Irenaeus, Against Heresies
Summary
This reading was composed of a discussion of a series of heresies about the apostles and Jesus. Irenæus explained for each heresy why it was wrong. Throughout, he emphasized the importance and authority of Scripture and tradition, as well as the ability of the apostles to accurately convey God's word. Since the apostles spoke only under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they were all in agreement about who God was, as well as the rest of their doctrine. Irenæus spent a large amount of time discussing the relationship of the Father and the Son, and explained how they were both one and the same God, while clearly being separate as well. He touched on some mystical number theory to explain the fourness of the gospels. Irenæus also included some refutation of misinterpretations of specific Bible passages, and how these examples did not really contradict the rest.