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Does Irenaeus prove the Roman Catholic papacy?

In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we continue examining Cameron Bertuzzi's argument that Protestantism faces an inescapable dilemma when it appeals to early Christian writers such as Irenaeus.

Irenaeus is an extremely important witness to early Christianity. But does accepting his testimony about the authorship of the Gospels require us to accept everything he says about the church in Rome? And does Irenaeus' reference to the Roman church's "preeminent authority" actually establish the later Roman Catholic doctrine of papal primacy and universal jurisdiction?

We examine those questions by looking at:

• Irenaeus' testimony concerning the succession of bishops at Rome
• The famous passage concerning Rome's "preeminent authority" (potentior principalitas)
• The Latin transmission of a work originally written in Greek
• Whether Irenaeus actually teaches papal primacy or universal jurisdiction
• The distinction between an early bishop of Rome and the later doctrine of the papacy
• The historical evidence for Luke's authorship of Luke-Acts
• Cameron Bertuzzi's use of early Christian testimony
• The argument from the historical reliability of Christian and Islamic sources
• The dating and transmission of the Gospels compared with later Islamic hadith collections
• Why historical evidence cannot simply be reduced to "Irenaeus said it, therefore it must be true" or "Irenaeus said it, therefore Rome must be right"

The goal of Weighed in the Balance is simple: to examine claims carefully and see whether they can hold up to scrutiny.

If you're Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or simply interested in the historical development of Christian doctrine, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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Is Scripture clear concerning the things necessary for salvation?

After spending several episodes working through what the question of Scripture’s perspicuity is not, we finally arrive at Turretin’s first positive argument: Scripture itself speaks of Scripture as giving light, wisdom, understanding, and life.

In this episode, we examine Turretin’s interaction with Robert Bellarmine’s objections and consider what passages such as Psalm 19, Psalm 119, 2 Peter 1, and 2 Timothy 3 teach about the nature and purpose of God’s Word.

If Scripture describes itself as a lamp, a light, and something that makes the simple wise, what does that tell us about whether Scripture requires an infallible external interpreter in order to be understood?

This is Part 1 of my continuing series working through Francis Turretin’s argument concerning the perspicuity, or clarity, of Scripture.

Weighed in the Balance — the show where we examine to see if claims can hold up to scrutiny.

If you find the episode helpful, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone interested in Scripture, Reformed theology, Protestantism, or Roman Catholic apologetics.

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Cameron Bertuzzi presents another supposed dilemma for Protestants—this time involving the early church, the authorship of Luke, and Irenaeus's statements about the Church of Rome. But does the historical evidence actually establish what the argument claims?

In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, Jonathan Brooks examines Bertuzzi's argument and argues that the dilemma depends on oversimplifying complicated historical questions and drawing conclusions that the evidence does not necessarily support.

We look at:
• The Qur'an's appeal to the Gospel and the Christian-Muslim dilemma surrounding the New Testament
• The evidence for the traditional authorship of Luke and Acts
• Early Christian testimony concerning the authorship of the Gospels
• Irenaeus and the succession of the bishops of Rome
• The famous passage in *Against Heresies* 3.3.2 concerning Rome's "preeminent authority"
• The difficulties surrounding the surviving Latin text and the underlying Greek
• Whether Irenaeus actually provides evidence for the modern Roman Catholic doctrine of the papacy

The point isn't that difficult theological and historical questions can be settled with a single quotation. The point is that we should examine the sources carefully and ask whether the conclusions being drawn actually follow from the evidence.

As always, *Weighed in the Balance* seeks to examine claims carefully, charitably, and according to the evidence.

If you enjoyed the episode, consider subscribing and checking the Community tab for the latest poll about what topic I should cover next.

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