Irenaeus, † c. 202; from Smyrna; disciple of St. Polycarp (23 Feb.); for twenty-five years the bishop of Lyons; wrote against the Gnostics, esp. Adversus hæreses; first to provide a coherent rationale for a Christian Bible including both testaments, and the first to offer a comprehensive account of belief in God's universal providential and redemptive economy.