Welcome to the round of the Saintly Sixteen! Sixteen saints in Lent Madness 2025 have been sent packing and sixteen more remain, as the struggle for the coveted Golden Halo continues. Get ready for some high stakes, thrilling saintly action over the coming days. Today it's a clash of the ecclesiastical titans as Athansius of Alexandria tangles with Irenaeus.
The Round of 32 consisted of basic biographical information about the saints. Since there’s no need to rehash previously covered ground, the Saintly Sixteen is made up of what we call Quirks & Quotes. Prepare for some little known facts or legends, accompanied by quotes either by or about the saint in question. But don't worry! You can always click the Bracket tab and scroll down to view the previous match-ups and easily access the information from the earlier rounds.
Yesterday, Nicolaus Zinzendorf defeated Zita of Tuscany 54% to 46% to punch the last available ticket into the Saintly Sixteen.
And, as you make your selection today, don't forget to watch Christian and Michael's Daily Lent Madness Video. They're always high energy and highly informative!
Vote now!
Irenaeus
Irenaeus is widely recognized for his statement, “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.”
This 10-word phrase attributed to Irenaeus encapsulates his life, his beliefs, and his spirituality.
It’s not a stretch to understand why Irenaeus touts this belief – as a student of Polycarp who, in turn, had been a student of John The Apostle, Irenaeus’ spiritually was deeply rooted. He said the Son and the Spirit were the "hands of God."
In the latter half of the second century, Irenaeus was the leading theologian of his time and an unwavering defender of the faith, as evidenced by his letters, writings, treatises, and books.
Irenaeus had no time for the Gnostics, who believed they possessed access to secret knowledge. His major writings center on what he considered their falsehoods.
His treatise in five books, commonly called Adversushaereses, (Against Heresies), is focused on the "Detection and Overthrow of the False Knowledge." It is considered the largest Christian writing by a theologian up to and including the second century. His second is titled “Presentation of the Apostolic Preaching," which delves into the faith, as, he believed, was proclaimed by the apostles. In both, at their core is the truth of the Gospels.
His other well-known phrases further express his beliefs:
“The business of the Christian is nothing else but to be ever preparing for death. He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man ... might become the son of God.”
Jesus sanctifies “every age by its likeness to himself. For he came to save all persons by his person: all, I say, who by him are reborn in God—infants, children, boys, young men, and old men. Therefore, he passed through every stage of life.”
Clearly there is a reason why this Greek bishop is one of only 37 Doctors of the Church!
He died at the end of the second century; no date has ever been determined.
“St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who came from the East, exercised his episcopal ministry in the West: he was a spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians,” Pope Francis wrote in his January 2022 decree naming Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church.“ His name, Irenaeus, expresses that peace which comes from the Lord and which reconciles, restoring unity.”
Pope Francis concluded, "May the doctrine of such a great Master encourage more and more the path of all the Lord's disciples towards full communion."
Athanasius of Alexandria
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a human being, being placed in front of a microphone, must be in want of a speech. For those who live in the church, it should thus come as no surprise that bishops rarely lack for words. Throw those bishops into council among other bishops, and the quantity of words tends to multiply. Throw a bishop such as Athanasius of Alexandia into the crucible of 4th century Christianity, and the words are not merely words, but volumes and treatises. His influence goes well beyond the formation of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
Among Athanasius’ most famous assertions is from De incarnatione verbi - “He was made human that we might be made Gods. Jesus Christ manifested himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and he endured the insolence of humanity that we might inherit immortality.” For Athanasius, Jesus’ divinity is more than a Christological argument for the nature of the Second Person of the Trinity – it is the very vessel by which we are changed and transformed as disciples. “Such and so many are the Savior’s achievements that follow from His Incarnation, that to try to number them is like gazing at the open sea and trying to count the waves.”
Lest you think Athanasius was all pious, all the time, he was, of course, caught up in the discourse of early Christianity. He didn’t spare any words in arguing against the Arians. At one point he calls Arius’ followers “Ario-maniacs.” Yet even as he made pointed polemic against the Arians, he also recognized the larger call of Jesus’ disciples: “Christians, instead of arming themselves with swords, extend their hands in prayer.”
The idea of mutual indwelling between God and humanity in the person of Jesus is also present in another asceticism and solitude, including writing the principal biography of Antony of Egypt. In one writing, he wrote: “The people who walk angelically according to their free will and practice discipline in the life of the angels… die daily in the life that belongs to earth, but… live in the life of the angels, just as they share in the life of the Lord.”
Perhaps in the end, the best testament to Athanasius’ life if found in returning to the anchor in which we are all called to live as Christians and disciples – how we answer Jesus’ question to Peter in the gospels: “who do you say that I am?” For Athanasius, the answer was simple, and yet profound: “Jesus, that I know as my Redeemer, cannot be less than God.”
53 comments on “Athanasius of Alexandria vs. Irenaeus”
Harrumph. It's another battle of the two female Chinese teachers who were martyred. Only this time it's the battle of the two wise bishops defending Trinitarian Orthodoxy! (Later we'll have a battle between the Arians and the Gnostics for a consolation prize.)
I went back to their first round bios and cast my vote for Athanasius, as he seems to have had a more interesting career. But I'm still having trouble remember which bishop is which.
Life is about difficult choices. I choose Irenaeus, the inevitable underdog, not because I think his contribution is more "important" than that of Athanasius. It's just that without Irenaeus, there simply would have been no Athanasius.
Tough choice....I went for the underdog.
I’m going for Irenaeus the underdog. Both are worthy to continue, however.
That was tough. 50-50 and I (temporarily) broke the tie.
This is a challenging match up.
But the more I think about it, the stronger my conviction for Irenaeus. The bridge between East and West, his name an expression for peace & unity - "May the doctrine of such a great Master encourage more and more the path of all the Lord's disciples towards full communion."
Not fair. This round is like choosing between George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, with the winner facing off against Warren G. Harding or Richard Milhous Nixon.
Sancti Athanasie et Irenaee, orate pro nobis.
Am I correct in thinking the voting choice should be in the order presented in the above textual information? Here the order was reversed to perhaps alphabetical order but not sure a change should be made without a heads up.
“ Christians, instead of arming themselves with swords, extend their hands in prayer.”
Says it all for me! Athanasius!
Well, that was easy. I voted for Irenaeus. Asone who has, for many years, used the Athanasian creed (and, yes, I know he didn't write it) as a soporific, I hav a bias against over-explainers like Athanasius.
Sorry for the typos in my previous post. It's still early, early morning here and I haven't had my first cup of tea yet.
Having had a most wonderful dog, Athanasius, named by my beloved Father, he got my vote today.
My Favorite for the Golden Halo is -- Lucy Yi. That is -- if she can find her head. Other than that I vote for Irenaeus because I'm 84 and well -- what else is there to think about.
Maybe just use a randomizer for the brackets next time, instead of the clever stuff?
Would be easier if the order of the histories and the order of voting were the same.
I am going for Irenaeus because we need peace.
I voted for Irenaeus because he knew that God is for all people, not for the chosen few. I also believe it would be great to have a direct link to each contestant for the day so that we don't have to navigate to them to review their bio.
Hello-not as tough as the Chinese teachers for me (I abstained voting that day).
I chose Irenaeus in part because his ministry seems to have been about teaching discernment and reflecting on truth.
I also like the opening quote "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Which I would dice further into "The Glory of God is I AM fully alive." I am sure volumes have been written about this idea.
Personally, one of my Grandmother's was named Irene, so my vote is also in memory of her. She lived a vibrant and "fully alive" life, especially enjoying her little dog and her retirement travels.
Irenaeus’s statement (in an older form - “The glory of God is man fully alive”) was the inspiration for the Canadian television series Man Alive which ran from 1967 to 2000.
He had me with this. "Detection and Overthrow of the False Knowledge."
Theology makes my brain hurt. All those words! I voted for Irenaeus. His words were easier to understand. I didn't vote for either of them in the previous round.
I don't know. I read the book on the gospel of Thomas by Elaine Panels which made me wonder about John ... I still chuckle every time the "Doubting Thomas" reference comes up in the Gospel reading. Irenaeus might have thought along the same lines as Thomas based on the summary provided, I don't know. On the other hand, the Gospels only? Hmmmm
I went with Irenaeus but could have been presented better choices for this one.
Irenaeus is a doctor for our times
This was close, but there is a good argument to be made that having hidden knowledge is harmful and leads to people NOT acting in their own best interests. I believe strongly in educating people so that they can make the best choices for themselves! So I go with the Doctor of Christianity!
Having read about Athanasius’ hatred of the Arians and doing all he could to wipe them out, including murder, I truly despise him for his arrogance and his pompous attitude as bishop. Irenaeus isn’t wonderful either in his attitudes toward winner, but in this case it’s the lesser of two evils!
So we have two learned men, both of whom wrote a number of works, both of whom looked down upon those who believed different things, both of whom seem worthy of advancement. This may be one of those instances where I'll come back later, see who's in the lead, and vote for the one who isn't.
What a difficult choice today! Both of them emphasized the central importance of the Incarnation, and both expressed the idea that the Son became as we are that we might become as he is.
In the end, I voted for Irenaeus, as the earlier of the two theologians, but it's painful to vote against either one of them!
Extend your hands in prayer (not swords)
Athanasius for me
OK, this is confusing: the explication of Irenaeus comes first, followed by that of Athanasius; but then in the "VOTE" section, Athanasius comes first. I almost voted for the wrong candidate by mistake.
Kind of picky, but there sure were a bunch of typos in the presentations today. Is anybody proof reading? I also agree that it's confusing for the listing of the candidates for voting to be opposite the order of the write-ups.