Adversus Valentini, & similium gnosticorum haereses, libri quinque

Knowledge; no one, unless by a profligate and ruined mind's cloud, no one in short unless entirely blinded and possessed by Satan, will be able to despise and reject the doctrine, faith, and consensus of such excellent servants of God.

BUT let us descend from the thesis general proposition to the hypothesis specific case, that is, from the universal to the individual: to the books of the one Blessed Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon and Martyr. These books have been recognized, corrected, and enriched by us now for a second time, and are now commended and offered to your Illustrious and Reverend Highness. Without any controversy, the ancients held him as the most ancient, learned, and holy author. He had as his teacher a listener of John the Apostle and Evangelist referring to Polycarp; indeed, he also conversed familiarly with many other Presbyters who were disciples and successors of the Apostles. Whatever they discussed concerning the Lord, and his Apostles' doctrine, morals, life, and death, this young man conceived with an eager and sharp intellect, committed it to a most tenacious memory, and revealed it to others as much as was proper and fitting. He lived and flourished in those times when the recently poured blood of Christ was still glowing around the hearts of the pious, and those most excellent external and internal gifts of the Holy Spirit—prophecy, the interpretation of tongues, and every kind of performing miracles—were still flourishing in the Church. In all the earth, the sound of the Apostles and their words almost still resounded and were heard, as he himself is a most ample witness. "We ourselves heard many brothers in the Church," Book 5, chapter 6; Book 2, chapters 56 and 57; Eusebius, book 5, chapter 7. he says, "who both have the gifts of prophecy, and speak in various tongues through the grace of the Holy Spirit, and bring the secrets of men into the open, and explain the mysteries of God clearly and evidently. Others cure those who are afflicted with heavy diseases through the imposition of hands. Already even the dead have been raised, and stayed with us for many years." These are his words: by which, I believe, no one is so wild or cruel that they would not be seized by love, admiration, and veneration for such a man. No one would not listen gladly and attentively to him discussing sacred things; no one would not rise Hebrews 11 and plainly assent to him confirming Catholic dogmas; no one would not agree with him rejecting and condemning heresies. Indeed, by these genuine works and his writings, although deceased in body, he still discusses and speaks with us, still explains Apostolic traditions and opinions, and still refutes old and new errors.

FURTHERMORE, who would not marvel at the supreme erudition and skill of the man in both divine and human affairs? Since he learned the sacred scriptures, like another Timothy, from infancy under the teacher Polycarp, he wisely proves and undermines all heresies twice over, copiously and gravely, especially in the three later books; indeed, he confirms Catholic dogmas in a marvelous manner. Embracing Apostolic traditions with a fresh memory, and having the successions, forms of doctrine, rites,

and customs of the principal Churches throughout the world ready at hand, he draws from these the arguments and reasons by which he suppressed and condemned all errors. He exhorts and impels everyone, as holily as he does gravely, to embrace the faith and obedience of the one, holy, Book 3, chapter 3. Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church. Nor were the divine writings of preceding Fathers or dissertations on Theological matters hidden from him, since he read, weighed, inserted into his books, and constantly threw against the enemies of our faith the writings and traditions of Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Papias, the Shepherd Hermas, Justin Martyr, and certain other similar anonymous authors. He did this with a singular happiness of intellect. Indeed, he was a man of all disciplines, as Tertullian testifies of him, a most curious Book against the Valentinians. explorer. He persuaded himself that he should not abstain from the reading and investigation of heretical commentaries, so that he might tear down their recognized errors from their very own principles, decrees, and contradictions; which he performed and provided in a marvelous manner, especially in the whole of the second book. Also, the diligent and strenuous work he bestowed upon all the Greek Philosophers and Poets is openly shown by their testimonies, which he praised both frequently and aptly: and the errors of the Gnostics are called back to those things as if to their own sources. Also, heresies that were plainly portentous, and hidden and concealed by their authors with incredible zeal, were brought into the open like wild beasts from their dens; moreover, being refuted and torn apart by most firm arguments, they sufficiently manifest how much power he had in the art of discourse.

WHO therefore can reasonably doubt that it happened that the writings of such a great man were eagerly sought after, transcribed, perfected, and cited for confirming our dogmas against their enemies, even by the ancient Fathers? For the blessed Pope Gregory sufficiently indicates that both Roman and Gallic Pontiffs burned with a great desire for them, since they had long been hidden through the horrendous persecutions of Tyrants and the frauds of heretics, writing thus to Etherius, Bishop of Vienne in Gaul: "It has been a long time since we solicitously sought the writings of the blessed Irenaeus: but so far it has not been possible to find anything from them." Damascene, Melissa, Anastasius of Nicaea, Oecumenius, Euthymius, Arethas, and Andreas of Cappadocia gladly adorn their own writings with the opinions of IRENAEUS, like inlaid mosaics or most shining stars. Theodoret, in three Dialogues against various heresies, cites IRENAEUS in eighteen places as an illustrious Theologian of Apostolic times to be revered by all. Augustine opposes the same man once and again as a most firm rampart against the Pelagian waves. Epiphanius was held by such great zeal for this man that he not only frequently uses his words and opinions: but even transcribes the first eighteen chapters of his first book word for word in a continuous discourse, and inserts them into his own books against heresies. Jerome, besides the Catalog The book On Illustrious Men, also in his Commentaries on the Prophets,