Marco il Mago e l’uso ireneano della letteratura enochica. Nuove proposte di interpretazione dei versi antieretici in AdvHaer I 15,6

The aim of the present essay is to provide a fresh interpretation of the unidentifiable verses quoted by Irenaeus in Adversus Haereses I 15,6 in his refutation of the doctrines of Marcus the Magician. After an in-depth lexical, stylistic, and content-oriented analysis of Irenaeus’s Adversus Haereses, we tentatively suggest that the cited heresiological text was composed (or deeply rewritten) by Irenaeus himself. Then, through an overview of the development of heresiological literature between Justin and the Bishop of Lyon, we will analyse the pivotal role played by the Book of the Watchers in the development of the early Christian notion of ‘heresy.’