Table Of ContentIrenaeus on the Trinity
Supplements
to
Vigiliae Christianae
texts and studies of early christian life and language
Editors
J. den Boeft
B.D. Ehrman
J. van Oort
D.T. Runia
C. Scholten
VOLUME 127
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/vcs
Irenaeus on the Trinity
By
Jackson Lashier
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lashier, Jackson.
Irenaeus on the Trinity / by Jackson Lashier.
pages cm. — (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, ISSN 0920-623X ; Volume 127)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-27814-1 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-28127-1 (e-book)
1. Trinity—History of doctrines—Early church, ca. 30–600. 2. Irenaeus, Saint, Bishop of Lyon. I. Title.
BT109.L35 2014
231’.044092—dc23
2014027828
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering
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issn 0920-623x
isbn 978-90-04-27814-1 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-28127-1 (e-book)
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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
List of Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
Orientation 1
Methodology 12
Plan 15
1 The Dissimilar Contexts of Irenaeus and the Apologists 18
Irenaeus 18
Life 18
Influences 20
Justin 22
Theophilus 26
His Opponents 29
Philosophy 39
Irenaeus’ Occasion for Writing 41
Apologists 44
Lives 44
The Apologists’ Occasion for Writing 50
Conclusion 52
2 God the Father 54
The Apologists 55
The Identity of God 55
The Nature of God 63
Irenaeus 70
The Identity of God 70
The Nature of God 78
Conclusion 90
3 The Logos of God 92
The Apologists 93
Logos Theology 93
The Generation of the Logos 107
vi contents
Irenaeus 117
Logos Theology 117
The Generation of the Logos 130
Conclusion 147
4 The Sophia of God 149
The Apologists 150
Justin 150
Athenagoras 153
Theophilus 158
Irenaeus 164
The Holy Spirit as the Sophia of God 168
The Holy Spirit Creates 176
The Holy Spirit Reveals 183
Conclusion 187
5 God, Logos, Sophia 189
The Apologists 190
Justin 190
Athenagoras 197
Theophilus 200
Irenaeus 205
The Triune God in Himself 206
The Triune God in Relation to the Economy 212
The Trinity in Creation 212
The Trinity in Redemption 216
Conclusion 220
Conclusion 222
Bibliography 229
Index of Ancient Authors 240
Index of Names and Subjects 248
Index of Modern Authors 254
Acknowledgements
The early form of this book was a dissertation completed at Marquette
University between the years 2009–2011. During that time, I received invalu-
able support and guidance from the faculty, staff, and my fellow students.
Particularly, I want to thank the members of my dissertation board, Dr. Michel
René Barnes, Rev. Alexander Golitzin, Rev. D. Thomas Hughson, S.J., and
Dr. D. Stephen Long, for reading through the work and offering helpful feed-
back that undoubtedly strengthened the argument in its final form. I also
received two fellowships during those years that enabled me to complete sig-
nificant portions of the research and writing. Thanks to the Department of
Theology and the President’s Council of Marquette University for awarding
me with a John P. Raynor, S.J. fellowship and to A Foundation for Theological
Education for selecting me to be a John Wesley Fellow. I consider both of these
fellowships high honors.
A special word of thanks is due to my director Dr. Michel René Barnes. I am
indebted to his scholarship and pedagogy, as well as to his friendship. Much of
the content of the following pages had its spark in his ideas that I either read
or discussed with him. I am also grateful to the Editors-in-Chief, and all of the
people, at Vigiliae Christianae Supplements who have made this publication
process smooth and painless, as well as to Dr. E.P. Meijering for his careful
reading and learned comments on the manuscript.
Thanks also to my parents, Jack and Kathy Lashier, who have always
believed in me, always supported me, and always loved me. They nurtured in
me a love of reading and writing at a young age, which bore unexpected fruit
in theological studies and, in particular, this current project. I am thankful also
for my in-laws, Stan and Marsha Graff. In addition to the love and support of
both sets of parents, which we have come to expect, we have benefited also
from their gracious monetary support, which we never expected, and which
helped to make the project a reality.
Mostly, I want to thank my wife Julie who has walked with me through
every step of this process. She is one of the primary reasons I pursued doctoral
studies in the first place, and I cannot begin to express how much her love
and unwavering belief in me has meant. She has sacrificed much in the way of
her own plans and her own time so that I might complete this work. I am so
blessed to have a partner in life who shares with me a love of theology and an
Irenaean appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation.
The long arc of this project encompassed several significant events in
our life. Our daughter Ruthie was born at the dissertation’s inception, and
viii acknowledgements
I completed much of the research and writing while staying home with her
in the days. Our daughter Rachel was born shortly after I defended the dis-
sertation, and the revisions began during stolen (and few) moments of quiet
while both girls slept. Our son David was born shortly after I was notified of
the revised version’s acceptance for publication with Brill, culminating this
journey. These three blessings have taught me more about the mysteries of
God, and particularly the incredible depth of God’s love, than I could read in a
lifetime. My children are my greatest accomplishment, and this book is dedi-
cated to them.
List of Abbreviations
1 Apol. Justin, First Apology
2 Apol. Justin, Second Apology
ACW Ancient Christian Writers
ANF The Ante-Nicene Fathers
ATR Anglican Theological Review
Aug Augustinianum
AugStud Augustinian Studies
Autol. Theophilus, To Autolycus
CH Church History
Dial. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho
DTC Dictionnaire de théologie catholique
Didask. Alcinous, Didaskalikos
Epid. Irenaeus, Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
FC Fathers of the Church
Greg Gregorianum
Haer. Irenaeus, Against Heresies
HTR Harvard Theological Review
ITS Indian Theological Studies
JECS Journal of Early Christian Studies
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JrnRel Journal of Religion
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
Leg. Athenagoras, Legatio
LCL Loeb Classical Library
NPNF The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
NV Nova et Vetera
NVT Nouvelle Revue Théologique
RSPHTH Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Théologiques
RSR Recherches de Science Religieuse
SC Sources Chrétiennes
SP Studia Patristica
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
Tim. Plato, Timaeus
TU Texte und Untersuchungen
