ABSTRACT
With the Reformation, the church was entering the period of denominationalism. However, in the contemporary context, such denominationalism is losing its power. Since Christian identity was an assumed condition in the sixteenth century, denominational theologians were free to turn their attention toward secondary theological questions. While Irenaeus is often numbered with the apologetic tradition of the second century, his work against his various opponents has a different character. The apologists present Christianity to the external world, but Irenaeus offers a glimpse of the church's discourse for its own members. For Roman Emperors and the ruling class, the expansion of the Roman Empire was a matter of philanthropy. As disparate tribes and people were conquered, they were given a place in the benefits that trickled down from the gods, through the Roman hierarchy, to the world. Christian martyrdoms were not intended to annihilate Christians, but to shame and persuade them.
