Divine Lexicon

Term

recapitulation

Also known as Anacephalaiosis

Irenaeus's doctrine that Christ retraced human life to undo Adam's fall.

Filed underHistorical TheologyChristology

Definition

A Christological doctrine developed by Irenaeus of Lyons maintaining that Jesus Christ 'recapitulated' or retraced the life cycle of human beings. By doing so, Christ reversed the disobedience of Adam and achieved salvation through his own obedient life and death.

Scripture

  • Ephesians 1:10

Sources

  1. 1.Alan Richardson and John Bowden The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983). 486Original citation: Richardson, Alan, and John Bowden. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, 486.

Last revised August 18, 2026