Irenaeus: Against Heresies & Writings
6 worksIrenaeus was bishop of Lyons in the 2nd century, active about AD 175–202, and a student of Polycarp, who was a student of the Apostle John. His great work is Against Heresies, in five books, first written in Greek and kept in Latin. Read all five books and his fragments here free, with narrated audio.
Start reading — Against Heresies: Book IThe Works of Irenaeus
Every work below is here in full — the complete English text, free to read without an account. Narrated audio with word highlighting is available for some works and sections; audio coverage is not complete for every work.
Against Heresies: Book I
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Against Heresies: Book II
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Against Heresies: Book III
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Against Heresies: Book IV
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Against Heresies: Book V
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Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenæus
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Common questions about Irenaeus
- Who was Irenaeus?
- Bishop of Lyons in the 2nd century, active about AD 175–202. He was a student of Polycarp, and Polycarp was a student of the Apostle John.
- What did Irenaeus write?
- His great work is Against Heresies, in five books. His shorter Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching also survives (in Armenian). This page has Against Heresies and his fragments.
- How many books is Against Heresies?
- Five. Each book opens on its own here, Book I through Book V.
- What language did Irenaeus write in?
- Greek, but Against Heresies is kept to us mainly in Latin. The texts here are the complete English translations from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, each with narrated audio.