I had no idea Irenaeus was God’s official interpreter. Perhaps Irenaeus forgot to study God’s word God’s way; 2Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Because, had he studied Romans through Philemon, Paul’s Epistles, and compared them to Mat, Mark, Luke, John, and Hebrews through Revelation, he would have seen a dramatic difference between what the 12 were commissioned to preach, that is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and what Paul was commissioned to preach, that is the Gospel of the Grace of God.
Rightly dividing the Scriptures: Law from Grace. A kingdom of believers from a Body of believers. An earthly inheritance from a heavenly inheritance. Which, btw, is the first sentence in God’s word “ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. He created the heaven for a reason and He created the earth for a reason.
Rightly dividing His word of truth will explain “why”. Much better than Irenaeus could have ever attempted.
sasportas is replying to post 21 of r_w_c Darby agreed with Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Justin Martyr et al if you would just read what they wrote.
This isn't a discussion on the merits or demerits of Irenaeus, rather on whether the pre-tribulation rapture was taught before Darby.
On that matter it is a factual that before Darby there was no one who preached or taught the pre-tribulation rapture.
Sorry, but this is false and comes out of the Muslim accusation that Christianity is "Paulinianity"
No, the Gospel that Jesus preached is one and the same whether it passed through Paul or Peter or John or Bartholomew or Thomas or Matthew
the Synoptic gospels were written to the community of Christians - whether of Jewish or Gentile origin
Look at Bartholomew and Thaddeus - who preached in Persia and Mesopotamia and look at Thomas who preached in southern India -- the earliest Marthomite Churches didn't have Pauline epistles yet they were preaching to and converting gentiles