Saint Irenaeus: Mary as the New Eve

Saint Irenaeus was one of the most important Church Fathers of the 2nd century AD. Today we celebrate his feast day. Irenaeus was bishop of Lyons, in Southern France, though he appears to have grown up in Smyrna, in Modern day Turkey. There, he had personal contact with Saint Polycarp, one of the Apostolic Fathers who in turn knew the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. He was a pastor and a missionary. Before becoming bishop, Irenaeus studied in Rome where he was influenced by Saint Justin Martyr. His major work, Against Heresies, which appeared around the year 185 AD, exposed the absurdities of the Gnostic cults of the day and included a strong presentation and defense of Catholic Christianity. His heroic writing in defense of the church cost him his life. It is said that he received the martyr's crown around the year 200. He gave up his life for the Lord. He upheld the truth and always sought to foster unity and peace.

Excerpt from Saint Irenaeus' classic work, Against Heresies. 
"The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustained by his own creation which he himself sustains in being. His obedience on the tree of the cross reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of the truth announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband.

As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.

Eve was visited by a fallen angel and Mary was visited by an angel of the Lord. Eve, by her disobedience, brought sin and death to the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, brought salvation and new life to all humanity.

O Mary, you are the New Eve, the Sanctuary of God, the first Tabernacle of Jesus. Pray for us.