St Irenaeus of Lyons on the Eucharist, Gratitude, and Mortality

For some time now, I have been working my way through St Irenaeus of Lyons’s Against Heresies—rather slowly, off and on, as I’ve also picked up other patristic works along the way.

But when I do get back to reading him, I am often struck by just how clear and worked-out his theology is for a Christian writing so early. The popular scholarly narratives of slow Christological development simply crumble when you read someone like Irenaeus. (Or, for that matter, even the undisputed letters of Paul…)