Early Church Reading Group: St Irenaeus – Some Highlights of “Against Heresies”

A reading group working through extracts of St Irenaeus’ magisterial work “Against Heresies”, and sharing our inspiration as we go.

St Irenaeus of Lyons (c.135 – 200 AD) was a key theologian of the Early Church. His approach (classically set out in this text) was shaped in response to the teaching of a number of non-mainstream Church groups of his day.

In his 5 Volume, 600 page reply, St Irenaeus explains (sometimes humorously, always passionately) why his opponents are wrong, and in the process unfolds the “apostolic” teaching that had been passed down to him.

As he shapes his reply, St Irenaeus elucidates a number of keys themes that are important to his argument – the importance of Tradition, the nature and scope of knowledge, what it means to be human, why God became man, and the summing up of all things in Christ (“Recapitulation”) – and in the process lays the groundwork for future theologians.

This term we’ll be reading a selection of particularly inspiring sections from his work, touching on these key topics, and discussing what we encounter.

Few people have the time to read 600 pages of any author (ancient or otherwise), and until recently all 5 Books were only available in a Victorian English translation.  Thus making an attempt to read Irenaeus first hand a task for only a dedicated few!  But with more recent translations, and a selective approach, we’ll be able to focus on some extracts of his work and ensure we hear him in his own words (rather than by a secondhand summary in a textbook).

Where & when are we meeting?
We’ll meet in the Pusey House Library (or online via Zoom) on Monday evenings, 6:30 – 8pm from Monday 9th November 2026 to Monday 7th December inclusive.

Which edition of the text?
It’s possible to find the text of “Against Heresies” online or in printed editions but these will often be in a Victorian translation.  In the first session we’ll discuss possible arrangements for obtaining the suggested version of the text.

Timetable
The initial session on 9th November, will provide some opening comments for the Reading Group and set out the extracts you’ll need to read in preparation for each subsequent session.  This will be the equivalent of around 30 pages of a paperback book each time, so hopefully quite manageable over a week. You won’t need to have read anything before this first session.

The remaining sessions will then provide an opportunity for us to come together and share something of the inspiration and/or questions or wrestling we’ve encountered from that week’s set reading in a reflective setting.

It will really help if, as you read, you could make a note of the exact page number and ideally copy out/ highlight/ bookmark the exact passage(s) which strike/ inspire/ perplex you and come prepared to read them out.

If you do find yourself wrestling with something as you read, someone else is almost certainly thinking exactly the same thing, so please do flag it for discussion.

Do I need any specific background for this Reading Group?
No knowledge of Church history or theology is assumed.

However, if you’ve not come across St Irenaeus before, or know little about him, there’s a Study Day just before this Reading Group on Saturday 7th November. This will provide an overview of his life, work and contribution and suitable context and background for you to get the most from this Reading Group.  Strongly recommended!

Location
These sessions will be held in the Library at Pusey House, Oxford. The entrance for Pusey House is on St Giles’ – you can try the door, but may need to press the intercom buzzer to speak to someone to gain access.  Once inside, go up a few steps straight ahead of you and then turn right down the corridor.  Follow this corridor as far as it goes (you can’t go wrong!) and up the stairs.

Online Option
You’ll have the best experience if you can make the physical meeting at Pusey House.  However, if this is not an option for you, it will also be possible to join online. Once you’ve booked, please reply to the confirmation email you’ll receive to request this, or use the Contact Form to get in touch and let me know you’d like to join the Reading Group online.

Any questions?
If you have any questions about this series of meetings, please get in touch. I hope you can join us, and look forward to meeting you.