IRENAEUS

Life, Scripture, Legacy

pauL foSter and Sara parviS, editorS

fortresspress.com

“This is a badly needed contemporary collection of essays on various historical,

textual, and theological aspects of the often cited and too little understood Irenaeus

of Lyons. The variety of perspectives creates a lively volume, and the extensive

bibliography, including editions of Irenaeus’s writings, make it essential.”

—Rebecca Lyman

Church Divinity School of the Pacific

“Sara Parvis and Paul Foster have collected in one volume an eloquent and timely

testimony to the perennial vitality of Irenaeus’s vision. Their book masterfully situates

Irenaeus in a multiplicity of contexts: historical, scriptural, and theological.”

—Khaled Anatolios

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Contents

Timeline • The Writings of Irenaeus

Introduction

Sara Parvis and Paul Foster

I. Irenaeus and His Context

Paul Parvis • Jared Secord • Allen Brent

II. Irenaeus and His Scriptural Traditions

Denis Minns • D. Jeffrey Bingham • Karl Shuve

Sebastian Moll • Charles E. Hill • Paul Foster

III. Irenaeus and His Scriptural Traditions

Michael Slusser • Peter Widdicombe • Alistair Stewart

Sara Parvis • Stephen O. Presley • Sophie Cartwright

Paul Parvis • Irenaeus M. C. Steenberg

Champion of martyrs, scourge of heretics,

erudite theologian, and shrewd politician—

no account of early Christianity is complete

without careful consideration of Irenaeus of

Lyons. Here a team of international scholars

examine aspects of the saint’s life, historical

context, engagement with scripture, and

his ecclesiastical and theological legacy for

succeeding generations.

“This wide-ranging collection of essays will

refine many detailed aspects of the scholarly

reception of Irenaeus, but at the same time

is calculated to provide something of a

comprehensive overview. This will make it

indispensable to the serious student who seeks

to grasp the significance of one often dubbed

‘the first Christian theologian.’”

—Frances Young

Professor of Theology Emeritus

University of Birmingham

Paul Foster is Lecturer in New

Testament Literature, Language,

and Theology, and Sara Parvis

is Lecturer in Patristics, at the

University of Edinburgh. Together

they edited Justin Martyr and His

Wo r l d s (Fortress Press, 2007).

Religion/History of Christianity

The inventor of Christian orthodoxy?

fortresspress.com

Foster | Parvis

IRENAEUS

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