In this volume from OSV's Fathers of the Faith series, you'll be introduced to Saint Irenaeus of Lyons. Who was he? What did he teach? Where and when did he live? Why is he an important figure in the history of the Church? In this accessible, bite-sized introduction, renowned author, speaker, and television host Mike Aquilina gives an overview of Irenaeus's life as a second-century Greek and the historical surroundings that affected his life and thought. A friend of Saint Polycarp, from the same town in Asia Minor, Irenaeus was born in a Christian family and eventually became a bishop. His foundational works include Against Heresies and The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, and these works remain relevance today. More than 1,800 years after Ireneaus's death, Pope Francis has announced that he will soon be declared a Doctor of the Church, calling him "a great spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians."