Irenaeus and Salvation -- Introductory Comments
THE SOTERIOLOGICAL THEORY OF IRENAEUS
Irenaeus laid out his theory of salvation in the way he did in large part because of the threat he perceived coming from Gnosticism, a philosophical position that in his mind denigrated the material world and with it the incarnation. In the course of several postings I will lay out something of his understanding of salvation (soteriology) as a way of showing how the early church wrestled with its biblical inheritance.
He strongly opposed the Gnostic claim that the world, as originally created, was the work of the demiurge (a secondary god) and that this world as created was less than perfect.Through his doctrine of creation and then through the doctrine of recapitulation, Irenaeus affirmed the goodness of God's creation. He insisted that the reason humanity is less than perfect now was not the result of a failure in the creation of humanity or because of a failure of God's love. Although humanity is caught in sin, God has provided a way of salvation, which is defined as the doctrine of recapitulation. Recapitulation is, in reality, a very interesting way of dealing with the incarnation and the cross.
Although a fully defined New Testament was not yet in existence, Irenaeus knew and used much of what became the New Testament – especially the letters of Paul. In his writings, he provided a detailed conception of salvation that saw in Christ the inauguration of a new humanity. Through this order of salvation, God seeks to free humanity from Satan's grasp.1 Such an understanding of Christ’s work is often described in terms of the ransom theory of the atonement.
It is interesting that Irenaeus' view of humanity and salvation provided the foundation for John Hick's important work, Evil and the God of Love. Revised Edition, (Harper and Row, 1978). Hick found an effective model for understanding human life and for constructing a theodicy – a defense of God in the light of existence of evil.
In a series of posts over the next few days I’ll lay out Irenaeus’s position and invite you to consider whether this is a useful model for understanding the Christian doctrine of salvation.
________________________
1. J. Patout Burns, ed., Theological Anthropology, in Sources of Early Christian Thought, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981), 2-3. J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, 170-71. Bengt Hägglund, History of Theology, (St. Louis, Concordia Publ. House, 1968), 46-47.
Irenaeus laid out his theory of salvation in the way he did in large part because of the threat he perceived coming from Gnosticism, a philosophical position that in his mind denigrated the material world and with it the incarnation. In the course of several postings I will lay out something of his understanding of salvation (soteriology) as a way of showing how the early church wrestled with its biblical inheritance.
He strongly opposed the Gnostic claim that the world, as originally created, was the work of the demiurge (a secondary god) and that this world as created was less than perfect.Through his doctrine of creation and then through the doctrine of recapitulation, Irenaeus affirmed the goodness of God's creation. He insisted that the reason humanity is less than perfect now was not the result of a failure in the creation of humanity or because of a failure of God's love. Although humanity is caught in sin, God has provided a way of salvation, which is defined as the doctrine of recapitulation. Recapitulation is, in reality, a very interesting way of dealing with the incarnation and the cross.
Although a fully defined New Testament was not yet in existence, Irenaeus knew and used much of what became the New Testament – especially the letters of Paul. In his writings, he provided a detailed conception of salvation that saw in Christ the inauguration of a new humanity. Through this order of salvation, God seeks to free humanity from Satan's grasp.1 Such an understanding of Christ’s work is often described in terms of the ransom theory of the atonement.
It is interesting that Irenaeus' view of humanity and salvation provided the foundation for John Hick's important work, Evil and the God of Love. Revised Edition, (Harper and Row, 1978). Hick found an effective model for understanding human life and for constructing a theodicy – a defense of God in the light of existence of evil.
In a series of posts over the next few days I’ll lay out Irenaeus’s position and invite you to consider whether this is a useful model for understanding the Christian doctrine of salvation.
________________________
1. J. Patout Burns, ed., Theological Anthropology, in Sources of Early Christian Thought, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981), 2-3. J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, 170-71. Bengt Hägglund, History of Theology, (St. Louis, Concordia Publ. House, 1968), 46-47.
Comments