Any book on Irenaeus will have a reluctant conclusion, for his ideas and images go on and there is always something new to be seen. The apparent confusions in his thought (doctor confusus) may be overcome by conceptual stamina or poetic imagination. Yet his daily immersion in the bible (2.27.1) piles image upon image, thought upon thought (doctor constructivus). Our paths through the Irenaean jungle do not deny exuberance, but give strength to his claim that scripture is a garden where every fruit is to be eaten (5.20.2). This chapter will show how these paths merge in his dynamic humanism, his creative use of argument and imagery, his optimism and, through participation, his sense of the immediacy of God.

HUMANISM: SAVING THE SELF

Irenaeus has a sense of order which is common to the culture of the West, but adds to it a fresh zest. He enriches classical humanism with a joy in the human condition and an admiration for man. His God is the good shepherd who rejoices in the work of salvation. Gnostics, with their denigration of creation, are in his opinion atheists. The wonder of God the creator and of man the creature go together, for the glory of God is man fully alive (4.20.7) and God is the glory of man who receives his wisdom and power (3.20.2).

Irenaeus deepened the classical tradition by the value which he placed on the human self.