Attack on Heresies
Heresy in general refers to a doctrinal belief held in opposition to the recognized standards of an established system of thought. Theologically it means an opinion at variance with the authorized teachings of any church, notably the Christian, and especially when this promotes separation from the main body of faithful believers. By the time Irenaeus wrote Against the Heresies the word became fixed to designate a group cut off from the Church by reason of false doctrine.
From apostolic times the church claimed authority to safeguard the deposit of faith handed down from Christ and consequently condemned what were considered substantial deviation from Christian orthodoxy. In the sub-apostolic age and before the year 200, there were fewer than forty distinct sects, usually named after their founder or leading exponent, which are branded heretical by Christian writers. Irenaeus attacks at least fifteen, mostly of Gnostic origin, that were current in his day.
Irenaeus’ Against the Heresies contains a profound exposition of Gnosticism and other heresies. In refuting heterodox systems he gives important testimony regarding the common beliefs of the early Christian Church. He writes: “The Church, though dispersed through the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the Apostles and their disciples this faith…” He then records Catholic belief in the genuineness of the Gospels, in the Real Presence, and in a certain pre-eminence of the Church of Rome, the precise nature of which can be determined only from the whole context of Irenaeus’ writings.
In Irenaeus’ Against the Heresies his principal attack is against the Valentinian Gnostics, whose myths shifted away from “creation” to Epist...
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...th a Gnostic myth of the creation. It is basically a retelling of the book of Genesis in an allegorical way. Irenaeus refutes the myth with the Apostalic Succession, mos maiorum, and original tradition of the Apostalic Church.
In conclusion, Irenaeus’ attacks against Christian Heresies had a major impact on the social world of that time and influenced many other heresy hunters to follow, so it is evident that his description Gnosticism and other Christian heresies is historically accurate. We can assume that the heretical groups of Christians still exists but that the true Christians don’t even acknowledge them as a threat. During Irenaeus’ time they were a threat because Christianity was still developing and people were trying to understand Christianity, and what it really is. All these critics and writers helped in developing a true understanding of Christianity.
The Catholic Church referred to most groups that attempted to improve the Church and failed as ‘heretics;’ heresy could include “resistance to or rejection of Catholic sexual belief” (Crawford 73). Through use of this term, Catholics attempted to discredit these groups by categorizing them as counters to Catholic morality. Catholics previously had used this method to discredit groups like the Cathars, Waldensians, and Albigensians; all three of which rejected Catholic hierarchies regarding sex (Crawford 74). Like the Catholic Church, throughout the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie continuously referred to Protestants as ‘heretics.’ Jeanne de Jussie too used the term to discredit the Protestants and to create a division between them and those who she considered to be true Christians: the
...ve Theology of Maimonides and Aquinas." The Review of Metaphysics Vol 41,(June 1988) pp.723-738. Print .
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