About this book
Against Heresies by Irenaeus propels listeners into the combustible theological debates of the second century, where Gnosticism and emerging orthodoxy vied for Christianity’s future. As Bishop of Lyons, Irenaeus catalogs and critiques several Gnostic schools, marshaling scriptural interpretation, apostolic tradition, and reasoned argument to defend what he calls the catholic (universal) faith.
This non-fiction work of religious history combines polemic, theology, and early apologetics to illuminate how doctrines about God, Christ, scripture, and salvation were contested long before Nicea. Irenaeus exposes the ideas and leaders he labels heretical while laying out the case for ecclesial continuity and doctrinal authority—making Against Heresies both a primary source for the church fathers and a window into the pluralism of pre-Nicene Christianity. Readers will find analysis of cosmology, myth-making, and the politics of orthodoxy, all set against the wider social and intellectual currents of the Roman Empire.
Ideal for students of early Christianity, theology, church history, and anyone curious about the origins of Christian belief, this audiobook offers a vivid, accessible account of how the boundaries of doctrine were forged—and why those debates still matter today.
