The first century of the gospel age had gone, and with it had gone such men as Peter, Paul and John. A new generation was serving the Christian community, and it is fascinating to read of their concerns and experiences.

Irenaeus was born in Asia, of Greek parents. In his early days he was a pupil of Polycarp, presbyter of Antioch, and owed much to instruction he then received, both in private and in public. He also derived much help from intercourse with Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, a man of great sanctity, but of moderate intellectual capacity. Both of his instructors had been pupils of St John the Apostle, therefore we have good reason for believing that he would be taught the Gospel in all its fulness and simplicity. The memories of those early days clung to him, and he loved to recall and fondly linger over the scenes of his student days. In a letter to one Florinus, whom he had known in youth, but who had evidently disappointed his hopes with reference to religion, he says: "I saw thee, when I was a boy, in Lower Asia with Polycarp, distinguishing thyself in the royal court, and endeavouring to gain his approbation. For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events; so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse - his going out, too, and his coming in - his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord. And I can bear witness before God that if that blessed and apostolic presbyter had heard any such things, he would have cried out and stopped his ears, exclaiming as he was wont to do: 'O good God, for what times hast Thou reserved me that I should endure these things.' And he would have fled from the very spot where, sitting or standing, he had heard such words."

In his riper years Irenaeus went to France, where he was ordained presbyter by Pothinus, Bishop of Lyons. About this period a controversy agitated the Church relative to the keeping of Easter Day. Victor, Bishop of Rome, took high ground, and would have excommunicated the Eastern Church as schismatics, for refusing to agree with him on the point in question. Irenaeus, with other brethren of the French Church, were deeply distressed to see such contentions among the followers of Christ on such a trifling question; they met together in council, and, by common consent, wrote letters to Victor stating that, though they agreed with him on the matter of Easter, yet the matter was not of sufficient importance to cause him to have recourse to such extreme measures.

After the martyrdom of Pothinus, Irenaeus was made Bishop of Lyons, the chief city of Celtic Gaul, situated at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone - a city famous then, as it has been ever since, for its trade and manufactures. The position that our hero was called to occupy was no sinecure or bed of roses; the enemy was on the warpath, dealing out fire and sword to all who dared to go contrary the the will of the Emperor and his crafty agents; and no sooner did persecution cease than the Church was confronted with a still more subtle enemy, in the form of heresy on the line of Gnosticism, which sought to attack and pervert every vital doctrine of the Christian religion. But Irenaeus was a faithful watchman on the walls of Zion, and sought at once to encounter and to defeat the foe. He first called the bishops together for counsel and action, and afterwards began the great work of his life, to write a permanent defence against the attacks of Marcion, Valentinus, and Basilides, which he calls - "A Refutation and Subversion of Knowledge falsely so called"; but is usually designated by its shorter title, "Against Heresies". This is a work of great ability, when the age in which it was written and the subjects of discussion are considered; it is full of original statement, striking illustration, lofty sentiment, powerful reasoning, and clothed in choice and expressive diction. He says:- "Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should be at once detected; but it is craftily decked out in an attractive form. One far superior to me has well said (probably Polycarp) in reference to this point: 'A clever imitation in glass casts contempt, as it were, on that precious jewel the emerald, unless it come under the eye of one able to test and expose the counterfeit.'"

This writer also gives some interesting statements bearing upon the Holy Scriptures, where he says:- "Matthew produced his writing of the Gospel among the Hebrews, and in their own language, while Peter and Paul were still preaching in Rome and founding the Church. And after they had gone away (i.e. died), Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter, having himself written in a book those things which were preached by Peter, handed them down to us. And Luke, the follower of Paul, laid up in a book the Gospel preached by him. Then John, the disciple of the Lord who also leaned upon His bosom, he too gave forth the Gospel while he was sojourning at Ephesus in Asia." Here we are supplied with direct and remarkable evidence respecting the four Gospels, that each one is traceable to a distinct and independent writer; written by different men, at different times, and in different countries, and while they approach truth from different standpoints, and present facts, circumstances, and persons in great variety, they never contradict each other; but when placed together they all gather round one common centre, and blend into one perfect harmony.

We have no authentic account of the death of Irenaeus, but it is generally believed that he suffered martyrdom in the reign of Severus at Lyons - where the blood of the saints ran down the streets. Tradition says that Irenaeus, with many of his flock, were driven between two hills, where was a Cross on the one hand and an idol on the other; where they were to choose which they would have: the Cross with suffering and death, or the idol and they should live. They counted not their lives dear unto them, and without fear or hesitation gave themselves up to martyrdom.

So they took the last grand step, beyond the stars of God,
Into the splendour, shadowless and broad,
Into the everlasting joy and light;
The zenith of the earthly life was come.

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