the high priest, propitiating God for
men, and cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, and himself suffering
death, that exiled man might go forth from condemnation, and migh
return without fear to his own inheritance."61
Thus, there is a sense in
which Irenaeus appears to interpret Christ's death as a sacrifice tha
propitiates the Father. However, such references do remain sparse
Robert J. Daly makes the comment that in Irenaeus "the idea of thesacrifice of Christ seems to be presumed more often than explicitly
stated."62 This may well be true, but even this modest assertion seems
mostly an argument from silence. The notion of Christ's death being
55. AHTV.17.1. Interestingly, Irenaeus does say that God asks for mercy and compassion. One cannot help but wonder whether the transcendent God would "need" these
any more than he needs sacrifices. Irenaeus seems to be aware of the tension in his
argument here, when he comments (regarding the Eucharist): "Now we make offering
to Him, not as though He stood in need of it, but rendering thanks for His gift, and thu
sanctifying what has been created" (AHTV.18.6).56.AHW.17.1.
57. Paul S. Fiddes points out that the notion of satisfaction in the Anselmian tradition
requires a change in Goda notion with which many in the Anselmian tradition are
uncomfortable (Past Event and Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of Atonement [Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989], p. 28).
58. Both Auln and Lawson deny the presence of sacrifice and propitiation in Irenaeus
Gustaf Auln, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of tAtonement, trans. A.G. Hebert (London: SPCK, 1970), pp . 27, 33; Lawson, Biblical Theology of Saint Irenaeus, 193. For a defence of the element of propitiation in Irenaeus, seBandstra, "Paul and an Ancient Interpreter," pp. 58-61.
59. E.g., AH1V.5.60. E.g., AHW.Y71.
61 AH1WS 2
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sacrificial and propitiatory remains marginal in Irenaeus.63 Not only
so, but even Christ's suffering as such is by no means central to Irenaeus.
He may comment that our Lord "by his passion destroyed death, and
dispersed error, and put an end to corruption, and destroyed ignorance,while he manifested life and revealed truth, and bestowed the gift of
incorruption"64 but such references to Christ's passion are rather
incidental within the whole of Irenaeus' theology.
Do Irenaeus' incidental comments about sacrifice and propitiation per
haps cast a shadow over God's redemptive hospitality? Does this hos
pitality run the risk here of turning into an oppressive violence that
issues judgement and demands sacrifice, payment and propitiation? It
may seem this way, but again the mystery of the incarnation needs to
be taken into account. So far, we have seen that the idea of recapitulation came with an unequivocal stress on the obedience of the humanity
of Christ as the second Adam. Interestingly, however, Irenaeus speaks
several times about God suffering on the cross. Irenaeus' desire to
present the Father and the Word as one in opposition both to Gnostics
and Marcionites means that when Christ dies, God suffers in Christ.65
The impassible becomes passible in the incarnation.66 God truly enters
into the huma n realm and takes huma n suffering onto himself. Irenaeus'
view that Christ's sacrifice propitiates the Father must, therefore, be
balanced by his belief that in Christ God takes hu man suffering ontohimself. God's redemptive hospitality includes self-sacrificial love.
MORAL INFLUENCE AND HOSPITALITY
Thus far, we have seen that Irenaeus' soteriology is a combination of
the Christus Victor theme and his unders tanding of recapitulation (whichstarts with the incarnation, focuses particularly on Christ's obedience
in the face of temptation, and includes also his sacrificial death). The
emphasis on the incarnation contains elements that in later Eastern
thought would lead to a physical view of redemption. The Bishop of
Lyons combines this view with the ethical elements of Christ's obedi
ence (in temptation), and of sacrifice and propitiation. In addition to
employing notions ofChristus Victorand sacrifice, Irenaeus also workswith aspects of the later moral influence theory of the atonement. Sa-
63. Irenaeus does repeatedly refer to the "blood" of Christ and to the "cross" and the
"tree," indicating an interest in the death of Christ. The death of Christ is, after all, part
of Christ's wor k of recapitulation. An interesting examplealso il lustrative of Irenaeus'
christological reading of the Old Testamentis found in Trag. 23, where Irenaeus depicts Balaam's donkey as a type of the body of Christ: "For the Savior has taken up theburden of our sins." Cf. Dem. 69.
In addition toemploying notions^/"Christus Victor
and sacrifice,Irenaeus also zvorkswith aspects of thelater moralinfluence theory ofthe atonement.
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Although Irenaeuswants nothing to do
zvith such Gnostic
escapism, this is notto say that his
understanding ofsalvation can be
captured by aWestern or
Augustinianemphasis on
forgiveness.
One way in whichChrist conquers sin
and death is bygaining followers
who are persuadedby his teaching
and example.
tan is defeated not only by means of recapitulation but also by means
of the ethical response in the lives of Christ's followers.
For the Gnostics, knowledge is salvation from matter and time. Al
though Irenaeus wants nothing to do with such Gnostic escapism, thi
is not to say that his understanding of salvation can be captured by a
Western or Augustinian emphasis on forgiveness. Despite his strenu
ous opposition to Gnostic soteriology, he is not willing to abandon knowl
edge as lying at the heart of redemption.67 The full title of Irenaeus' main
workis significant: A Refutation and Subversion ofKnozvledgefalsely so calledOne does not gain true knowledge through the esoteric teachings of the
heretics but through the public revelation of Jesus Christ.
The emphasis on knowledge leads to what could be interpreted as pre
Abelardian rumblings when Irenaeus comments that "we could have
learned in no other way than by seeing our Teacher, and hearing His
voice with our own ears, that, having become imitators of his works as
well as doers of his words, we may have communion with him, receiv
ing increase from the perfect One, and from him who is prior to all
creation."69 Christ is our teacher, requiring our imitation.70
One way in which Christ conquers sin and death is by gaining follow
ers who are persuaded by his teaching and example. In the paragraph
where Irenaeus speaks about "seeing our Teacher and hearing his voice
he also makes the comment that the Word of God
did righteously turn against that apostasy, and redeem from it His ownproperty, not by violent means, as the [apostasy] had obtained dominion over us at the beginning, when it insatiably snatched away whatwas not its own, but by means of persuasion, as became a God of counsel, who does not use violent means to obtain what he desires; so thatneither should justice be infringed upon, nor the ancient handiworkofGod go to destruction.71
The Word redeemed his property by means of "persuasion," maintains
Irenaeus. He does not identify the exact subject of the persuasion; the
67. William P. Loewe helpfully points out the noetic elements in Irenaeus. He over
states his case, however, by making these noetic elements the overall pattern of
Irenaeus7 soteriology, and arguing that Christus Victor"remains but a single themeamong others" ("Irenaeus' Soteriology: Christus VictorRevisited," Anglican Theological Review 67 [1985], p. 14).
68. For knowledge or Gnostics "falselv so-called," see also AH 1.23.4; III.ll.l; IV.6.435.1; 41.4; V pref.; V.26.2.
69. AHWl.l.
70. Cf. Loewe, "Irenaeus' Soteriology: Christus VictorRevisited," p p. 3-4; Turner, Patristi
Doctrine of Redemption, 38. Several authors refer to the "pedagogical" character ofsoteriology in Irenaeus. See William P. Loewe, "Irenaeus7 Soteriology: Transposing the
Question " in Religion and Culture: Essays in Honor of Bernard Lonergan S J ed Timothy
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most likely interpretation, however, is that the revelation of God in
Christ convinces people of the truth of the gospel. In other words, re
demption is for Irenaeus not something that only takes place objec
tively in Christ, but it is something that has a subjective pole in thelives of those who become persuaded by God's revelation in Christ.72
Over against the Gnostic notion of secret knowledge imparted to an
elite segment of believers, Irenaeus insists that the revelation of the
Word is public.73 Indeed, the entire history of redemption is one in
which God reveals himself ever more clearly Not only is it the case, as
we have already noted, that the Word of salvation is present wherever
God speaks in the Old Testament narratives, but the Word also con
tinuously reveals God the Father:
And for this reason did the Word become the dispenser of the paternalgrace for the benefit of men, for whom he made such great dispensations, revealing God indeed to men, but presenting man to God, andpreserving at the same time the invisibility ofthe Father, lest man shouldat any time become a despiser of God, and that he should always possess something towards which hemight advance; but, on the other hand,revealing God tomen through many dispensations, lest man, falling awayfrom God altogether, should cease to exist. For the glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God. For if the manifestation of God which ismade bymeans of the creation, affords life to allliving in the earth, much more does that revelation of the Father whichcomes through the Word, give life to those who see God.74
The entire history is the oikonomia of the Word that continuouslyand progressively reveals God. This process of revelation climaxes
in the incarnation of the Word, and it leads finally to the visio Dei'mthe kingdom of God.75
God's revelation and teaching throughout the one economy of redemp
tion, climaxing in Christ, require a human response. The future of hu
man beings is not determined according to the various Gnostic types
(pneumatic, psychical or material).76 Irenaeus emphatically defends the
72. The theme of "persuasion" plays a prominent role throughout Against Heresies. Someof the most significant examples for the topic under discussion are the instances where
on the one hand Satan "persuades" Adam and Eve (III.23.8; V.21.2), the Antichrist "per
suades" people (V.25.1) and the Gnostics "per suade" people of lies (1.6.4; 19.1; 31.3;
II.14.8); and where on the other hand Jesus Christ (1.27.2), the disciple John (III.ll.l),
John the Baptist (III.11.4), Philip (ffl.12.15; IV.23.2), the apostles (IV.23.2), the angel speak
ing to Mary (V.19.1), and Irenaeus himself (III.25.7) "persuade" people of the truth.
73. Cf. Philip J. Lee's contrast between the private, secret illumination of Gnosticism
and the public, open character of revelation in orthodox Christianity {Against the Protestant Gnostics [New York: Oxford University Press, 1987], pp. 101-14).
74. AH IV.20.7. The entire chapter is relevant for the notion of God's increasing self-revelation through his Word and Spirit (cf. also IV.6.6).
75 S M A D "Ali t th Gl f G d A K I i ht i St I "
Redemption is forIrenaeus notsomething that
only takes placeobjectively inChrist, but it issomething that hasa subjective pole inthe lives of thosewho become
persuaded byGod's revelation
in Christ.
God's revelationand teachingthroughout theone econotny ofredemption,climaxing inChrist, require ahuman response.
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The emphatic
presence offree will
in Irenaeus makes it
fair toconclude that
salvation is
ultimately the
resultof a synergy
of divine and
human power.
The importance of
the human response
is seen also in the
place of faith andworks in Irenaeus.
freedom of the hu ma n will, both before and after the Fall. Redemption
means that God does not use violence, but "persuad es" h um an beings.
This implies an indep end ent free will, since "there is no coercion with
God...."7 7 To be sure, the "ancient law of hu ma n liberty" is no occa
sion for pride. Irenaeus adduces a number of Old Testament passages
that illustrate that "not by ourselves, but by the help ofGod, we must
be saved."78
Nonetheless, the emphatic presence of free will in Irenaeus
makes it fair to conclude that salvation is ultimately the result of a
synergy of divine and human power.79
Thus, while Irenaeus insists on
specifying divine hospitality as an entering into the historical and
material particularities of human life, this hospitality does not result
into the unjustified violence of divine coercion. While hospitality is
not afraid to express itself concretely by identifying with the otherand by sharing in their situation, hospitality would turn into hostility
if characterized by mere force.80
The importance of the human response is seen also in the place of faith
and works in Irenaeus. He regards Abraham as the father of all who
follow the example of his faith and in this way are saved.81
This does not
mean that Irenaeus, in proto-Reformation fashion, opposes faith to works.82
He consistently keeps the two together.83
Apprehensive of any Gnostic
devaluation ofthe significance ofmoral choice and good works, he warns
of the moral relativism inherent in the Gnostic position84
and insists thatby definition Christians have changed lives.
85Repeatedly, Irenaeus warns
77. AH1W.32.1.
78. AH III.20.3; cf. III.18.2. Tiessen puts it too strongly when he states that "Irenaeus
clearly affirmed the necessity of God' s grace prior to hum an choice of the good and the
decision of faith in God" {Irenaeus, 219). Irenaeus does not express any logical or tempo
ral priority, either to the work of th e Spirit or to the hu ma n response.
79. Demetrios J. Constantelos, "Irenaeos of Lyons and His Central Views on Human
Nature," St Vladimir's TheologicalQuarterly 33 (1989), pp. 360.
80. Cf. Miroslav Volf's comment: "In an embrace a host is a guest and a guest is a host.
Though one self may receive orgive more than the other, each must enter the space ofth e other, feel the presence of the other in the self, and make its own presence felt.
Without such reciprocity, there is no embrace" (Exclusion and Embrace: A TheologicalEx
ploration of Identity, Otherness, andReconciliation [Nashville: Abingdon, 1996], p. 143).
81. AH1V.5.3-5; 16.2; Dem. 24.
82. Dem. 2: "For what is the use of knowing the truth in word, while defiling the body and
accomplishing the works ofevil? Or what real good at all can bodily holiness do, if truth
be not in the soul? For these two rejoice in each other's company, and agree together and
fight side by side to set man in the presence of God." Cf. #.5.3-4; Dem. 3, 41.
83. Irenaeus does not oppos e faith to wor ks but to the Mosaic Law specifically. It is the
Law with the exception of the Decal oguethat has lost its prescriptive role (Dem. 35,
87, 89, 95-96). This emphatic assertion of normative discontinuity is all the more remarkable considering that Irenaeus opposes Marcion with a consistent appeal to the
unity of the Old and the New7
Testaments.
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of the danger of losing the Spirit of God, after which there is no furtherforgiveness ofsins, but onlythe loss ofthe kingdom of heaven.
86Irenaeus
even goes so far as to suggest that it is not sacrifices but doing justice for
the oppressed, the fatherless and the widow that "propitiates" God.87
Those who consistently refuse to do this and reject Christ will be givenover to eternal judgment as the consequence of their choice.
88
The human response, forIrenaeus, is part and parcel of God's redemptive action in Christ. Redemption does not consist solelyof a physicalunion ofthe human and the divine in the incarnation ofthe Word, something that would logicallyrequire universal redemption.
89Redemp
tion needs more than incarnation. Even knowledge, by itself, is notenough, as the Gnostics erroneously propose. For Irenaeus, revelation
and knowledge are intimately tied to Christ as the teaching modelthatrequires imitation. Hence, persuasion, free will, faith, morality and judgment all have their integral place within the whole ofIrenaeus' thought.Human maturity and perfection can only be reached by means of faithand obedience. The consequences of the Fall need to be undone byChrist's victory as it is completed in the human response that prepares
believers for the eternal kingdom.90
Thehuman
responseffor
Irenaeus, ispart
aitd parcelofGod's redemptiveaction in Christ.
CONCLUSION: ECUMENICITYAND REDEMPTIVE HOSPITALITY
Irenaeus holds out a vision of redemptive hospitality that is remarkable for its ecumenical promise. Weaving togetherthe physical and ethical approaches of later Eastern and Western thought, the Bishop of Lyonstakes his starting-point in a duality of the human predicament: humanimmaturity in creation as well as human sinfulness through the Fall. In
Irenaeus holds out
vision ofredemptiv
hospitality that is
remarkablefor its
ecumenicalpromis
86. AHYV.27.2; V.9.3; 10.1.
87. AHTV.17.1-2.
88. 10.1; 22.1; II.32.2; III.4.2; 25.4; IV.4.3; IV.6.5,7; 27.4; 28.1-3; 36.4,6; 40.1-3; V.27.1-
2. This emphasi s on jud geme nt is somewh at softened (1) by the fact that God's good
ness takes precedence over his justice (AH111.25.3) and (2) by the fact that in judgement
God is simply honouring people's own moral commitments and choices (AH.6.1;
IV.6.5; V.27.2; cf. Loewe, "Irenaeus7
Soteriology: Transposing the Question/7
p. 177; Minns,
Irenaeus, 128). Terranee Tiessen raises the question whether for Irenaeus also the
unevan gelize d can be saved, a question that he maintains cann ot be answe red conclu
sively ("Irenaeus on Salvation a nd the Millenn ium/' 3 [April 1991], pp . 2-
5; cf. Tiessen, Irenaeus, pp. 168-70).
89. Cf. Emil Brunner, The Mediator: A Study of the Central Doctrine of the Christian Taith,
trans. Olive Wyon (London: Lutterworth, 1934), p. 255; Tiessen, Irenaeus, pp. 155-58.
90. Cf. Trevor Hart's similar conclusion: "Thus we must give sufficient recognition tothe fact that man's plight is described by Irenaeus in relational language as well as that
hich has been termed 'ph sica l'" ("Irenae s Recapit lation and Ph sical Red emp
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Irenaeus thuscombines the
Eastern hope for
ontologicaltransformatioi(deification) as
God's eternalpurpose zvith the
Western longing forrestoration
(forgiveness).
I suspect that thebreadth of Irenaeus '
understanding ofredemption, does
more justice to theover-all biblicalzvitness than a
restiiction to eitherone or another of
the variousapproaches.
opposition to his opponents ' hermeneutic of violence, Irenaeus pleads
for a hermeneutic of hospitality that interprets the entire economy of
salvation from a christological and soteriological perspective: God's
hospitable and redemptive character goes back to eternity and is not amere ad hoc response to human sinfulness. Irenaeus thus combines theEastern hope for ontological transformation (deification) as God 's eter
nal purpose with the Western longing for restoration (forgiveness).
While he frequently employs the Christus Victortheme to explain God'sdealing with Satan's violence and injustice, Irenaeus does not lose sight
of the hospitable character of redemption: God does not counter vio
lence with violence: Christ gains the victory through recapitulation and
the influence of persuasion. Recapitulation, the first (objective) means
of victory, includes (1) the incarnation of the Word as a redemptivemoment, in line with the more physical views of salvation in later East
ern thought; (2) Christ's obedience in the face of Satanic temptation,
leading to a restoration of Adamic innocence emphasizing the themes
of the Fall and of restoration in line with later Western thought; and (3)
Christ's death as sacrificial and propitiatory in character. Recapitula
tion thus means that in his redemptive hospitality God does not re
main at a distance but enters into human life: though being impassible,
God has become passible in the incarnation and thus takes on human
suffering and death. God's hospitality is redemptive through his willingness to identify with the determinate and violent circumstances of
human beings. Persuasion, the second (subjective) means of victory,
emphasizes knowledge, as well as faith and obedience, as the human
response to what God has done in Christ. Irenaeus' emphasis on the
role of the freedom of the human response and on final judgment safe
guards the open, hospitable character of God's redemption. The physi
cal and ethical strands of later Eastern and Western thought and the
various models of redemptionChristus Victor, satisfaction and morainfluencehardly exclude each other.
The combination of the various approaches may well mean that
Irenaeus' theology contains certain tensions that I have not explored in
this essay. Nonetheless, I suspect that the breadth of Irenaeus' unde r
standing of redemption does more justice to the over-all biblical wit
ness than a restriction to either one or another of the various approaches.
Moreover, the breadth of the Irenaean view of salvation stands as an
ecumenical challenge for the various traditions both within Eastern
and Western Christianity. If the church's message is to offer redemp
tion to a world of violence, her harmonious unity needs to model the
message of redemptive hospitality to the world. In order to participate
in this hospitality, the church may look to Irenaeus as a model to appre
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^ s
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