Irenaeus, the Valentinian Gnostics, and the Kingdom of God (a.h. Book V) the Debate About 1 Corinthians 15:50

By focusing upon Irenaeus' defense of the Catholic or Orthodox position, this volume provides a needed balance to the mass of Gnostic scholarship produced since the publication of the Nag Hammadi texts. This is a fresh look, sympathetic but critical, at Irenaeus' development of an anti-gnostic position, calling attention to the importance of his biblical interpretation, especially of Paul's letters. It also adds an important supplement to the study of a crucial theological theme: the Kingdom of God, showing that the early church, or at least Irenaeus, continued to preach about the "kingdom of God" as a theological theme of first importance.