Brian Hamilton

Irenaeus and Freedom

To tell the story of human freedom, for Irenaeus of Lyons, is to tell the story of salvation. Indeed, Irenaeus speaks of a God whose every note has a place in the harmonious music of our salvation (Adv. Haer. 4.14.2)—there is no theological motif not best understood within the history of God’s saving work in the world. So to properly explicate Irenaeus’ understanding of human freedom, we must also speak of God’s freedom, of the creation of humanity, of our disobedience and its effects, of Christ and our salvation, of Israel and its law. The profound interweaving of all theology, outstandingly instructive for contemporary thought, does make it difficult to isolate some such theme as “freedom” without misrepresenting Irenaeus’ entire vision. Still, summary rehearsals of salvation history are crucial to Irenaeus’ polemic against the heresies, driving home his central conviction that “one and the same God” created us in the beginning and has recently sent His Son, so he would surely not object to a similar rehearsal on our part. Human freedom: given by God in God’s own image, disfigured in slavery to death and apostasy, come into the world in fullness through Christ, for whose liberty the Law had prepared the people of Israel in obedience. A beautiful vision of human freedom in its own right, Irenaeus also proffers a positive reading of Israel’s history in a fuller sense than had been done before him.

16 February 2007 |
tags: Irenaeus