Building on the work of Tertullian and Paul and The Apostolic Fathers and Paul, this volume continues a series of specially commissioned studies by leading voices in New Testament/early Christianity and patristics studies to consider how Paul was read, interpreted and received by the early Church Fathers.
In this volume the use of Paul's writings is examined within the writings of Irenaeus of Lyon. Issues of influence, reception, theology and history are examined to show how Paul's work influenced the developing theology of the early Church. The literary style of Paul's output is also examined. The contributors to the volume represent leading lights in the study of Irenaeus, as well as respected names from the field of New Testament studies.
These stimulating conversations between scholars at home in Irenaeus's thought and those from a Pauline stable make a valuable contribution to an understanding of both thinkers. But more than this, they take us beyond a linear view of Pauline reception, and binary models of whether Irenaeus got Paul 'right' or 'wrong', to a more measured reflection on the contextualization of all interpretation, and of the potential of Paul - and of Irenaeus- for new readings in the face of new challenges.
