IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
The Seven Letters of Ignatius
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE EPHESIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE MAGNESIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE TRALLIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE ROMANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE PHILADELPHIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE SMYRAEANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO POLYCARP
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO POLYCARP SHORTER AND LONGER VERSIONS
THE MARTYRDOM OF IGNATIUSThe Spurious Letters of Ignatius
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE EPHESIANS
THE THIRD EPISTLE OF THE SAME ST. IGNATIUS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE TARSIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE ANTIOCHIANS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO HERO
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE PHILIPPIANS
THE EPISTLE OF MARIA THE PROSELYTE TO IGNATIUS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO MARY AT NEAPOLIS, NEAR ZARBUS
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE
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IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
Ignatius of Antioch died between AD 98-117 as a martyr in Rome. He was the third Bishop of Antioch. When the Apostle Peter left Antioch for Rome, Evodius succeeded him as bishop. Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero around AD 65-66. Evodius was bishop of Antioch until AD 69, when Ignatius succeeded him. Ignatius, who also called himself Theophorus ("bearer of God"), was most likely a disciple of both the Apostles Peter and John.
Ignatius is considered to be one of the Apostolic Fathers (the earliest authoritative group of the Church Fathers). Ignatius was arrested by the Roman authorities and transported to Rome under trying conditions. During his trip as a captive to Rome, he wrote seven letters describing his peril:
“From Syria even to Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated.” - Ignatius to the Romans, 5.
His fate: to die a martyr in the arena. The Roman authorities hoped to make an example of him and thus discourage Christianity from spreading. Instead, he met with and encouraged Christians who flocked to meet him all along his route, and he wrote seven letters to the churches in the region (and one to a fellow bishop, Polycarp).
The seven authentic letters are: To the Ephesians; To the Magnesians; To the Trallians; To the Romans; To the Philadephians; To the Smyrnaeans; To Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. The authentic letters of Ignatius were important testimony in the maintenance of Christian orthodoxy by later apologists.
By the 5th century, spurious letters had enlarged this authentic collection. A detailed account of Ignatius' arrest and his travails and martyrdom is the material of the Martyrium Ignatii, which is presented as an eyewitness account for the church of Antioch, as if written by Ignatius' companions, Philo of Cilicia, deacon at Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian. There is a controversy over whether this is an authentic writing. However, this account of the martyrdom and the spurious letters that appear after this are interesting records of Christian thought from the early centuries.
Ignatius is also responsible for the first known use of the Greek word katholikos, meaning "universal," to describe the church. It is from the word katholikos that the word "catholic" comes.
“Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid.” - Letter to the Smyrnaeans 8.
The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
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