The unity of the Church in Saint Irenaeus’ ecclesiology

The unity of the Church from everywhere has always been of major concern for the early Christians. They understood this unity as an existing and tangible experience, and not as a remote perspective hidden in the uncertainty of the future. Besides, they believed that the unity of the Church can assure the cohesion between the Christian communities, and the communication inside the Christian community was, in its turn, the essential condition that provided the support for, the consolidation and the development of the ecclesiastic unity. The Fathers of the Church have understood the importance of keeping and supporting the unity and the stability inside the Church, in order to provide an efficient Christian mission everywhere in the world. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the evolution and complexity of the ecumenical dimension of the ecclesiology of Irenaeus of Lyon, one of the most representatives of the Fathers of the Church, during the early centuries. He understood the power of the dialogue and the pastoral mission, and he preached not only for the early Christians, who, at that time, found themselves surrounded and confused by different inaccurate doctrines, but also for the pagans. He preached to those pagans the message of Jesus Christ’s Gospel of love.