This fresh new translation of books 4 and 5 of Irenaeus’s Against the Heresies by Unger and Moringello is a valuable resource for a number of reasons. The book’s introduction offers a helpful survey of Irenaeus’ thought, particularly the elements expressed in this volume. The introduction outlines four key concepts in Irenaeus – (a) the rule of faith (kanon) -- how the Trinity is rightly expressed in Scripture; (b) the economy (oikonomia) of God -- which expresses the vision of God for salvation; (c) the recapitulation (anakephalaiosis) of Old Testament themes in the New Testament; and (d) the truly living human being (homo viviens) -- who is made truly alive only through the power of the gospel. The introduction notes that the heretics whom Irenaeus addresses might be generally called “gnostics” because of their belief in a different God in the Old Testament than that of the New Testament, and their doubt in the full humanity of Jesus Christ. However, Irenaeus more typically addresses specific heretics such as Ptolemy, Valentinus, and Marcion, rather than generalizing his comments about all gnostics (pp. 4-7). He also addressed the Ebionites who doubted the full divinity of Christ. We learn from Irenaeus what these heretics taught, since many of their writings are not extant, and how the orthodox church responded to them. Irenaeus’ overall goal was to “expose” and “refute” the heretics. In the prior books, Irenaeus used reason to solve “all the difficulties” raised by the heretics, and from the gospels “explained the doctrines of the Apostles.” In book four, Irenaeus argues for the unity of God in Jesus’ parables, and in book five, he utilizes the apocalyptic writings to reaffirm the resurrection and the millennial reign of the church (p. 262).

The translation itself is a work of textual criticism in seeking to establish the original text of Irenaeus. The translators offer copious endnotes (119 pages of notes and bibliography). The translators detail the extant textual variants in the various historical manuscripts of this text and explain why they chose one text over other options. The translators also offer helpful guidance about the specific meaning of some of Irenaeus’ words. This new translation will undoubtedly become a standard version used for many years to come.

Irenaeus’ words are significant in understanding the theology of the early church and the theology of its heretics. Pope Benedict XVI described Irenaeus as the first true systematic theologian (p. 1), and writings such as this are inherently valuable to the church. Irenaeus’ writings reveal that Athens did, in fact, have much to do with Jerusalem (much to Tertullian’s dismay). The Greek philosophical worldview pervades Irenaeus’ writings, in particular through his frequent use of typology, recapitulation, and allegorical interpretations. Two of these hermeneutical approaches stood out to this reader. In discussing how one should read Old Testament figures as a “type” of Christian realities, Irenaeus depicts the two daughters of Lot as representing the Jews and Gentiles, and shockingly understands Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt as symbolic of the church being the “salt of the earth” and a “bulwark of the faith” (chapter 31, pp. 87-88), although salt was a punishment for Lot’s wife but a virtue for Christians. While applying such symbolic or allegorical readings to much of Scripture, it was then surprising to see that Irenaeus understood literally the apocalyptic writings in Revelation to describe the saints’ millennial reign over the earth – the events depicted are “reliable and true, and represent reality” (chapter 35, pp. 201-203).

This reader was intrigued with Irenaeus’ repeated strong affirmations of human freedom and self-determination, as well as his understanding of God’s predestination to be shaped by his foreknowledge of human choices. His teachings about Mary’s role in salvation history and his doctrine of the intermediate state were also very interesting. The unity of the Trinity and the unity of the Old Testament God and the New Testament God are the themes that Irenaeus repeatedly addresses. To his credit, Irenaeus’ predominant methodology was to go directly to Scripture to answer questions raised by the heretics.

This volume is well worth reading, not only in regard to the church history and heretics of the past, but also as a pattern for dealing with the heretics of the present.