Saint Irenaeus

St. Irenaeus was born around the year 125 A.D. His passion for spreading the true Christian message - grounded in Scripture and passed down through the Apostles - made him a hero in the fight against false teachings. These teachings, called Gnosticism, were rampant in the early centuries. Irenaeus used the metaphor that an imitation jewel should be exposed when closer examination can prove that it is not authentic! For that reason, Irenaeus is often shown holding Scripture with a true jewel depicted on the cover.