Children in Paradise: Adam and Eve as "Infants" in Irenaeus of Lyons

This paper examines the notion of Adam and Eve as "children" in the thought of Irenaeus, through an investigation of the language and contextualization of this theme throughout his works. First, the language is probed for its insights into Irenaeus' actual conception of the primal humans, with emphasis on determining the extent to which such language can be taken literally. Second, Irenaeus' conception is examined in light of his views on creation, materiality, and time, extracting thence the means of further clarifying his language of Edenic "childhood." Finally, the problems and strengths of this concept are set out from within the context of Irenaeus' larger anthropology.