Count Irenaeus and the Nestorian Controversy

Whelan, Robin ORCID: 0000-0001-6664-3381 (2025) Count Irenaeus and the Nestorian Controversy JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, 76 (2). pp. 245-263. ISSN 0022-0469, 1469-7637

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Abstract

Irenaeus has tended to be a bit player in modern narratives of the Nestorian controversy. Where the count features in accounts of the church politics of the 430s, it is as an essentially 'secular' figure: a conduit to the palace and supplier of coercive force for Nestorius and his Syrian episcopal allies. This article argues that Irenaeus was much more directly involved in doctrinal debate and the maintenance of ecclesiastical alliances than has been appreciated. The theological engagement and startling career shifts of this imperial count-turned-heresiarch-turned-bishop exemplify the significance of elite Christian patronage and official doctrinal engagement in 430s Constantinople.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	5005 Theology, 4303 Historical Studies, 50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 43 History, Heritage and Archaeology
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	31 Jul 2024 08:04
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2026 19:55
DOI:	10.1017/S0022046924001544
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3183250
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