Our alphabetical march through the saintly alphabet continues as Irenaeus of Lyons squares off against James the Just. The winner will face Athanasius of Alexandria, thereby setting up the first set battle of the Saintly Sixteen.
Yesterday, Gregory the Great swam past Hugh of Lincoln 62% to 38% to advance to the next round.
And if, for some reason, you missed yesterday's episode of Monday Madness -- complete with actual Breaming News -- you can repent and watch it here.
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Irenaeus of Lyons
Irenaeus was a Greek, a bishop, an unwavering supporter of the faith, and, of great significance, one of only thirty-seven Doctors of the Church!
Born in Smyrna, Turkey, in 130—although various reports note his birthdate as sometime between 97 and 160—Irenaeus spent the majority of his ministry based in Lugdunum, now known as Lyon, in southern Gaul, today’s France. A theologian and a prolific writer, Irenaeus was a stalwart defender of the faith and was considered the greatest theologian of his time. His writings ranged from insightful treatises to letters addressing key issues.
His training and education were simply unmatched. He was a student who believed in deep research and profound thinking. Irenaeus learned firsthand from the martyr Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and a theologian in his own right. Growing up, Polycarp was taught by none other than the Apostle John. As a result, Irenaeus’ foundations of faith were the teachings directly imparted from the Apostles.
At that time, Lugdunum was a major crossroads of civilization. Thanks to its location situated at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, Lugdunum was founded by the Romans and quickly grew to be an important trading center, attracting merchants, sailors, and scholars from all points of the known world. Irenaeus’ broad learning helped him connect with the many peoples who traveled through the major city.
While living in Lugdunum, Irenaeus witnessed the persecutions of Christians by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, wretched experiences that were lasting on his soul.
At the core of Irenaeus’ numerous contributions was his challenging of the Gnostics, who claimed to have access to secret knowledge. The name Gnostics came from the Greek word for “knowledge.”
Irenaeus considered Gnostics and their beliefs a direct attack on the Christian faith. His most enduring impact was the staunch repudiation of the Gnostics and their thinking. Irenaeus’ groundbreaking treatise, a five-volume “Against Heresies” (“Adversus Haereses”), was the total rejection of Gnosticism. In his writings, Irenaeus focused on his belief of three articles of faith—God the Creator, Jesus Christ his Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Irenaeus lived out his life in Lugdunum, where he died sometime in the latter end of the second century, but no exact date has been confirmed. It is also not clear if he was martyred.
In acknowledgement of his crucial contributions to the faith, in 2022 Pope Francis named Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church, elevating him to the same category as other Christian notables such as Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, Hildegard von Bingen, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Thomas Aquinas. Irenaeus’ feast day is June 28; it is August 23 in the Byzantine tradition.
Collect for Irenaeus of Lyons
Almighty God, who strengthened servant Irenaeus to defend thy truth against every blast of vain doctrine: Keep us, we pray, steadfast in your true religion, that in constancy and peace we may walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
James the Just
There are a lot of people named James in the Bible! Hegesippus called this James “the Just” because of his “outstanding virtue” to help distinguish him from others with the same name. The Catholic Church identifies James the Just as the same person as James the Less or James, son of Alphaeus. Since James, son of Alphaeus, is named in the list of disciples in the Gospels, this means that James the Just is also commonly accepted as one of the disciples. Most often, this James is identified as the brother of Jesus and the first bishop of the church in Jerusalem. It is generally assumed that James the Just is the author of the Epistle of James, but there is some disagreement about its authorship. James the Just presided at the Council of Jerusalem and was the one who insisted that Paul ritually cleanse himself at Herod’s Temple to prove his faith and deny rumors of teaching rebellion against the Torah. First Corinthians mentions that James is one to whom Jesus showed his resurrected self.
James is sometimes referred to as James Adelphotheos, which translates to “brother of God” in Greek, but the word may not have been intended in a biological sense. Besides, to be the brother of Jesus, whom we believe was the son of God and the Virgin Mary, should raise questions about James’s parents’ identities. Some scholars say that James, Joses, Jude, and Simon were also Mary and Joseph’s sons, making them Jesus’s half-brothers, James being the eldest since he was listed first. However, the apocryphal Gospel of James indicates that Joseph had children before he was married to Mary, which would make James Jesus’s stepbrother. A third group suggests that perhaps James was a cousin of Jesus, because the Aramaic word used meant both cousin and brothers or sisters. One final possibility about the parentage of James is that he could have been a younger half-brother of Jesus, the son of Mary and Clopas (Joseph’s younger brother whom Mary could have married after Joseph’s death).
James died by being thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and being stoned and clubbed to death in either 62 or 69. James the Just has a handful of feast days depending on denomination. The Roman Catholic calendar commemorates him on May 3. He is remembered on October 23 on the Lutheran and Episcopal calendars. The Eastern Orthodox celebrates his feast day on multiple dates, including on October 23, December 26, and January 4. As an interesting final note, in 2002, an ossuary that was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum was thought to contain James’s bones because of an inscription, but that inscription was found to be a forgery.
Collect for James the Just
Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
66 comments on “Irenaeus of Lyons vs. James the Just”
Irenaeus, Irenaeus, he's our man!
Will not let me vote
Perhaps it was the persecutions he was condemning(which we all should) rather than their religion or lack thereof.
I voted for Ir….. the first guy simply because the write up for James seemed more concern for his lineage (which just confused me) than what he did. I did appreciate the remark that someone made - it must have been tough to have been the brother of Jesus :))
Lost the email again. I only had it for a few days, before it disappeared again. I can vote if I go to the website, but I would really like to get the emails.
I voted for Irenaeus, whose genius against “vain doctrines” is needed today. I’m looking at you, neoliberalism, Zionism, and Christian nationalism. Doctrines whose works are immiseration, genocide, and hate are false and pernicious. May we have strength to stand firmly against them.
Why do you call him Irenaeus of Lyons rather than Irenaeus of LYON, the actual place name? Why the added "s"?
In any case, I voted for him!
Through my eyes, I would like to share that though Irenaeus devoted his life to God and writing and living proactive and reflective life protecting and extending the teachings the of Jesus, as well as the teachings to be remembered as a whole of Jesus’s ministry as he walked the earth. James the Just lived this ministry and most importantly was active. His actions combined with 2 other Saints is considered one the pillars of the church. James the Just’s work was a little different in tone . More through Spirit which to me is the teachings and learnings Christ legacy is about.
Hiram vs Hugh?
Alphabetical?
I feel bad for the Gnostics.
No use voting this year. Can anyone tell me how to get my vote to count?
Not only am I a fan of Irenæus' teachings, I was born on his feast day. So he gets my vote for sure!
Familial ties aside, James was there at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Does it really matter if they were brothers, half-brothers, cousins…? Although I found Irenaeus‘s story more compelling, in making him relevant to today, I found his “staunch repudiation of the Gnostics and their thinking” somewhat disturbing. I much prefer living together peacefully and in understanding of differing views of faith and belief. Repudiation of any culture or belief other than our own has led to (and is still leading to) religious wars, cultural genocide and a whole host of other “My way is better than your way” problems. I voted for “Just”ice.
I had a hard time understanding why either of these men should be in the running for this year's Golden Halo. One seems to have been very narrow minded, rejecting the beliefs of others as heresies. The other seems to have been nominated for a very unclear relation to Jesus himself. I believe that's called nepotism. Neither of these choices appeals.
Good arguments for both candidates today, thank you bloggers. And a special shout out to Kathryn Nishibayashi from St. Stephen's, Santa Clarita -- we remember you fondly from your discernment posting with us!
I just cannot vote for James. If we just knew who he was it could perhaps be easier. Just my opinion, not trying to justify anything.
Hi. I’m still having problems with receiving the daily voting via email. I received the Monday Madness but didn’t receive the voting email today
Or yesterday. Thanks for your help with this. I can go to the site to vote though. It’s not on my junk mail either… because Lent Madness isn’t junk!
During a pilgrimage, my friend and I spent 2 nights in Santiago de Compostela. We sat on the steps of the church and read the gospel of James aloud to each other. Still a special memory in my heart. Have to vote for dear James, as he is my brother whether or not he was Jesus' brother!
James the Just. I voted for James the Just because of two reasons. The first reason he inspired me to be more Christ-like. The second reason is that James is Jesus' brother.
James the Just is so holy.
WOW...on first glance, it appears the powers that be set up a very strong round today by pitting Irenaeus, a theologian, defender of the faith and Doctor of the Church, against James, first bishop of Jerusalem as well as being Jesus's brother. Pretty impressive credentials for both contenders. The closeness of the votes that have been cast so far today reflect the importance of both men to all people of the faith throughout history.
However, upon reading the life histories of Irenaeus of Lyons and James the Just, in my humble opinion, Irenaeus easily comes out on top. In an era of secularization of many churches across cultures, denominations and nationalities, Irenaeus was a stellar defender of the faith, focusing his strong belief in three articles of faith, "...God the Creator, Jesus Christ his Son, and the Holy Spirit."
As more and more of our ministers, worship committees, teachers and members of our congregations embrace "light theology", Irenaeus' deep devotion to a strong and solid understanding of Christianity as a way of life as witnessed by Jesus, the Christ's ministry has been a cornerstone and a guiding light for us. I'm in Irenaeus' corner all the way to the winner's circle.
James the Just (James the brother of our Lord) lead the forming Church after Jesus death and Resurrection until just before the Jewish revolt that lead to the destruction of Jerusalem. He cared for his Mother Mary, was witness to the resurrected Jesus and gave guidance to the growing Jesus movement. He was brutally martyred.
Without him there likely would not have been an Iranaeus. James-my vote!
Tough decision here. Maybe we can have an exact tie?
Irenaeus has my vote. I just love his provenance - Irenaeus studied under Polycarp, Polycarp studied under St John. While James the Just was actually there-there, it’s neat to see the faith being passed along and The Originals pouring themselves into The Next Gen.
and, Irenaeus had the more engaging write-up. Quickly decide who you are writing about and tell us about that person. That’s my advise going forward.
Like some others, I didn’t have a strong sense of who to vote for today, or at least felt dissatisfied with both choices. Irenaeus accomplished a lot, and Elaine Pagels has written very movingly about the early Christian community in what is now France. So I could be wrong here . . . but five volumes “Against Heresies”? There is so much mystery inside of faith, and so much work to be done in helping others, and so much boundless love of God to rest on, that insisting on a particular set of beliefs has throughout history often been about oppression, political alliances disguised as faith, and backroom power struggles (I’m looking at you Council of Nicaea and the persecution of the Arians). Don’t know if that’s true for Irenaeus (if he was off in Lugdunum so perhaps to geopolitical power struggles were involvd), but pouring your heart, mind and soul into telling other people why their beliefs are wrong doesn’t sit right with me.
Apparently, we know very little about this so-called James the Just. We seem to know that he was an early leader of the emerging first-century Jesus group, that he was an early follower of Jesus (though not one of the 12?), perhaps a brother or cousin, perhaps not, that he had enough integrity to come down to us as “Just,” and that he was outspoken enough to have been killed for his faith. I’m going to lean in on the early Christian leader thing, and the idea of courage and “Justice,” which we so need right now, and vote for James.
It does not tell me I voted nor does it let me see the results. Sandra
So I voted this morning and went back to check the results and now it's telling me to vote. Past two days it thanked me for voting and I hadn't voted. I'm so confused. I will not vote again since that's against policy.
Thanks for making today's saintly set-to easier for me. I didn't have to think twice about voting for Irenaeus.
I finally caught up and could actually vote today. Hallelujah!!
First a tech thing - I hope that the ability to reply to others' comments - to comment on comments - will be restored. The lively conversations that have ensued have been important to what I've both enjoyed and learned from in Lent Madness.
Second, about Iraneous.
- I agree with everyone who has commented that disagreeing strongly and publicly with someone is not persecution. Having people with whom you disagree imprisoned and/or killed is persecution.
- Why would it inherently be a bad thing to spend passion and intellect arguing against others' beliefs? I thought it was supposed to be important to stand up for what one believes to be right?
- Nothing could have been more vital to Irenaeous and other early Christians than the nature of Jesus and God's world. The various Gnostic stances were not trivial matters. "Hey Gnostics, you go ahead and believe that the material world is the accidental creation of an evil being, that's just fine!" Er, no.
- Sometimes others' beliefs just ARE wrong. Like, you know, that Black people are inherently inferior to White people. That's a pretty strong belief in some quarters.