Chapter 12 of Zimmerman’s now traditional commentary concerns the views of St. Irenaeus (125 to 202 more or less) on the Story of the Fall.  At this point, his synthesis of the Story of Adam and Eve with the evolution of Homo sapiens and existence of the triune brain, recedes.

St. Irenaeus is so close to the time of Jesus that he can trace his mentors back to the apostles.  Born in Anatolia, he moved to Gaul where he eventually became Bishop of Lyons.  His most famous surviving work is Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies).

St. Irenaeus saw Christ’s role as the “re-capitulator” (“re”=”again”, “capit”=”head”, “-ulator”=”agent”) of the human race.  The Old Testament speaks of this agency.  The events that allowed the Old Testament to come into existence (that is, the play of all the nations dispersed since Adam) pay tribute to this agency.  The animal nature of the first man set the stage for this tribute.  The cosmos itself is the raw material that goes into the stage.

Zimmerman wrote that Irenaeus said: All lines of the cosmos focus on Christ.  Christ is not an afterthought conceived in response to the sin of Adam.  Christ is the Alpha and Omega in the first place.  Adam fits the cosmic plans as the strategic gateway through which Christ will enter it.  … Christ is the raison d’etre of all creation.