Irenaeus of Lyons on Authority of Scripture
Scripture supreme, recognized and interpreted through the church
"the Gospel has come down to us... handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith."
THE POSITION
Against Gnostics who reject Scripture as ambiguous and claim a secret oral wisdom instead, Irenaeus argues Scripture and the public, traceable rule of faith reinforce each other — tradition is the transparent, checkable transmission of what the apostles taught in Scripture, not an independent source of content. He borrows Paul's own language for Scripture's authority directly.
15 in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
2 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Bishop of Lyons, author of Against Heresies. Argued against Gnosticism from the apostolic rule of faith, and framed salvation as Christ recapitulating human life.
Cite this page
"Irenaeus of Lyons on Authority of Scripture", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/irenaeus/scripture-authority (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/irenaeus/scripture-authority).