Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- 1 Introduction: Toward an Appreciation for Irenaeus’ Intertextual Reading of Genesis 1–3 -- 2 Reading Gnostic Creation: The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Book 1 of Adversus Haereses -- 3 Refuting Gnostic Creation: The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Book 2 of Adversus Haereses -- 4 Reading Genesis from Creation to Incarnation: The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Book 3 of Adversus Haereses -- 5 Genesis, the Creation, and the Divine Economy: The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Book 4 of Adversus Haereses -- 6 From Creation to the Resurrection of the Body: The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Book 5 of Adversus Haereses -- 7 Conclusion: Irenaeus’ Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1–3 in Adversus Haereses -- Appendix -- Bibliography -- Index of Scriptures -- Index of Modern Authors -- Index of Subjects.

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In The Intertextual Reception of Genesis 1-3 in Irenaeus of Lyons , Stephen Presley explores the intertextual nature of Irenaeus’ interpretation of Genesis 1-3 by drawing on contemporary discussions on the topic. Irenaeus interprets the creation accounts, Presley argues, in continuity with the rest of the scriptural witness through a series of reading strategies including: a literary sense, prophetic fulfillment, typology, philological associations, organizational strategies, narratival arrangements, prosopological interpretation, illustrative identification, and general-to-particular reasoning. Irenaeus’ perspective competes with his Gnostic interlocutors who utilize similar methods of interpretation, but fashion distinctive textual relationships between Genesis 1-3 and other texts. These reading strategies circumscribe precisely how Irenaeus’ intertextual exegesis is applied to these creation texts within the integrative structure of his theological perspective.