Irenaeus Quote?

[George Murphy]

"By the Word of God everything is under the economy of redemption. The Son of God was crucified for all and for everything, having traced the sign of the cross on all things."

I found this quotation attributed to Irenaeus in a book on environmental theology by a minister of the Church of Scotland, God is Green (Doubleday Image, 1992, p.84). He refers to an article by P. Evdokimov, "Nature" in Scottish Journal of Theology 18.1, March 1965, p.5. I've verified that this quotation is indeed in that article and is attributed to Irenaeus but Evdokimov gives no reference to show where in the works of Irenaeus it's to be found.
(This would earn him some red ink if he were one of my students!)

It would be very nice if Irenaeus actually did say this but I have not found it in Against Heresies, On the Apostolic Preaching or the "Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus" in Vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. I would appreciate any help that anyone can give me in locating it. (Of course it's possible that it's from some other author & that Evdokimov was wrong.)

I also posted this in the Ecclessiology forum under the heading "Help with Irenaeus?" in hopes that " that some of the EO oriented folks who frequent this forum might be able to give me a hand.

Shalom,
George

[Abigail]

George, perhaps he mixed the name up ie perhaps Ignatius said it or something - or are you only interested in the quote if Iraeneus said it.

Have you looked in Bercot's Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs?

[George Murphy]

George, perhaps he mixed the name up ie perhaps Ignatius said it or something - or are you only interested in the quote if Iraeneus said it.

Have you looked in Bercot's Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs?No, I'm interested if any Christian earlier than the rise of modern environmental theology said it. I'm familiar enough with Ignatius to be pretty sure it wasn't him (though some of the pseudo-Ignatian things might be worth checking.)

I'm not familiar with Bercot - will give it a try.

Thank,
George

[Rusty T]

George,

I'm not sure what that quote has to do with environmental theology, but search as I may I can't find it. The only reference I have found is quoting from the source you provided above with no further reference. Sorry. But I will say that the quote doesn't seem out-of-sorts with what many Fathers have said about the redemption of this world.

rusty

[George Murphy]

George,

I'm not sure what that quote has to do with environmental theology, but search as I may I can't find it. The only reference I have found is quoting from the source you provided above with no further reference. Sorry. But I will say that the quote doesn't seem out-of-sorts with what many Fathers have said about the redemption of this world.

rustyThanks for trying. The significance of the quote for environmental theology is that if all things are the object of Christ's redemptive work (as in fact Col.1:20 says) then they shouldn't be thought of just as resources here for us to use as we find convenient. More broadly, it's an excellent statement for the program that I've been pursuing for some time of dealing with science & technology in terms of a theology of the cross. If I'd been sure it was from Irenaeus I would have used it as an epigraph for my book The Cosmos in the Light of the Cross.

Shalom,
George

[Tercel]

George, the quote's from Proof of Apostolic Preaching 34.

In this old translation (http://www.ccel.org/p/pearse/morefathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm) it reads:
"by the Word of God the whole universe is ordered and disposed----in it is crucified the Son of God, inscribed crosswise upon it all:"

[George Murphy]

George, the quote's from Proof of Apostolic Preaching 34.

In this old translation (http://www.ccel.org/p/pearse/morefathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm) it reads:
"by the Word of God the whole universe is ordered and disposed----in it is crucified the Son of God, inscribed crosswise upon it all:"Thanks very much. Apparently I was not careful enough in looking through the recent (1997) St. Vladimir's Press edition On the Apostolic Preaching translated by John Behr, but the wording is rather different. There it is:

"And since He is the Word of God Almighty, who invisibly pervades <...> the whole creation, and encompasses its length, breadth, height and depth - for by the Word of God everything is administered - so too was the Son of God crucified in these [fourfold dimensions], having been imprinted in the form of the cross in everything."

Shalom,
George