Apostolicity as a Church Response to Gnosticism in Irenaeus

This thesis is based on the praise that both Irenaeus and the Gnostics regarded Christian teachings and practices as Apostolic tradition. Irenaeus regarded Christian teachings and practices as Apostolic tradition, and, accordingly, appealed to the authority or the Apostles in defending the Christian faith. Apostolic tradition, for Irenaeus, must be guaranteed and safeguarded by the unbroken historical. succession from one generation to the next. Irenaeus laid much emphasis on the importance of the Apostles in Christian teachings and practices. However, the Apostles without successors are practically meaningless to him. The concept of being in the church also played an important role in Irenaeus’ thought. The Apostles were the depositors of the tradition in the church, and the bishops were the guarantors of it. The true Christian, therefore, is found only in the church. In the church the tradition is always one and the same everywhere all over the world. According to Irenaeus, there is no truth outside the church, simply because there is no tradition outside the church. The truth, the tradition and the church always stand and fall together. This totality of Christian tradition is the highlight of his thought and theological. system