Paul M. Nguyen Patristics, A.

Orlando September 25, 2012 On Recapitulation in Irenaeus of Lyons The theological concept of recapitulation is stated succinctly in the Catechism, drawing heavily from Irenaeus' work Against Heresies.1 Recapitulation is the idea that in the economy of salvation, God would, through everything He arranged, reverse every aspect of the Fall in order to ultimately restore that initial bliss of the Garden of Eden at the climax of the creation event, fashioning man and woman. Let us examine how Irenaeus presents this idea with support from the evangelists, the Apostle Paul, and even the prophets' anticipation of the recapitulation in the economy of salvation, which together demonstrate an internal consistency that can serve as a source of certitude for this doctrine in particular and, by its centrality, Christianity as a whole. The first substantial passage comes in Book III, chapter 21. 2 Here, Irenaeus discusses the Incarnation, linking both Jesus Christ and Mary back to Adam and Eve. A primary tenet of recapitulation is that there should be proportionality in the agents and the manner of restoration; where a man fell, a man must rise, and where a woman fell, a woman must rise, and in the same way. Irenaeus cites this from Romans 5. Irenaeus shows how Adam received his substance from uncultivated earthanalogous to a virginand likewise Jesus received his body from the Virgin Mary. The first Adam did not have a normal procreative generation; rather he was created from the earth through the Word of God. Likewise, Jesus was not generated from the seed of a man3 but by the Word of God taking on flesh of the Virgin. Irenaeus next presents the opening genealogy of the gospel according to Luke as further evidence. He claims that Luke's tracing of Jesus' ancestry in a continuous line back to Adam is an
1 2 3 Catechism of the Catholic Church, #518. An editorial title suggests that a passage in Book I concerns recapitulation, but it equivocates on recapitulation. Against Heresies, III, 21.10.

Nguyen 2 explicit demonstration of the path of restoration. Irenaeus furthers his point by claiming that what the Word, existing from eternity, would eventually save had to be created in order for the savior to be meaningful.4 Irenaeus boldly steps into the prophetic literature and its citations of fulfillment among the NT epistles in Book IV. He shows that as the first men became enslaved to sin, the voluntary servitude of the savior redeemed us, citing Isaiah, Galatians, and John's Gospel. 5 He also relates how the knowledge of the whole prophetic corpus prepares the way to faith in Christ, as exemplified in the episode with Philip and the eunuch. 6 This internal consistency in revelation as a whole, especially in the scriptures, helps to demonstrate the veracity of the Christian faith. And the nature of the internal consistency is precisely this concept of recapitulationthat in the precise manner in which death entered the world, life was be restored to it. In Book V, Irenaeus again describes recapitulation. He shows how Christ called forth the same enemy who used woman to bring about man's fall, and how the man born of no man but only woman trod on his head, following the text of Genesis 3:15. 7 Irenaeus also cites Galatians 3:19 that echoes this connection. Interestingly, Irenaeus next applies recapitulation to the working of the enemy: the tempter lied to Eve in the garden and through her to Adam, and likewise lied to Jesus in the desert.8 And in this circumstance in continuity with the first, the triumphant Savior redeemed him who first fell. It is clear how important this doctrine is to Irenaeus as the closing sentence of Book V is itself a statement of recapitulation: For God wanted his firstborn Word to descend into his creation, and in turn ascend to Him.
4 5 6 7 8 Against Heresies, III, 22.3. Ibid, IV, 22.1. Ibid, IV, 23.2. Ibid, V, 21.1. Ibid, V, 24.1.