Irenaeus’ Rule of Faith
St Irenaeus of Lyons was a student of the Bishop Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John. Irenaeus was probably born about 135-140AD and wrote extensively about the doctrine of creation, proclaiming the original good of both body and spirit, refuting the Gnostic view that all matter was evil (and thus, according to the Gnostics, Christ could not have been made flesh). This creed, which probably pre-dated the Apostles’ Creed, was a valuable aid to the early church in interpreting the Gospels.
Irenaeus’ Rule of Faith
(As Recorded by St Irenaeus in the Late Second Century AD)
... this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all the things that are in them;
and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation;
and in the Holy Spirit, who made known through the prophets the plan of salvation, and the coming, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his future appearing from heaven in the glory of the Father to sum up all things and to raise anew all flesh of the whole human race ...