Irenaeus of Lyons! I'm so excited to finally meet you. I wrote my dissertation on the therapy of desire in Against the Heresies 4.3.2.1.
I've read hundreds of books and articles on your famous rule of faith. But I'm still in the dark. What exactly is it?
Is it a theological method, a way of reading Scripture and doing theology?
Or is it the kerygma, using the words of Scripture for the purpose of catechesis and proclamation?
Is it a hermeneutic, a way of reading different parts of Scripture in relation to one another?
Or is it doctrine, a shorthand way of describing the Trinitarian faith: one creator God, one incarnate Son, and one Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Scriptures?