• Through 175 and 185 A.D., St.

Iraneaus wrote five books titled

Against Heresies (Adversus Haereses).
• All his known writings are devoted to the conflict with the Gnostics.
• Because Gnosticism was overcome through the efforts of the early
Church Fathers, among them Clement of Alexandria and Irenaeus,
Gnostic writings were largely obliterated.
• Irenaeus asserted in a positive manner the validity of the Jewish
Bible (the Old Testament), which the Gnostics denied, claiming
that it upheld the laws of God the Creator.
• The development of the creed and the office of bishop also can be
traced to his conflicts with the Gnostics.
• Although Gnosticism slowly died out after the 2nd century A.D.,
there are still gnostic Christians today.
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Irenaeus
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-great-heresies
http://www.austindiocese.org/article/14488/saints-our-times-st-
irenaeus-fought-growing-gnosticism-2nd-century
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Clement-of-
Alexandria