We agree to differ: Irenaeus of Lyons and his reading of Valentinian Christology

Abstract

This work is part of a series of studies dealing with elements that allow us to build a dialogue between the controversial and apparently opposing positions of the church fathers and Valentinian Gnostic authors. The present article analyzes the Christological construction elaborated by Irenaeus of Lyons around the idea of recapitulation (to recapitulate = Greek Passage), which is explicitly presented as a confrontation against Valentinian interpretations and the notions elaborated by these authors. The main objective of our research is to glimpse the possibility of debate and dialogue in the heresiological arguments beyond their apparent antagonism.