Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130 - 202) is heralded as one of the greatest theologians of the post-apostolic church. The spiritual grandson of the apostle John, for his instructor in the faith was himself taught by the apostle, his writing stresses the importance of apostolic teaching and faithfully handing on the apostolic tradition. Irenaeus's magnum opus Against Heresies offers an unparalleled insight and interpretation of John's own writing and an exposition of the Christian faith. Payton's compendium is a careful distillation of Irenaeus's masterpiece. He presents St Irenaeus's writings as a collective and seminal point in the development of Christian theology, from its genesis in the first century, and as a compelling exploration of the Christian doctrines of the early church. For years James Payton has studied Irenaeus's most important work: the result is an extremely accessible and yet still erudite condensation of Ireneus's theology; the essential companion to a work founded in a thorough knowledge of Scripture and steadfastly rooted in the apostolic tradition of the early church.
Payton's examination of patristic theology is vital for those interested in learning what the early Christian church received and passed on from the apostles.