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Against Heresies
8.
All, therefore, are outside of the [Christian] dispensation, who, under pretext of knowledge, understand that Jesus was one, and Christ another, and the Only-begotten another, from whom again is the Word, and that the Saviour is another, whom these disciples of error allege to be a production of those who were made Aeons in a state of degeneracy. Such men are to outward appearance sheep; for they appear to be like us, by what they say in public, repeating the same words as we do; but inwardly they are wolves. Their doctrine is homicidal, conjuring up, as it does, a number of gods, and simulating many Fathers, but lowering and dividing the Son of God in many ways. These are they against whom the Lord has cautioned us beforehand; and His disciple, in his Epistle already mentioned, commands us to avoid them, when he says: "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Take heed to them, that ye lose not what ye have wrought." 1 And again does he say in the Epistle: "Many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit which separates Jesus Christ is not of God, but is of antichrist." 2 These words agree with what was said in the Gospel, that "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."
Wherefore he again exclaims in his Epistle, "Every one that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, has been born of God;" 3 knowing Jesus Christ to be one and the same, to whom the gates of heaven were opened, because of His taking upon Him flesh: who shall also come in the same flesh in which He suffered, revealing the glory of the Father.
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2 John 7, 8. Irenaeus seems to have read autous instead of heautous, as in the received text. ↩
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1 John iv. 1, 2. This is a material difference from the received text of the passage: "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." The Vulgate translation and Origen agree with Irenaeus, and Tertullian seems to recognise both readings (Adv. Marc., v. 16). Socrates tells us (vii. 32, p. 381) that the passage had been corrupted by those who wished to separate the humanity of Christ from His divinity, and that the old copies read, pan pneuma ho luei ton 'Iesoun apo tou Theou ouk esti, which exactly agrees with Origen's quotation, and very nearly with that of Irenaeus, now before us. Polycarp (Ep., c. vii.) seems to allude to the passage as we have it now, and so does Ignatius (Ep. Smyr., c. v.). See the question discussed by Burton, in his Ante-Nicene Testimonies [to the Div. of Christ. Another work of Burton has a similar name. See British Critic, vol. ii. (of 1827), p. 265]. ↩
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1 John v. 1. ↩
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Gegen die Häresien (BKV)
8.
Daher stehen alle außerhalb der Heilsordnung, die als Gnostiker zwischen Jesus und Christus einen Unterschied machen, zwischen dem Eingeborenen, von dem hinwiederum das Wort stammen soll, und dem Erlöser, den die Schüler des Irrtums von den Äonen ausgehen lassen. Äußerlich freilich sind sie wie Schafe, denn durch ihre ganze Ausdrucksweise erscheinen sie uns ähnlich, indem sie wie wir sprechen; innerlich aber sind sie Wölfe. Denn menschenmörderisch ist ihre Lehre, Mehrere Götter erdichtet sie, und mehrere Väter erheuchelt sie, den Sohn Gottes aber zerlegt sie in mehrere Stücke. Darum bat uns der Herr im voraus, uns vor ihnen zu hüten, und sein Schüler Johannes befiehlt uns in dem bereits genannten Briefe, vor ihnen zu fliehen, indem er sagt: „Viele Verführer sind in diese Welt ausgegangen, welche nicht bekennen, daß Jesus Christus im Fleische gekommen sei. Das ist der Verführer und Antichrist. Achtet auf sie, damit ihr nicht verlieret, was ihr geleistet habt!“1 Und wiederum sagt er in seinem Briefe: „Viele Pseudopropheten sind ausgegangen von der Welt. Daran erkennet den Geist Gottes: Jeder Geist, der bekennt, daß Jesus Christus im Fleische gekommen ist, ist aus Gott. Und jeder Geist, der Jesum auflöst, ist nicht aus Gott, sondern von dem Antichrist“2 . Das ist aber dem ähnlich, was im Evangelium gesagt ist: „Das Wort ist Fleisch geworden S. 281und hat in uns gewohnt“. Deshalb ruft er abermals in seinem Briefe: „Jeder, der glaubt, daß Jesus ist Christus, ist aus Gott geboren“3 , indem er weiß, daß ein und derselbe Jesus Christus es ist, dem die Tore des Himmels wegen seiner leiblichen Himmelfahrt sich öffneten, und der auch in demselben Fleische, in dem er gelitten hat, kommen wird, seine Herrlichkeit zu offenbaren.
