Irenaeus's Appeal to Ecclesiastical Authority

Irenaeus's theology is anchored in the idea of apostolic succession as the foundation of the church. The church itself was part of Irenaeus's argument against Gnosticism. John Calvin decried all of the Ignatian letters as forgeries, yet Calvin wrote in 1530s that nothing can be more absurd than thetinenceies published under the name of Ignatius.