Against Heresies: Book 3 (Irenaeus of Lyons)

In Book 3 of Against Heresies, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons continues his refutation of Gnostic teachings and elaborates on the unity and truth of the Christian faith. He begins by pointing out that the Apostles did not speak about the mysteries of God until they received gifts and power from the Holy Spirit. The fact that we have an unbroken lineage from the Apostles to our own day points to this power. Indeed, Irenaeus lists, by name, the bishops of Rome in this lineage, further drawing out that it is through the Church – through the Holy Spirit – that the truth is preserved. And it is in the church that it can be found. Next, he shows how the Holy Spirit is present in the Old Testament, reaffirms that God is the creator, not a demiurge, and refutes the error of the Ebionites who claimed that the Apostle Paul was the only Apostle with true wisdom.