Editing Irenaeus (section)

===Unity of salvation history===
Irenaeus's emphasis on the unity of God is reflected in his corresponding emphasis on the unity of [[salvation]] history. Irenaeus repeatedly insists that God began the world and has been overseeing it ever since this creative act; everything that has happened is part of his plan for humanity. The essence of this plan is a process of maturation: Irenaeus believes that humanity was created immature, and God intended his creatures to take a long time to grow into or assume the divine likeness.

Everything that has happened since has therefore been planned by God to help humanity overcome this initial mishap and achieve spiritual maturity. The world has been intentionally designed by God as a difficult place, where human beings are forced to make moral decisions, as only in this way can they mature as moral agents. Irenaeus likens death to the big fish that swallowed [[Jonah]]: it was only in the depths of the whale's belly that Jonah could turn to God and act according to the divine will. Similarly, death and suffering appear as [[evil]]s, but without them we could never come to know God.

According to Irenaeus, the high point in salvation history is the advent of [[Jesus]]. For Irenaeus, the Incarnation of [[Christ]] was intended by God before he determined that humanity would be created. Irenaeus develops this idea based on [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A14&version=NRSVCE Rom. 5:14], saying "Forinasmuch as He had a pre-existence as a saving Being, it was necessary that what might be saved should also be called into existence, in order that the Being who saves should not exist in vain."{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103322.htm Book III, Chapter 22, Section 3]}} Some theologians maintain that Irenaeus believed that Incarnation would have occurred even if humanity had never sinned; but the fact that they did [[sin]] determined his role as the [[wiktionary:savior|savior]].{{sfn|Carol|1986|pp=172–174}}

Irenaeus sees Christ as the new Adam, who systematically ''undoes'' what Adam did: thus, where Adam was disobedient concerning God's edict concerning the fruit of the [[Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil]], Christ was obedient even to death on the wood of a tree. Irenaeus is the first to draw comparisons between [[Eve]] and [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], contrasting the faithlessness of the former with the faithfulness of the latter. In addition to reversing the wrongs done by Adam, Irenaeus thinks of Christ as "recapitulating" or "summing up" human life.{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103318.htm Book III, Chapter 18, Section 7]}}{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103321.htm Book III, Chapter 21, Section 9–10]}}{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103322.htm Book III, Chapter 22, Section 3]}}{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103322.htm Book V, Chapter 21, Section 1]}}{{sfn|Klager|2007|p=462|loc=note 158}}

Irenaeus conceives of our salvation as essentially coming about through the [[incarnation]] of God as a man. He characterizes the penalty for sin as death and [[corruption (philosophical concept)|corruption]]. God, however, is [[Immortality|immortal]] and incorruptible, and simply by becoming united to human nature in Christ he conveys those qualities to us: they spread, as it were, like a benign infection.{{sfn|Litwa|2014|pp=324–325}} Irenaeus emphasizes that salvation occurs through Christ's Incarnation, which bestows incorruptibility on humanity, rather than emphasizing His Redemptive death in the [[crucifixion]], although the latter event is an integral part of the former.{{sfn|Bandstra|1970|pp= 47, 57}}

====Christ's life====
Part of the process of recapitulation is for Christ to go through every stage of human life, from infancy to old age, and simply by living it, sanctify it with his divinity. Irenaeus believed Christ did not die until he was older than is conventionally portrayed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, II.22 (St. Irenaeus) |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103222.htm |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>

In the passage of ''Adversus Haereses'' under consideration, Irenaeus claims that after receiving baptism at the age of thirty, citing Luke 3:23, Gnostics then falsely assert that "He [Jesus] preached only one year reckoning from His baptism," and also, "On completing His thirtieth year He [Jesus] suffered, being in fact still a young man, and who had by no means attained to advanced age." Irenaeus argues against the Gnostics by using scripture to add several years after his baptism by referencing 3 distinctly separate visits to Jerusalem. The first is when Jesus makes wine out of water, he goes up to the Paschal feast-day, after which he withdraws and is found in Samaria. The second is when Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for Passover and cures the paralytic, after which he withdraws over the sea of Tiberias. The third mention is when he travels to Jerusalem, eats the Passover, and suffers on the following day.{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103222.htm Book II, Chapter 22, Section 5]}}

Irenaeus quotes scripture (John 8:57), to suggest that Jesus ministers while in his 40s. In this passage, Jesus's opponents want to argue that Jesus has not seen Abraham, because Jesus is too young. Jesus's opponents argue that Jesus was not yet 50 years old. Irenaeus argues that if Jesus were in his thirties, his opponents would have argued that he was not yet 40 years old, since that would make him even younger. Irenaeus's argument is that they would not weaken their own argument by adding years to Jesus's age. Irenaeus also writes: "The Elders witness to this, who in Asia conferred with John the Lord's disciple, to the effect that John had delivered these things unto them: for he abode with them until the times of Trajan. And some of them saw not only John, but others also of the Apostles, and had this same account from them, and witness to the aforesaid relation."{{sfn|Irenaeus|1885|loc=[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103222.htm Book II, Chapter 22, Section 5]}}

In Demonstration (74) Irenaeus notes "For [[Pontius Pilate]] was governor of [[Judea (Roman province)|Judæa]], and he had at that time resentful enmity against [[Herod Antipas|Herod the king of the Jews]]. But then, when Christ was brought to him bound, Pilate sent Him to Herod, giving command to enquire of him, that he might know of a certainty what he should desire concerning Him; making Christ a convenient occasion of reconciliation with the king."{{sfn|Irenaeus|1920|p= [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/demonstr/Page_77.html §77]}} Pilate was the [[Praefectus#Prefects as provincial governors|prefect]] of the Roman province of [[Iudaea Province|Judaea]] from AD 26–36.<ref name=EB_PP /><ref name=Lendering /> He served under Emperor [[Tiberius]]. Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, a client state of the Roman Empire. He ruled from 4 BC to 39&nbsp;AD.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|p=}} In refuting Gnostic claims that Jesus preached for only one year after his baptism, Irenaeus used the "recapitulation" approach to demonstrate that by living beyond the age of thirty Christ sanctified even old age.