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PG 7 · cols. 841–844
Analysis libri tertii
Editors' preface
4. Quoniam autem dictis nostris consonat praedicatio apostolorum, et Domini magisterium, et prophetarum annuntiatio, et apostolorum dictatio, et legislationis ministratio, unum eumdemque omnium Deum Patrem laudantium; et non alium atque alium, neque ex diversis diis aut virtutibus substantiam habentem: sed ex uno et eodem Patre omnia, (qui tamen aptat secundum subjacentium naturas, et dispositionem) et neque ab Angelis, neque ab alia quadam Virtute, sed a solo Deo Patre, visibilia atque invisibilia, et omnia omnino quaecunque facta sunt: arbitror quidem sufficienter ostensum et per haec, tanta, uno ostenso Deo Patre factore omnium. Sed ne putemur fugere illam, quae ex Scripturis Dominicis est probationem, ipsis Scripturis multo manifestius et clarius hoc ipsum praedicantibus, his tamen qui non prave intendunt eis proprium librum, qui sequitur has Scripturas, reddentes, ex Scripturis divinis probationes apponemus in medio omnibus amantibus veritatem.
4. Now since the preaching of the apostles, and the teaching of the Lord, and the proclamation of the prophets, and the dictation of the apostles, and the ministration of the giving of the law agree with our words in praising one and the same God the Father of all, and not one and another, nor having substance from diverse gods or powers, but all things from one and the same Father (Who nevertheless adapts them according to the natures of the underlying things and His dispensation), and that neither by Angels nor by any other Power, but by God the Father alone, were made things visible and invisible, and all things whatsoever that have been made: I judge indeed that so great things have been sufficiently shown through these arguments also, the one God the Father, the Maker of all things, having been shown. Yet lest we be thought to shun that proof which is from the Scriptures of the Lord—when the Scriptures themselves much more manifestly and clearly proclaim this very thing to those who do not perversely attend to them—rendering a special book, which follows these Scriptures, we shall set forth in the midst the proofs from the divine Scriptures for all who love the truth.
ANALYSIS LIBRI TERTII.
Analysis of the Third Book.
Praecedente in libro Valentinianos suo ut plurimum ipsorum gladio auctor noster jugulaverat, id est, errores eorum stirpitus extraxerat, petitis ex falsa ipsorummet doctrina argumentis, et rationibus. Jam vero ad eos divina Scripturae sacrae et Traditionis auctoritate refellendos aggreditur. Primum itaque quatuor docet tradita nobis esse Evangelia, quae tam clare Deum unicum praedicant, ut haeretici inde victi, de earumdem expostularent Scripturarum corruptione, atque ad Traditionem provocarent. Verum ii ipsi non minori ejusdem ipsius Traditionis perspicuitate et evidentia fracti pariter et oppressi, se caeteris omnibus presbyteris, atque etiam apostolis praestantiores stulte gloriabantur. Sed nequidquam. Irenaeus enim invicte contra eos urget Traditionem, quae ab apostolis per successiones presbyterorum, seu episcoporum in Ecclesia praesertim Romana custoditur: quam quidem confirmat Polycarpi apostolorum discipuli, atque etiam Ephesinae, et Smyrnensis Ecclesiae auctoritate. Unde concludit, a sola Ecclesia catholica, Traditionis et doctrinae apostolicae custode, petendam esse veritatem; haeresesque omnes apertas novitatis notas prae se ferre, et apostolis recentiores esse demonstrat.
In the preceding book our author had for the most part slain the Valentinians with their own sword, that is, had rooted out their errors by arguments and reasons drawn from their own false doctrine. Now, however, he undertakes to refute them by the divine authority of Sacred Scripture and of Tradition. First, therefore, he teaches that four Gospels have been handed down to us, which so clearly proclaim the one only God that the heretics, vanquished thereby, complained of the corruption of those same Scriptures and appealed to Tradition. Yet they themselves, broken and overwhelmed alike by the no less clearness and evidence of that very Tradition, foolishly boasted that they were superior to all the rest of the presbyters and even to the apostles. But in vain. For Irenaeus invincibly urges against them the Tradition which from the apostles is preserved through the successions of presbyters or bishops, especially in the Roman Church; which indeed he confirms by the authority of Polycarp, the disciple of the apostles, and also of the Ephesian and Smyrnaean Churches. Whence he concludes that the truth is to be sought from the Catholic Church alone, the guardian of apostolic Tradition and doctrine, and demonstrates that all heresies display manifest marks of novelty and are more recent than the apostles.
Hinc ad argumentum ex Scripturis petitum reversus, ex iis demonstrat unum duntaxat esse Deum, mundi conditorem, ac duplicem objectionem ex his Pauli verbis: Deus saeculi hujus excaecavit mentes infidelium; atque Matthaei: Non potestis Deo servire et mammonae; deductam, luculenter diluit. Tum ex singulorum Evangeliorum testimoniis inceptum de Deo uno argumentum prosequitur; atque ex Joanne varios de mundi creatione, et assumpta a Christo humana carne destruit errores. Ut vero variis haereticorum argutiis viam omnem praecluderet, palam facit quatuor tantum, nec plura nec pauciora esse Christi evangelia, ac perperam illa ab iisdem veritatis evangelicae inimicis corrupta et depravata fuisse.
Returning hence to the argument drawn from the Scriptures, he demonstrates from them that there is one God only, the Founder of the world, and lucidly refutes a twofold objection deduced from these words of Paul: The God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers; and of Matthew: You cannot serve God and mammon. Then from the testimonies of the individual Gospels he pursues the argument begun concerning the one God; and from John destroys various errors concerning the creation of the world and the human flesh assumed by Christ. Moreover, to shut off every avenue to the various subtleties of the heretics, he makes it plain that the Gospels of Christ are four only, neither more nor fewer, and that they were wrongfully corrupted and depraved by the same enemies of evangelical truth.
Ex Actuum porro apostolicorum libro probat, ab apostolis, aliisque eorum et Christi discipulis praedicari summam unius mundi opificis divinitatem. Ibi autem illos merito corripit, qui eosdem apostolos juxta praeconceptas indoctae plebis opiniones locutos esse garriebant. Marcionem vero, qui alium dicebat Veteris quam Novi Testamenti auctorem, atque eos etiam, vel qui Paulum solum ex apostolis cognovisse veritatem contendebant, vel qui ejusdem auctoritatem elevabant, late confutat.
Furthermore, from the book of the Acts of the Apostles he proves that the supreme divinity of the one Maker of the world is proclaimed by the apostles and by others of their and Christ's disciples. And there he deservedly rebukes those who babbled that the same apostles spoke according to the preconceived opinions of the unlearned common people. Moreover, he refutes at length Marcion, who said that the author of the Old Testament was other than that of the New, and those also who either contended that Paul alone of the apostles knew the truth, or disparaged his authority.
Triplex deinde evertit de Christo Domino traditum ab haereticis commentum: ac luculenter ostendit, unum et eumdem esse Christum et Jesum, qui vere Deus est et homo; vere Deus ab altissimo Patre ab aeterno genitus; qui veram carnem redimendorum hominum causa suscepit. Quapropter docet illum ex Virgine, sicuti Isaias his verbis: Ecce virgo concipiet et pariet, praedixerat, mortalem suam duxisse originem. Porro autem de horum Isaiae verborum vera lectione genuinoque sensu fuse et docte disputat. Ac obiter versionis LXX interpretum auctoritate commendata, Christum verum Deum et hominem fuisse contra omnes haereticos, id varie negantes, liquido demonstrat. Quid plura? Ex eodem sacri Vatis testimonio colligit, Chris⟨t⟩um ex genere David, minime tamen ex Josepho ortum, e coelo hunc descendisse in mundum; quod multiplici subinde tum ratione, tum auctoritate confirmat.
Next he overthrows a threefold figment handed down by the heretics concerning Christ the Lord, and lucidly shows that Christ and Jesus are one and the same, Who is truly God and man—truly God begotten from eternity by the Most High Father, Who took true flesh for the sake of redeeming men. Wherefore he teaches that He drew His mortal origin from the Virgin, just as Isaiah had foretold in these words: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear. Furthermore, he disputes at length and learnedly concerning the true reading and genuine sense of these words of Isaiah. And having in passing commended the authority of the version of the Seventy translators, he clearly demonstrates against all heretics, who variously denied it, that Christ was true God and man. What more? From the same testimony of the sacred Prophet he gathers that Christ, sprung from the race of David, yet by no means from Joseph, came down from heaven into the world; which he repeatedly confirms by manifold reason and authority.
Neque tamen ibi stat vir doctissimus, sed ulterius progressus, palam omnino facit, Christum, qui
Yet the most learned man does not stop there, but advancing further makes it altogether plain that Christ, Who
Editors' notes and page, col. 841
Footnotes
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(5) ‹anchor: not on this page› · call in col 841-842
Praefat.
Preface.
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(6) ‹anchor: rationibus› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 1.
Chapter 1.
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(7) ‹anchor: carent› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 2.
Chapter 2.
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(8) ‹anchor: stulte gloriabantur› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 3.
Chapter 3.
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(9) ‹anchor: Ecclesiae auctoritate› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 4.
Chapter 4.
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(10) ‹anchor: (paragraph opening) Hinc ad› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 5 et seq.
Chapter 5 and following.
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(11) ‹anchor: ex iis demonstrat› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 7 et seq.
Chapter 7 and following.
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(12) ‹anchor: luculenter diluit› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 9 et seq.
Chapter 9 and following.
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(13) ‹anchor: argumentum prosequitur› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 11.
Chapter 11.
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(14) ‹anchor: destruit errores› · call in col 841-842
Ibid.
In the same place.
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(15) ‹anchor: libro probat› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 12.
Chapter 12.
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(16) ‹anchor: merito corripit› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 15 et seqq.
Chapter 15 and following.
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(17) ‹anchor: (paragraph opening) Triplex deinde› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 16 et seqq.
Chapter 16 and following.
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(18) ‹anchor: causa suscepit› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 21 et seqq.
Chapter 21 and following.
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(19) ‹anchor: (paragraph opening) Neque tamen› · call in col 841-842
Cap. 22.
Chapter 22.
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(27) ‹anchor: lemma Nuncupationes; call not on this page› · call in col 841
Nuncupationes. Sic editt. omnes et e mss. solus Clarom., nam caeteri perperam habent nuncupationis, quia sequitur pronomina.
Nuncupationes ("namings"). So all the editions, and among the manuscripts only the Claromontanus; the rest wrongly have nuncupationis, because pronomina follows.
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(28) ‹anchor: lemma Pronomina; call not on this page› · call in col 841
Pronomina. Pro cognomina.
Pronomina: for cognomina ("surnames").
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(29) ‹anchor: lemma Legislationis ministratio; call not on this page› · call in col 841
Legislationis ministratio. Legem Mosaicam intelligit, ministerio angelorum datam.
Legislationis ministratio ("the ministry of the lawgiving"): he means the Mosaic Law, given by the ministry of angels.
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(30) ‹anchor: lemma Aptat; call not on this page› · call in col 841
Aptat. In Feuard. edit. perperam, apta.
Aptat ("fits"): Feuardent's edition wrongly has apta.
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(31) ‹anchor: lemma Subjacentium naturas; call not on this page› · call in col 841
Subjacentium naturas. Ita Feuard. in marg., Clarom., Voss. et Grab. Consentiunt quoad postremam vocem Arund. et Merc. 2, sed non quoad primam, nam et ipsi habent subjacentiam; caeteri subjacentiam naturam.
Subjacentium naturas ("the natures of the things lying beneath"): so Feuardent in the margin, the Claromontanus, the Vossianus and Grabe. The Arundel manuscript and Mercerus's second manuscript agree on the second word but not the first, for they too have subjacentiam; the rest have subjacentiam naturam.
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Page
- running head: 841 CONTRA HAERESES LIB. III. 842
- marginal letters: A centium naturas
- old-edition numerals: 172 before Praecedente
- other: Latin only, no Greek printed; editors' matter: ANALYSIS LIBRI TERTII. Praecedente in libro (Analysis of Book III across cols 841-842)
- misprint: "Chris um" (a letter dropped from the type) in the Analysis's next-to-last paragraph; set as Chris⟨t⟩um, listed in misprints.tsv
Editors' notes and page, col. 842
Footnotes
(32) ‹anchor: arbitror quidem sufficienter ostensum› · call in col 842
Ostensum. Editt. ostensa.
Ostensum ("shown"): the editions have ostensa.
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(33) ‹anchor: uno ostenso Deo› · call in col 842
Uno ostenso Deo, etc. Mallet Grabius, unum ostensum Deum Patrem, etc. Sed frustra et repugnante Irenaei sensu, qui sublata mala interpunctione planus est. Semel, inquit, ostenso uno Deo Patre, factore omnium, arbitror et per haec, seu simul ostensa tanta quae jam dixi.
Uno ostenso Deo ("the one God having been shown"), etc. Grabe would prefer unum ostensum Deum Patrem, etc. But this is needless, and Irenaeus's sense is against it; that sense is plain once the faulty punctuation is removed. He says: "Once the one God the Father, the maker of all, has been shown, I think, also through these things," that is, "once so many things as I have already said have been shown together."
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(34) ‹anchor: qui sequitur has Scripturas› · call in col 842
Qui sequitur has Scripturas. Id est, qui vestigiis earum Scripturarum insistit, easque recte explicat.
Qui sequitur has Scripturas ("who follows these Scriptures"): that is, who walks in the footsteps of those Scriptures and explains them rightly.
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Page
- other: col 842 is the right-hand number of a full-width page, set whole under col 841 (corpus full_width rule); nothing of its own: pointer only
- other: the calls (32)–(34) are printed in the closing lines of Book II at the top of col 842 (to move with that section to contra_haereses_ii per NR-515); the tail of footnote (31) "jacentiam naturam." heads the right foot and belongs with (31) under n841.
hominem in Adamo per virginem Evam lapsum redempturus advenerat, debuisse ex virgine veram induere hominis carnem. Data autem isthic de Adamo fusius disserendi occasione, probat contra Tatiani sectatorumque ejus opinionem, dimissa fuisse primo illi hominum parenti peccata, et aeternam eum adeptum esse felicitatem. Postremo postquam ea quae hactenus contra haereses dixerat, summatim collegit, mundum asserit unius Dei regi providentia; et falsum Marcionem, qui duos deos, unum bonum, malum alterum insulse omnino induxit.
had come to redeem man, who had fallen in Adam through the virgin Eve, ought to have put on the true flesh of man from a virgin. And the occasion being given here of discussing Adam at greater length, he proves, against the opinion of Tatian and his followers, that his sins were forgiven to that first parent of men, and that he attained eternal happiness. Lastly, after he has gathered up in summary what he had so far said against the heresies, he asserts that the world is ruled by the providence of one God; and [shows] Marcion false, who quite senselessly introduced two gods, the one good, the other evil.
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Editors' notes and page, col. 843
Footnotes
(20) ‹anchor: induere hominis carnem› · call in col 843
Cap. 23.
Chapter 23.
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(21) ‹anchor: adeptum esse felicitatem› · call in col 843
Cap. 24 et seq.
Chapter 24 and following.
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(35) ‹anchor: Tu quidem› · call in col 843
Tu quidem. Merc. 2, codd. Quia quidem.
"Tu quidem" (You indeed): Merc. 2 and the manuscripts read "Quia quidem" (Since indeed).
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Page
- running head: S. IRENÆI EPISCOPI LUGDUNENSIS ET MARTYRIS (page 843–844; the full-width lines run across both columns and are set whole here)
- marginal letters: (none)
- old-edition numerals: 173 before PRÆFATIO (Book III text, not this unit)
- other: footnote (22) "Luc. x, 16." printed in the same foot line is called at "misit" in col 844; it is listed under n844.
- other: "sectatorumque" — the scan shows a smudged letter (looks like "seetatorumque"); read as damaged c, not a misprint. UNSURE.
- other: "et falsum Marcionem ... induxit" has no governing verb as printed; English supplies [shows].
- other: "isthic" as printed.
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Editors' notes and page, col. 844
Footnotes
(22) ‹anchor: et eum qui me misit› · call in col 844
Luc. X, 16.
Luke 10:16.
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(36) ‹anchor: emendatores se esse apostolorum› · call in col 844
Gloriantes, emendatores se esse Apostolorum, etc. Marcionitas perstringit, qui Scripturas Novi Testamenti, et in primis Evangelium Lucae foede mutilaverant atque depravaverant. Lege Tertull., lib. II contra Marcion., et Epiphan., haeres. 42.
"Boasting that they are correctors of the apostles," etc. He censures the Marcionites, who had foully mutilated and corrupted the Scriptures of the New Testament, and above all the Gospel of Luke. Read Tertullian, book II Against Marcion, and Epiphanius, Heresy 42.
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(37) ‹anchor: supervenientis Spiritus sancti› · call in col 844
Supervenientis Spiritus sancti. Eras., Gall., Arund., Ottobon. et Merc. 2, superveniente Spiritu sancto.
"Supervenientis Spiritus sancti" (of the Holy Spirit coming upon them): Erasmus, Gallasius, the Arundel and Ottoboni manuscripts and Merc. 2 read "superveniente Spiritu sancto" (the Holy Spirit having come upon them).
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(38) ‹anchor: Ὁ μὲν δὴ Ματθαῖος› · call in col 844
Ὁ μὲν δὲ Ματθαῖος. Graeca haec Irenaei verba allegavit Eusebius lib. V Hist., c. 8.
"Ὁ μὲν δὲ Ματθαῖος" (Now Matthew): Eusebius quoted these Greek words of Irenaeus in book V of the History, chapter 8.
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(39) ‹anchor: τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν› · call in col 844
Ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν. Non Irenaei modo, sed et veterum omnium ea est sententia, Matthaeum Hebraico sermone Evangelium suum conscripsisse. Eorum testimonia, notissima cum sint, et passim obvia, referre supervacaneum foret. Legi possunt apud doctissimum D. Eliam Du Pin, tom. II Dissertat. Praelimin. in sacra Biblia, cap. 2. Sed ex Irenaei verbis concludere merito possumus, Hebraicam illam linguam, qua scriptum fuisse Matthaei Evangelium asserunt antiqui Patres, fuisse non veterem illam librorum Antiqui Testamenti, sed Syriacam, seu potius Syro-Chaldaicam, quae Christi et apostolorum temporibus in Judaea vulgaris erat, quaeque in Novo Testamento Hebraica passim vocitatur. Perspicua sunt haec: Ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Γραφὴν ἐξήνεγκεν Εὐαγγελίου, apud Hebraeos propria eorum lingua conscriptum edidit Evangelium. Constat vero propriam Judaeorum tunc temporis linguam fuisse Syro-Chaldaicam. Cum Irenaeo consentiunt qui ex veteribus affirmant, Matthaeum Hebraice scripsisse. Id enim ab eo praestitum asserunt in gratiam Judaeorum recens ad Christi fidem conversorum, ut absente Matthaeo Evangelium, quod sibi ab ipso nuntiatum fuerat, privatim legere possent. Eo igitur sermone scriptum erat, quo et nuntiatum fuerat, quique a Judaeorum vulgo facile intelligeretur. Sed haec fusius prosequi, nostri non est instituti. Lege D. Eliam Du Pin, loco cit.
"Among the Hebrews in their own dialect." Not Irenaeus's view alone but that of all the ancients is that Matthew wrote his Gospel in the Hebrew tongue. Since their testimonies are very well known and met with everywhere, it would be superfluous to cite them; they may be read in the most learned M. Élie Du Pin, vol. II of the Preliminary Dissertation on the Holy Bible, chapter 2. But from Irenaeus's words we may rightly conclude that the Hebrew language in which the ancient Fathers assert Matthew's Gospel was written was not the old language of the books of the Old Testament, but Syriac, or rather Syro-Chaldaic, which was the common speech in Judaea in the time of Christ and the apostles, and which in the New Testament is everywhere called Hebrew. These words are clear: Ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Γραφὴν ἐξήνεγκεν Εὐαγγελίου, "among the Hebrews he published the Gospel written in their own language." And it is established that the proper language of the Jews at that time was Syro-Chaldaic. Those of the ancients who affirm that Matthew wrote in Hebrew agree with Irenaeus. For they assert that he did this for the sake of the Jews newly converted to the faith of Christ, so that in Matthew's absence they might read privately the Gospel he had preached to them. It was therefore written in the same tongue in which it had been preached, one easily understood by the common people of the Jews. But to pursue this at greater length is not our purpose. Read M. Élie Du Pin, in the place cited.
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Page
- other: the full-width lines at the top of page 843–844 that end the Analysis of Book III are set whole under col 843; nothing of this unit stands only in col 844.
- running head: S. IRENÆI EPISCOPI LUGDUNENSIS ET MARTYRIS
- marginal letters: A ‹hoc est, Dei Filii doctrinam›; B ‹cere quoniam ante praedicaverunt›; C ‹qua scriptum fuisse (footnote 39 continued)›
- old-edition numerals: 174 after agnitionem (Book III text, not this unit)