Quick Answer
The heresiologists were orthodox Christian writers of the 2nd–4th centuries who identified, catalogued, and attacked movements they considered heretical — including Gnosticism. They are also our primary source for many Gnostic teachings, since most Gnostic texts were destroyed and survive only in hostile summaries.
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Quick Facts
- Key heresiologists: Irenaeus of Lyon (Against Heresies, c. 180 AD), Tertullian, Hippolytus of Rome, Epiphanius of Salamis
- Their accounts are biased but historically valuable — often the only surviving descriptions of Gnostic systems
- Irenaeus's Against Heresies in 5 books is the most comprehensive early anti-Gnostic work
- The heresiologists' attacks on Gnosticism helped define what "orthodox" Christianity meant