The theology that Irenaeus’ presents to us in On the Apostolic Preaching is one that is solidly biblical, thoroughly Christocentric, and poetically colored. In this work, Iranaues delivers to us the truth of Christ’s life death and resurrection resulting the complete salvation of the Christian. This he roots in the objective work done by Christ Himself, beginning with the tragedy of human sin and the fall of Adam which plunged man into death. Then, beginning with the incarnation of Christ, Irenaeus begins to show how this universal death of humanity thorough sin was undone and overcome by the recapitulation of Adam’s fall through Christ’s life of obedience, propitiating sacrifice, and resurrection. It’s in this objective work of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that Irenaeus posits as the salvation of mankind, which is received through faith and leads to the healing of the whole man as we are conformed into the image and likeness of the righteous one by grace. All this, Irenaues puts forth as proclaimed before hand in types and shadows in the Old Testament. Here we see also that Irenaeus believes rightly that the Old Testament and all of its history is formed towards and for the proclamation of Christ. Irenaues also enjoys here juxtapositions between death and life, Eve and Mary, Adam and Christ. This theology is one that is engaged with the Scriptures in a living, colorful, poetic, and vibrant way. Irenaeus is doing neither devotional writing, nor purely academic theology, but for him both are concurrent realities. These doctrinal truths that he pulls eloquently from the scriptures are to him, very clearly, things of joy and celebration. It is such also that in his work here we see his excitement and love for Christ come through the text on the page. Irenaues is not bored with theology, but absolutely enamored with it. This leads me to reflect on how easy it can become when writing or reading theology at some times to slide into a kind of boredom due to the familiarity we can become with the material. Yet in these things we see our eternal life itself worked out by Christ in real time, in which God really became man for us, really suffered for us, died for us, and rose and ascended into heaven for this, and for all this we must bear witness to the whole world with joy and exultation. If anything, Irenaeus shows us that theology is not boring, but exciting and life-giving to those who believe that the things contained therein are true.
