Date of Award
Spring 2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Religious Studies
First Advisor
Tanner, Kathryn
Abstract
Until relatively recently, Irenaeus of Lyons’ socio-political profile consisted primarily in his reputation as one of the more peaceable of the early Christian theologians. His comments on political topics, and use of political terms and themes, appear throughout both of this extant works, Adversus Haereses and the Epideixis, most notably in Adversus Haereses 5.24.1-3. This dissertation presents some of the key political topics Irenaeus addresses, considered in the context of his overarching theological concerns about the unity of God, the unity of Christ, and the one economy in which the one God has acted to create, liberate, and glorify humanity. The differences between Irenaeus’ second-century context and our contemporary concerns limit the extent to which his political opinions can helpfully inform twenty-first century Christians, and his complicated views about the non-Christian Jewish people of his time suggest problematic assumptions that contemporary theologians must consider when entering into constructive dialogue with him on political matters. Nevertheless, several of Irenaeus’ theological moves provide promising resources for Christian thought around issues of socio-political transformation. Among these are: the dynamic interplay between divine glory and creaturely transformation; the coherence of divine sovereignty, human freedom, and socio-political justice; the mutual interdependence of progressive and paradigmatic change; and the complexity of the distinction between coercive and non-coercive power.
Recommended Citation
Andemicael, Awet, "The Political Thought of Irenaeus of Lyons" (2020). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 789.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/789
