In evangelical churches, especially those leaning toward fundamentalism, reading the early church fathers may cause one’s devotion to be questioned. In America today, however, Christians need all available resources to fulfill the obligation “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you . . .” (1 Pet. 3:15b).[1] This includes the writings of the earliest believers. As the need for good apologetics has grown, the study of the early church fathers has proven critical in defending the historicity of the New Testament. For evangelicals, St. Irenaeus of Lyons can pave the way into a deeper understanding of the early church without feeling one must first have a degree in philosophy and with the security of not having to consider the most divisive issues between Protestant and Catholic theologies.

The fear and hatred of the earliest Christians, by modern evangelicals, can easily be seen on websites, blogs, and in other online articles such as THE CHURCH FATHERS: A DOOR TO ROME. This article proclaims “that the ‘early Fathers’ were mostly heretics!”[2] The author “warns” that “Many people have walked into the Roman Catholic Church through the broad door of the ‘church fathers.’. . .”[3] Many Protestants who share this view have only experienced small sections of Augustine’s writings. This experience is usually in a setting where they are neither interested in nor prepared for the philosophical and highly “Catholic” nature of his work.

Irenaeus’ writings are quite different as many practices that are now considered Catholic were not as prevalent, or at least not as obvious, in his writings. In Against the Heresies one finds a brother confronting false teachers. He defends the Faith with well-reasoned logic, yet he is not overly philosophical. Irenaeus also reveals a sarcasm and sense of humor that would still get laughs in a boy’s locker room. When exposing Valentinians’ view of creation, Irenaeus makes fun of the belief that Intention created all the waters from her tears. He recognizes different types of waters and surmises one (salty) may come from tears and the other (sweet) from her perspiration and then concludes “Furthermore, since some waters in the world are hot and pungent, you ought to know what Intention did and from what member these were emitted!”[4] This type of crude wit can help a modern audience relate to Irenaeus and see him as a person instead of a vague “church father.”

Irenaeus was not just a fellow believer with a quick wit; Steven Tyra calls him “the second century’s great champion of orthodoxy.”[5] James Wiegel credits him with being “the first Christian author” to utilize what is now the New Testament “as scripture.” [6] His influence was not only important in the second century, but maybe even more so today. In Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace utilizes Irenaeus’ witness to support the historicity of Mark’s Gospel with a modern investigative technique called “forensic statement analysis.”[7] Wallace later teaches the importance of the “chain of custody,”[8] and Irenaeus’ documentation is crucial as he is the link back to the apostle John via Polycarp.[9]

For an apologist today, St. Irenaeus is a resource that should not be forsaken. In fact, there is much to be learned from all of the early church fathers, not just Irenaeus. Due to long held prejudices, however, many believers refuse to even consider that these early brothers in Christ have left anything of value. If given an opportunity, Irenaeus may just be the one who can open the door for many evangelicals. His doctrine is not as overtly Catholic as Augustine’s or as difficult to comprehend. What he brings to the discussion is vital to bridge the gap between the early church and the twelve apostles, to provide the historicity of the Gospels, and to reassure the faithful that there has always been a need for believers to defend the faith.

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[1] All Bible references are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted.

[2] NYer, “THE CHURCH FATHERS: A DOOR TO ROME (fundamentalist warns saying they sound too Catholic),” Free Republic, August 30, 2009, accessed February 23, 2019, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2328140/posts.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Irenaeus of Lyons, Against the Heresies: Book 1, trans. Dominic J. Unger, ed. Walter J. Burghardt, Thomas Comerford Lawler, and John J. Dillon (New York, NY: The Newman Press, 1992), 32.

[5] Steven W. Tyra, “When Considering Creation, Simply Follow the Rule (of Faith): Patristic Exegesis of Romans 8:19-22 and the Theological Interpretation of Scripture,” Journal of Theological Interpretation 8, no. 2 (Fall 2014): 254.

[6] James B. Wiegel, “The Trinitarian Structure of Irenaeus’ Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching,” St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 58, no. 2 (2014): 116.

[7] J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013), 91-92.

[8] Ibid., 119-127. 

[9] Irenaeus of Lyons, Against the Heresies: Book 3, trans. Dominic J. Unger (New York, NY: The Newman Press, 2012), 33.