Irenaeus of Lyon, Marcion and gnosticism

Question 1

Who was Iraneus of Lyon?

Answer 1

Bishop of Lyon (120-190) from Asia Minor, student of Polycarp of Smyrna

Question 2

What is Iraneus most important work called? and what does it contain?

Answer 2

Adversus Haereses, 5 books in greek against gnosticism

Question 3

What are Iraneus main ideas?

Answer 3

1. He applies the Greek term oikonomia to the Trinity (how god reveals himself to men, full meaning OT known when Christ entered the world, Christ is the second Adam) in relation to the Son’s salvific action in the world.
2. Introduces concept of anakefalaiosis: all things in Christ
3. Humans gain knowlegde. When in possesion of the image of God (imago Dei) but lost the likeness (similitudo) to God, humans can regain that likeness by communicating with God.
4. Apocalyptic view of the end of time
5. He formulates the three aspects of holy office (bishop), canon and regula fidei, as the three principles that hold the church together

Question 4

Who was Marcion?

Answer 4

Marcion from Sinope (son of the devil)

Question 5

What is the famous work of Marcion called? and what is it about?

Answer 5

Antithesen: demonstrates the incompatibilities between OT and ‘NT’

Question 6

What are the 3 main and sub ideas of Marcion?

Answer 6

1. The God of the OT and the NT can not be the same:
   a. God from the OT is the lower and inferior God, responsible for matter/creation, therefore matter/creation is evil
   b. God from NT is good, spiritual, father of the good Jesus Christ
   c. so human emotions and acts of revenge are incompatible with the goodness of the Son
2. Docetic view of Jesus Christ: Jesus body was an illusion (body becomes spirital, matter is evil), but does believe in Jesus as the savior of souls (from evil matter).
3. The highest, pure and good God of the NT (Father of Jesus Christ) appeared completely unexpectedly – revealing himself in Christ. He is the strange God. ‘We’ had no idea he was coming.

Question 7

What were the consequences of Marcions views?

Answer 7

He rejected the Hebrew bible. His negative views of matter and the body and his anti-Jewish beliefs lead to a short NT: only one gospel (Luke; deletes birthstory) and a few, shortened letters by Paul.

Also his lifestyle is ascetic.

He went to Rome, came in conflict with the Christians there and started his own church.

Question 8

What are the 7 characteristics of Gnosticism?

Answer 8

1. How are we related to the cosmological world?
2. How does the cosmos come to be?
3. Dualism: evil and matter vs good and spiritual
4. spiritual seed/spark put in humans to acquire knowlegde (gnosis)
5. Humanity divided into 3 categories: hylikoi (people absorbed in material world), psychikoi (people with knowledge but unable to return), pneumatikoi (people with knowlegde able to return to realm. THINK ABOUT PLATO
6. Docetism (rejection of matter)
7. Ascetic or liberal lifestyle

Question 9

What are the differences between gnosticism and catholic (mainstream) christianity?

Answer 9

1. G: highest god is not creator god, C: creater = highest god
2. G: complex cosmogony, C: Genesis I “word of god”
3. G: deterministic, C: free will/options
4. G: secret, C: public
5. G: no church needed, C: church needed
6. G: gnosis saved, C: Christ saves
7. G: vertical system, C: horizontal system
8. G: anti OT, C: OT & NT integrated