Few scholars have published as much on Irenaeus in the past decade as Anthony Briggman, associate professor of early Christianity at Candler School of Theology. God and Christ in Irenaeus is this author's second monograph and represents an important contribution to early Christian studies. The project is a worthy one, for the subject matter has been somewhat neglected. Indeed, publications devoted strictly to the bishop's theology proper are few and far between.
The introduction states that the book's purpose is to elucidate the metaphysical dimension of Irenaeus’ thought. The categories of thought under examination make up the four primary chapters of the book. These themes include examinations of the divine being, the Father-Son relationship, the Son's two natures, and the work of the Son (and the implications therein). Prior to these, Briggman offers a lengthy prolegomena in which he establishes the rationale for the project. A key component of this section is a survey of previous research. This historiographical overview demonstrates, on the one hand, the research lacuna, and on the other the scholarly pre- and misconceptions that have contributed to this lacuna. As the book's thesis centres on a neglected metaphysical component of Irenaean thought, Briggman spends considerable time on the question of Irenaeus and his relationship to and use of Greek philosophy. As such, he argues that scholars have typically under-appreciated the bishop's willingness to creatively utilise philosophy ‘as a potential source of theological insight’ (p. 69). Chapter ii examines the divine being and argues that infinitude and simplicity are the two most pronounced and important elements to Irenaeus’ understanding of the divine nature. The chapter provides a careful analysis of several selections from Adversus haereses ii and argues for a clear reliance upon key philosophical principles. Chapter iii probes the second of the metaphysically neglected elements, namely, the relationship of the Word-Son to God the Father. Briggman argues that two central features to the relationship are reciprocal immanence and eternal generation (or, eternal production). Both concepts emerge out of the two key themes of the divine being and thus further reinforce the importance of metaphysical thinking in Irenaean theology. Chapter iv considers the two natures of the Word-Son, or, as the author refers to it, the ‘Christological Union’. This chapter is not only one of the most interesting but also one of the most important. For, as Briggman notes in the introduction, it was this issue of Irenaeus and his reference to ‘mixture’ that provided the impetus for the study. The central thesis is that the bishop used the Stoic understanding of mixture, with specific reference to ‘blending’ theory, in order to provide a framework of understanding to describe the co-existence of divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. Briggman argues that Irenaeus, consistent with the early Christian literature of his era, readily employed Stoic ideas such as this. Chapter v details the work of Christ and argues once more that Irenaeus’ presentation of Christ's salvation and revelatory activity build upon the foundational elements of his doctrine of God.
God and Christ in Irenaeus provides several important contributions to Irenaeus research. First, as a full-length monograph on the doctrine of God, a book such as this has been long overdue. The book is helpful in that it offers an in-depth, systematic overview of those key Irenaean emphases on the divine being (infinitude and simplicity). The bishop of Lyons did not write as extensively on the nature of God as would subsequent writers, but Briggman demonstrates that Irenaeus did reflect on the subject more than he has often been credited with. Second, Briggman argues not only that the bishop reflected deeply on these key emphases, but that they then became the foundation upon which the rest of his thought developed – be it of the polemical or constructive variety. In making this argument Briggman ties together the various elements of Ireaneus’ theology in a fascinating manner. Careful readers will no doubt question whether this second task is altogether successful, but this much is certain: God and Christ provides an important contribution to the discussion. A third valuable contribution is the specifically Christological sections. Briggman's reflection on the eternal generation of the Word-Son is particularly insightful, as is the entire fourth chapter, dedicated to Christological mixture. In the latter, the author outlines a convincing argument that Irenaeus employed the Stoic understanding of blending to describe how the divine and human natures co-exist in the Word-Son.
The strengths of Briggman's mixture analysis may also be the book's Achilles heel, however. In the opening pages of the monograph the author indicates that it was the riddle of Irenaeus’ use of mixture language that prompted the writing of God and Christ. At times, however, the early chapters of the volume seem almost to serve as a lengthy prolegomena building towards the mixture essays. Whereas the demonstration for Stoic influence fits well there, the same methodology seems somewhat forced in the other chapters. There are two other concerns as it relates to the influence of Stoicism. First, Briggman argues in his conclusion that Stoic thought was ‘extremely important’ in late second- and early third-century Christianity (p. 207), but in the section dedicated to that discussion (pp. 146–52) the only non-Irenaean example provided was that of the Roman Monarchians. Second, the importance of Stoic influence seems inordinately influenced by the work of Richard Sorabji. As insightful as Sorabji's work may be, one wonders whether the dialogue could be improved with additional conversation partners. Erik Osborn's 2001 monograph, Irenaeus, for example, commented on both the metaphysical elements of the divine nature and possible Stoic influences.
It is something of a shame that the book came out in the same year as John Behr's 2019 essay ‘Synchronic and diachronic harmony: St Irenaeus on divine simplicity’. Although Briggman and Behr were unable to interact with each other, the latter's essay highlights both the strength and potential weakness of God and Christ. On the one hand, Behr's approach reinforces Briggman's assertion that too often the philosophical influences of Irenaeus are neglected. On the other hand, however, Behr's examination of Irenaeus and Divine simplicity yields very different results. Whereas Briggman emphasises the crucial place of philosophical influences, Behr (following Osborn) puts forth an Irenaean understanding of simplicity that is, above all, a synchronic reflection on the Scriptures. These are not necessarily incompatible points, of course. Nevertheless, this again illustrates the double-edged sword that is God and Christ in Irenaeus. It charts important new territory in its effort to reflect more deeply on Irenaeus’ doctrine of God, but it does so within a very narrow set of parameters and through a single point of reference. Regardless, Briggman's volume is a strong contribution to Irenaeus studies and is a must have for all researchers of early Christianity.
