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St Irenaues Against Heresies
Wherefore it is incumbent to obey the priests who are in the Church,—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, [looking upon them] either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismatics puffed up and self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth. And the heretics, indeed, who bring strange fire to the altar of God— namely, strange doctrines—shall be burned up by the fire from heaven, as were Nadab and Abiud. But such as rise up in opposition to the truth, and exhort others against the Church of God, [shall] remain among those in hell, being swallowed up by an earthquake, even as those who were with Chore, Dathan, and Abiron. But those who cleave asunder, and separate the unity of the Church, [shall] receive from God the same punishment as Jeroboam did. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, book 4, chapter 26, paragraph 2)Wow, the saint was really angry when he wrote
there is a pleasure sure in being mad which none but the mad man knows -Dante
St Iranaeus can really kick ass when he wants to. I'll have to put in a few of his other quotes.
Here's an argument from St. Irenaeus against the Gnostic/Calvinist heresy of predestination. ( Matthew 3:11)
"For He who makes the chaff and He who makes the wheat are not different persons, but one and the same, who judges them, that is, separates them. But the wheat and the chaff, being inanimate and irrational, have been made such by nature. But man, being endowed with reason, and in this respect like to God, having been made free in his will, and with power over himself, is himself the cause to himself, that sometimes he becomes wheat, and sometimes chaff. Wherefore also he shall be justly condemned because, having been created a rational being, he lost the true rationality, and living irrationally, opposed the righteousness of God, serving all lusts; as says the prophet, "Man, being in honor, did not understand: he was assimilated to senseless beasts, and made like to them." (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, book 4, chapter 4, paragraph 3)
Here's an argument from St. Irenaeus against the Gnostic/Calvinist heresy of predestination. ( Matthew 3:11)
"For He who makes the chaff and He who makes the wheat are not different persons, but one and the same, who judges them, that is, separates them. But the wheat and the chaff, being inanimate and irrational, have been made such by nature. But man, being endowed with reason, and in this respect like to God, having been made free in his will, and with power over himself, is himself the cause to himself, that sometimes he becomes wheat, and sometimes chaff. Wherefore also he shall be justly condemned because, having been created a rational being, he lost the true rationality, and living irrationally, opposed the righteousness of God, serving all lusts; as says the prophet, "Man, being in honor, did not understand: he was assimilated to senseless beasts, and made like to them." (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, book 4, chapter 4, paragraph 3)
St Iranaeus he does not mince words. Outside of his assumptions concerning the legitimacy of the supposed formality and early history of the Apostolic Succession. Otherwise his arguments are grounded strongly. The Apostolic Succession is argued from the scriptures though the Scriptures do not provide for a process as is formalized in the Catholic Doctrine. for instance there is no scriptural or historical basis outside of tradition for a visit to Rome by Peter There definitely is an unbroken, continuous, and unquestionable disciple succession.