Against Heresies (Books IV V)

In 180 AD, St. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon, France wrote Against Heresies. It is a collected work made up of 5 books, wherein Irenaeus examines the many schools of Gnostic thought of his day, in addition to various heretical Christian sects. He contrasts these with the orthodoxy of Christianity. This version of the work contains the last two books, which focus on refuting ancient heresies by referring to examples from the Old and New Testament. The early authorship of the document gives a rare window into the doctrine of the early church. This work is drawn from "The writings of Irenaeus" Edinburgh, Clark, 1911, by Irenaeus, Alexander Roberts (1826-1901) and W. H. Rambaut (1822-1893), and includes the original footnotes along with illustrations of the Biblical figures referred to in the text.