Recapitulatio et Incarnatio: a nod to the Christology of Irenaeus of Lyon

Abstract

Through the outline of the concept of recapitulation, central to Irenaeus' thought, especially in his work Adversus Haereses, this text aims to expose the central lines of the Christology of the bishop of Lyon. It will thus be possible to observe not only Irenaeus' struggle against the heresies of his time, but also the close connection between the work of recapitulation, eminently soteriological, and the incarnation of the Word. Thus, through a reflection focused on Christ, it is possible to see, as through a prism, the various facets reached by the work of recapitulation of the Son of God, such as the creation of the world by the one God, the incarnation of the Word, the redemption of man, etc. Fighting against the Gnostic sects, Irenaeus defends the Christian faith and, through his arguments, largely based on Pauline and Johannine texts, attests to its veracity. Taking into account the context in which Adversus Haereses was written, it is impossible not to see in this work an itinerary that justifies the large number of martyrs of Christianity in the first centuries: for this faith, vividly described by the Bishop of Lyon, it is worth dying, as he himself had done.