Irenaeus of Lyons is one of the earliest theologians from whom we
have retained a somewhat substantial body of work, and I agree with John
Behr that "It would be hard to overstate the importance of Irenaeus of
Lyons, both with respect to what came before him and for the history of
Christian theological reflection and identity thereafter" (Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity, Oxford 2013, p.
205). And yet Irenaeus' eschatology has been controversial and often
overlooked or downplayed. In the manuscript tradition and in the various
editions of his writings published since the reformation, certain
eschatological passages from book 5 of Adv. haer. were excised or
overlooked. With the Source Chretiennes-edition, this has changed, due
to the inclusion and translation of passages in book 5 only found in the
Armenian translation discovered in 1904. Some of these passages cast
better light on Irenaeus' eschatalogy, in particular on his
understanding of the "Kingdom of the Son", which perhaps can be equated
with the millenial kingdom. In this short communication, I would like to
briefly explore the role this eschatological earthly "Kingdom of the
Son" plays in Irenaeus' theology, in particular as this is related to
his overall vision of the telos of humanity. The "Kingdom of the
Son" is for Irenaeus precisely the time and place where humans are to
"practice" participation in God and growth in his likeness. As such, it
is an integral part of his theology, not something he adopted
halfheartedly from Papias or other "fathers".
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