Irenæus

Footnotes

Introductory Note to Irenæus Against Heresies

^[2980] That is, Christ and Jesus.

^[2981] The text of this sentence is hopelessly corrupt, but the meaning is as given above.

Chapter XXXI.—Doctrines of the Cainites.

^[2982] According to Harvey, Hystera corresponds to the “passions” of Achamoth. [Note the “Americanism,” advocate used as a verb.]

^[2983] The text is here imperfect, and the translation only conjectural.

^[2984] [Cant. ii. 15; St. Luke xiii. 32.]

^[2985] [Let the reader bear in mind that the Greek of this original and very precious author exists only in fragments. We are reading the translation of a translation; the Latin very rude, and the subject itself full of difficulties. It may yet be discovered that some of the faults of the work are not chargeable to Irenæus.]

Preface.

^[2986] 1 Tim. vi. 20.

^[2987] [Note this “Americanism.”]

^[2988] [Note this “Americanism.”]

^[2989] This passage is very obscure: we have supplied “et,” which, as Harvey conjectures, may have dropped out of the text.

Chapter II.—The world was not formed by angels, or by any other being, contrary to the will of the most high God, but was made by the Father through the Word.

^[2990] [This noble chapter is a sort of homily on Heb. i.]

^[2991] The common text has “ut:” we prefer to read “aut” with Erasmus and others.

^[2992] Vossius and others read “primus” instead of “prius,” but on defective ms. authority.

^[2993] Harvey here observes: “Grabe misses the meaning by applying to the redeemed that which the author says of the Redeemer;” but it may be doubted if this is really the case. Perhaps Massuet’s rendering of the clause, “that that man might be formed who should know Him,” is, after all, preferable to that given above.

^[2994] John i. 3.

^[2995] Ps. xxxiii. 9, Ps. 148:5.

^[2996] Gen. i. 1.

^[2997] Eph. iv. 6, differing somewhat from Text. Rec. of New Testament.

Chapter III.—The Bythus and Pleroma of the Valentinians, as well as the God of Marcion, shown to be absurd; the world was actually created by the same Being who had conceived the idea of it, and was not the fruit of defect or ignorance.

^[2998] In the barbarous Latin version, we here find utrum … an as the translation of ἤ … ἤ instead of aut … aut.

^[2999] We have translated the text as it here stands in the mss. Grabe omits spiritalem et; Massuet proposes to read et invisibilem, and Stieren invisibilem.

^[3000] In præsentia: Grabe proposes in præscientia, but without ms. authority. “The reader,” says Harvey, “will observe that there are three suppositions advanced by the author: that the world, as some heretics asserted, was eternal; that it was created in time, with no previous idea of it in the divine mind; or that it existed as a portion of the divine counsels from all eternity, though with no temporal subsistence until the time of its creation,—and of this the author now speaks.” The whole passage is most obscurely expressed.

Chapter IV.—The absurdity of the supposed vacuum and defect of the heretics is demonstrated.

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