Irenaeus

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Chapter nine

Irenaeus and the Noncanonical Gospels

Paul Foster

F

amously, Irenaeus is known as the earliest certain witness to the fourfold canon

of Gospels contained in the New Testament. In book III of his Adversus haereses,

Irenaeus not only states that there are four Gospels, but by using natural analogies

he implies that “four” is the fitting number since this provides a stable basis because

it allows the church equipped with “the gospel and the spirit of life” to bring life to

humanity.^1 As he states, “It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer

in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live,

and four principal winds, while the church is scattered throughout all the world, and

‘the pillar and ground’ of the church is the gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that

she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying

men afresh” (Hae r. III.11.8). Irenaeus then rails against those “who destroy the form

of the gospel” by either adding to its number or by accepting fewer gospels. Repre-

sentative of the latter group, Irenaeus explicitly names Marcion, whom he accuses of

“rejecting the entire gospel,” as well as the Montanists, who are charged with setting

“aside at once both the gospel and the prophetic Spirit.” On the other hand, those with

additional gospel texts are seen as arrogantly claiming “to have discovered more than is

of the truth” (Hae r. III.11.9). In the immediate context, only the disciples of Valentinus

are singled out as recklessly adding their own compositions alongside the fourfold gos-

pel, with the writing the Gospel of Truth named. This last statement reveals at least part

of Irenaeus’s motivation for introducing his statements about the gospel known in its

fourfold form. Also, he tantalizingly reveals knowledge of other texts that are known

as gospels, but which he himself rejects since they do not stem from the apostles. Apart

from this Gospel of Truth, Irenaeus also names or alludes to a number of other gos-

pel texts in his writings. This discussion will investigate which noncanonical gospels

appear to be known by Irenaeus, and it will also consider the nature and degree of that

knowledge which he appears to exhibit concerning such writings.