Thou hast indeed enjoined upon me, my very dear friend, that I should bring to light the Valentinian doctrines, concealed, as their votaries imagine; that I should exhibit their diversity, and compose a treatise in refutation of them. I therefore have undertaken—showing that they spring from Simon, the father of all heretics—to exhibit both their doctrines and successions, and to set forth arguments against them all.

Irenaeus of Lyons. 1885. “Irenæus against Heresies.” In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, 1:414. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.

Iraneaus was no heresy hunter as some paint him. He was asked by a “dear friend” to “compose a treatise in refutation of them”. And, also, he had a concern and care for them:

IT WAS NECESSARY CLEARLY TO PROVE, that, as their very opinions and regulations exhibit them, those who are of the school of Valentinus derive their origin from such mothers, fathers, and ancestors, and also to bring forward their doctrines, WITH THE HOPE that perchance SOME OF THEM, exercising repentance and returning to the only Creator, and God the Former of the universe, MAY OBTAIN SALVATION, and that others may not henceforth be drawn away by their wicked, although plausible, persuasions, imagining that they will obtain from them the knowledge of some greater and more sublime mysteries. But let them rather, learning to good effect from us the wicked tenets of these men, look with contempt upon their doctrines, while at the same time they pity those who, still cleaving to these miserable and baseless fables, have reached such a pitch of arrogance as to reckon themselves superior to all others on account of such knowledge, or, as it should rather be called, ignorance. They have now been fully exposed; and simply to exhibit their sentiments, is to obtain a victory over them.

Irenaeus of Lyons. 1885. “Irenæus against Heresies.” In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, 1:358. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.

I watched a YouTube episode from Religion for Breakfast. Even though it comes from a non-believing perspective, I sometimes listen to it. However, I felt his portrayal of Irenaeus was very biased, so I decided to quote Irenaeus directly instead. Non believing scholars can be just as biased as believing scholars. God bless…

Below song lyrics created by GROK. Notice that even Grok gets the pure motive of Iraneaus here:

Title: Exposed in the Light

(Verse 1)
They weave their webs from ancient lies,
Valentinus’ children with glittering eyes,
Mothers of madness, fathers of fraud,
Ancestors whispering names never named by God.
They promise the deep, the hidden, the high,
A gnosis that lifts you above the sky—
But the higher they climb on their ladder of dreams,
The louder we hear the tearing of seams.

(Pre-Chorus)
We bring them to daylight, not to destroy,
But to open a door for the wandering boy,
The girl who was snared by the serpent’s soft tongue—
Repent, come home, you’re still loved, you’re still young.

(Chorus)
Exposed in the light, let the darkness fall,
Every secret name and every hollow hall.
Your mysteries crumble like ashes in rain—
There’s only one Maker, one Savior from pain.
Look on their doctrines with pity and scorn,
Then turn to the One who creates and adorns.
Simply to name them is victory won—
The battle is over when truth sees the sun.

(Verse 2)
They strut in their knowledge, puffed up and proud,
“Superior souls,” they boast aloud,
While chained to a fable, blind leading the blind,
Calling darkness light and poison the wine.
But pity the prisoner who thinks he’s a king,
Who wears broken chains like a crown and a ring—
Arrogance dressed in the rags of the lost,
Salvation still calls, whatever the cost.

(Pre-Chorus)
We speak not in hatred, we speak not in spite,
But to shatter the mirror that flatters their sight.
The Maker still waits with arms open wide—
Return, little wanderer, come stand at His side.

(Chorus)
Exposed in the light, let the darkness fall,
Every secret name and every hollow hall.
Your mysteries crumble like ashes in rain—
There’s only one Maker, one Savior from pain.
Look on their doctrines with pity and scorn,
Then turn to the One who creates and adorns.
Simply to name them is victory won—
The battle is over when truth sees the sun.

(Bridge)
Let some of them hear it, the hammer of grace,
Let some of them fall on their knees in this place.
Let others be warned by the ruin displayed—
The house built on shadows will never be stayed.
For every false aeon, for every false birth,
There’s one Lord of heaven and one Lord of earth.

(Final Chorus – louder, triumphant)
Exposed in the light, let the darkness fall!
Let every proud archon and emanation crawl!
Your kingdom of nothing is broken, undone—
There’s only one God and one three-in-one!
We pity, we warn, and we lift up our cry:
Repent and be saved, before all of it dies!
Simply to name You is victory won—
The war is already over.
Your Son has won.