Irenaeus Gets a Doctorate!

News Flash! The Vatican just announced that second century bishop and theologian Irenaeus of Lyons is about to become an official “doctor” of the Roman Catholic church.

The Vatican stated in a press release:

Pope Francis made the announcement during an audience with members of the St. Irenaeus Orthodox-Catholic Joint Working Group in the Vatican, describing the second-century theologian as a great spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians.

If you want to know who Irenaeus is, there’s a great write-up about him in CT.

In a nutshell, he became the bishop of Lyon in France right after a terrible persecution and he is known also for his anti-gnostic apologetics.

Irenaeus is my favourite theologian of the early church, he practically invented biblical theology if you ask me, and he’s the quintessential example of a Christian leader as both pastor and apologist.

To get a taste of his writings, read his Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching, a terrific read.

For something a bit more rigorous and scholarly, check out my buddy Matthew Thomas’ 1.5 hr video about Irenaeus: