“Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, in that case, to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?”
![“[Peter] testified to [the Jews in Acts 2] that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the Judge of the living and dead, into whom he did also command them to be baptized for the remission of sins.” quote by Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d43/irenaeus-of-lyons-18423_baptism_peter-testified-to-the-jews-in-acts-2-th_376225.jpg)
![“And when we come to refute them, we shall show in its fitting place that this class of men [i.e., the gnostics] has been instigated by satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God, and thus to a denial of the whole faith [by denying all physical aspects of spirituality, including…” quote by Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/52f/irenaeus-of-lyons-18423_aspect_and-when-we-come-to-refute-them-we-shall_392161.jpg)
![“It is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth.” quote by Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fd9/irenaeus-of-lyons-18423_all-things_it-is-not-necessary-to-seek-the-truth-am_1540367.jpg)
