The library · Edition and sources
Irenaeus: Against Heresies, Books I–V
ANF historical edition · Edition commentary
Against Heresies: Book IV — Translator and historical edition notes (part 4)
this vicinity, is now confirmed by many modern travellers (report of Lieut. Lynch, United States Navy), which accounts for the natural inference of Josephus and others on whom our author relied. The coincidence is noteworthy.]
Harvey remarks here, that this can hardly be the same presbyter mentioned before, “who was only a hearer of those who had heard the apostles. Irenæus may here mean the venerable martyr Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna.”
“Quassum et futile.” The text varies much in the mss .
Gen. i. 3 .
John i. 3 .
Eph. iv. 5, 6 .
Eph. iv. 16 ; Col. ii. 19 .
“Constabit ei.”
We here read “secundum quos ” with Massuet, instead of usual “secundum quod .”
“Concurvans,” corresponding to συγκάμπτων , which, says Harvey, “would be expressive of those who were brought under the law, as the neck of the steer is bent to the yoke.”
The Latin is, “per proprium visum.”
[If this and the former chapter seem to us superfluous, we must reflect that such testimony, from the beginning, has established the unity of Holy Scripture, and preserved to us— the Bible .]
1 Cor. ii. 15 . [The argument of this chapter hinges on Ps. xxv. 14 , and expounds a difficult text of St. Paul. A man who has the mind of God’s Spirit is the only judge of spiritual things. Worldly men are incompetent critics of Scripture and of Christian exposition.
Rom. i. 21 .
Isa. liii. 3 .
Zech. ix. 9 .
Ps. cxviii. 22 .
Isa. liii. 7 .
Ex. xvii. 11 .
Isa. xi. 12 .
Comp. book iii. 20, 4.
Dan. vii. 13 .
Mal. iv. 1 .
Isa. xi. 4 .
Matt. iii. 12 ; Luke iii. 17 .
Harvey points this sentence interrogatively.
“Temperamentum calicis:” on which Harvey remarks that “the mixture of water with the wine in the holy Eucharist was the universal practice of antiquity … the wine signifying the mystical Head of the Church, the water the body.” [Whatever the significance, it harmonizes with the Paschal chalice, and with 1 John v. 6 , and St. John’s gospel John xix. 34, 35 .]
John xix. 34 .
This sentence is very obscure in the Latin text.
Iliad , ix. 312, 313.
The text is obscure, and the construction doubtful.
The Latin here is, “quæ est ex virgine per fidem regenerationem.” According to Massuet, “virgine” here refers not to Mary, but to the Church. Grabe suspects that some words have been lost.
Matt. xii. 41, 42 .
Matt. xxii. 43 .
Matt. xxii. 29 ; Luke xi. 21, 22 .
Literally, “who was strong against men.”
In fine; lit. “in the end.”
In semetipsum: lit. “unto Himself.”
We here follow the reading “proferant:” the passage is difficult and obscure, but the meaning is as above.
Matt. xxiii. 24 .
The Greek text here is σκηνοβατοῦν (lit. “to tabernacle:” comp. ἐσκήνωσεν , John i. 14 ) καθ’ ἐκάστην γενεὰν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις : the Latin is, “Secundum quas (dispositiones) aderat generi humano.” We have endeavoured to express the meaning of both.
The following section is an important one, but very difficult to translate with undoubted accuracy. The editors differ considerably both as to the construction and the interpretation. We have done our best to represent the meaning in English, but may not have been altogether successful.
The Greek is σύστημα : the Latin text has “status.”
The Latin is, “character corporis.”
The text here is, “custodita sine fictione scripturarum;” some prefer joining “scripturarum” to the following words.
We follow Harvey’s text, “tractatione;” others read “tractatio.” According to Harvey, the creed of the Church is denoted by “tractatione;” but Massuet renders the clause thus: [“True knowledge consists in] a very complete tractatio of the Scriptures, which has come down to us by being preserved (‘custoditione’ being read instead of ‘custodita’) without falsification.”
Comp. 2 Cor. viii. 1 ; 1 Cor. xiii.
i.e., the heretics.
Comp. above, xxxi. 2.
Matt. v. 12 .
Comp. 1 Pet. iv. 14 .
Isa. vi. 1 ; Ps. cx. 1 .
Dan. vii. 13 .
Zech. xii. 10 .
Luke xviii. 8 . There is nothing to correspond with “putas” in the received text.
2 Thess. i. 6–8 .
Matt. iii. 12 .
Matt. xxv. 41 .
2 Thess. i. 9, 10 .
Ps. xlv. 2 .
Ps. xlv. 7 .
Ps. xlv. 3, 4 .
Jer. xvii. 9 (LXX.). Harvey here remarks: “The LXX. read אֱנֹושׁ instead of אָנֹושׁ . Thus, from a text that teaches us that the heart is deceitful above all things , the Fathers extract a proof of the manhood of Christ.”
Isa. viii. 3 , Isa. ix. 6 , Isa. vii. 14 . [A confusion of texts.]
Joel iii. 16 .
Ps. lxxvi. 1 .
Hab. iii. 3 .
See III. xx. 4.
Isa. xxxv. 5, 6 .
Isa. xxxv. 3 .
Isa. xxvi. 19 .
Isa. liii. 4 .
Isa. liii. 3 .
Zech. ix. 9 .
Isa. l. 6 .
Isa. liii. 7 .
Ps. lxix. 21 .
Ps. xxxviii. 11 .
Isa. lxv. 2 .
Ps. xxii. 7 .
Ps. xxii. 18 .
Ps. xxii. 15 .
Comp. book iii. cap. xx. 4 and book iv. cap xxii. 1.
Amos viii. 9, 10 .
Jer. xv. 9 .
Ps. iii. 5 .
Ps. xxiv. 7 .
Ps. xix. 6 .
Ps. xcix. 1 .
Matt. xxiv. 21 .
Or “son.”
Isa. l. 8, 9 (loosely quoted).
Isa. ii. 17 .
Jer. xxxi. 31, 32 .
Ezek. xxxvi. 26 .
Isa. xliii. 19–21 .
Matt. ix. 17 .
Rom. ii. 5 .
1 Cor. ii. 15 .
“Ex alia et alia substantia fuisse prophetias.”
1 Pet. i. 12 .
Rom. iii. 21 .
Matt. v. 17, 18 .
Rom. i. 17 .
Hab. ii. 4 .
Isa. ii. 3, 4 ; Mic. iv. 2, 3 .
Matt. v. 39 .
Book i. p. 327, this volume.
This is following Harvey’s conjectural emendation of the text, viz., “taleis” for “talis.” He considers the pins here as symbolical of the nails by which our Lord was fastened to the cross. The whole passage is almost hopelessly obscure, though the general meaning may be guessed.
Isa. lvii. 1 .
[If it be remembered that we know Irenæus here, only through a most obscure Latin rendering, we shall be slow to censure this conclusion.]
Luke v. 36, 37 .
Book i. p. 334, this volume.
Illorum; following the Greek form of the comparative degree.
Matt. xxi. 33–41 .
Matt. xxi. 42–44 .
Matt. v. 22 .
Jer. vii. 3 ; Zech. vii. 9, 10 , Zech. viii. 17 ; Isa. i. 17–19 .
Ps. xxxiv. 13, 14 .
Jer. vii. 29, 30 .
Jer. vi. 17, 18 .
Luke xxi. 34, 35 .
Luke xii. 35, 36 .
Luke xvii. 26 , etc.
Matt. xxiv. 42 .
No other of the Greek Fathers quotes this text as above; from which fact Grabe infers that old Latin translator, or his transcribers, altered the words of Irenæus [N.B.—From one example infer the rest] to suit the Latin versions.
Matt. xi. 23, 24 .
John iv. 14 .
This is Massuet’s conjectural emendation of the text, viz., archetypum for arcætypum . Grabe would insert per before arcæ , and he thinks the passage to have a reference to 1 Pet. iii. 20 . Irenæus, in common with the other ancient Fathers, believed that the fallen angels were the “sons of God” who commingled with “the daughters of men,” and thus produced a race of spurious men. [ Gen. vi. 1, 2, 3 , and Josephus.]
Jude 7 . [And note “strange flesh” (Gr. σαρκὸς ἑτέρας ) as to the angels. Gen. xix. 4, 5 .]
Matt. iii. 10 .
Matt. xi. 24 ; Luke x. 12 .
Matt. xxii. 1 , etc.
Matt. v. 35 . Instead of placing a period here, as the editors do, it seems to us preferable to carry on the construction.
Jer. xxxv. 15 .
Jer. vii. 25 , etc.
2 Cor. v. 4 .
Matt. xxii. 13 .
1 Cor. x. 5 .
Matt. xxii. 14 .
John v. 14 .
Matt. xxii. 7 .
Ps. xxiv. 1 .
Rom. xiii. 1–7 .
Matt. v. 45 .
Luke xv. 11 .
Matt. xx. 1 , etc.
Luke xviii. 10 .
Ps. cxvi. 2 .
Rom. vii. 18 .
Luke xiii. 6 .
Luke xiii. 34 ; Matt. xxiii. 37 .
Matt. viii. 11, 12 .
Matt. xxiii. 37 .
Rom. ii. 4, 5, 7 .
Matt. v. 16 .
Luke xxi. 34 .
Luke xii. 35, 36 .
Luke xii. 47 .
Luke vi. 46 .
Luke xii. 45, 46 ; Matt. xxiv. 48–51 .
τὸ αὐτεξούσιον .
1 Cor. vi. 12 .
1 Pet. ii. 16 .
Eph. iv. 25 .
Eph. iv. 29 .