Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

About St. Irenaeus

What’s in a Name? – About the saint with the strange name.

Irenaeus (pronounced ir-ruh-Nay-us) is a Greek name, meaning “man of peace.”

St. Irenaeus was one of the key figures of early Orthodox Church history.

 St. Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor around the year 140. It is not known when he came to Gaul. He was a priest of the Church of Lyons during the persecution of 177 when St. Pothinus, first bishop of the city and the first martyr of Lyons, was put to death. Irenaeus succeeded him as bishop and twenty-five years later was martyred in his turn during a fresh persecution.

At a time when Gnostic sects threatened to undermine Christianity by a perversion of Christian thought, St. Irenaeus vigorously denounced all heresies and safeguarded unity of belief by laying down the principles of the doctrinal tradition of the Church. Born and raised in the Greek East, in the Roman province of Asia, he came to the West, where he became the great second century missionary bishop. Standard bearer for orthodox faith and life and tireless defender against all heresies and divisions, he is called the “Father of Catholic Theology.”

A man of passionate pastoral concern, in his own life and ministry he was true to his name and a model of the Church's unbroken chain of Living Tradition. For St. Irenaeus faithfully testified to the truth which he had received from his mentor, St. Polycarp, who had been taught by the holy Apostle John, who had been taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, himself. What a chain of faith and life!