Pauls antinomy of flesh and spirit, which he dismisses. For says He, "I am the life; he that believeth in me, even though he die, shall live: and every one that liveth and believeth in me, even though he die, shall live for ever. Following Domitians assassination in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned for just a short time before being succeeded by the Emperor Trajan. No man [truly] making a profession of faith sinneth;(13) nor does he that possesses love hate any one. For says [the Scripture], "If ye were of this world, the world would love its own; but now ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it: continue in fellowship with me."(14). PRAY RATHER THAT I MAY ATTAIN' TO MARTYRDOM. From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts,(4) both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits,(5) show themselves all the worse. I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent. Allow me to be devoured by the creatures, as this is my only means of getting closer to God. They are ashamed of the cross; they mock at the passion; they make a jest of the resurrection. Let your works be the charge(12) assigned to you, that ye may receive a worthy recompense. For he that yields not obedience to his superiors is self-confident, quarrelsome, and proud. Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fulness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning[1] of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united[2] and elected through the true passion by the will of God the Father, and of our Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled joy.[3]. (5) Be ye strong, I pray, in the power of the Holy Ghost. The Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius on 1 February. The Ipuwer PapyrusWere The 10 Biblical Plagues Real? Allow fire and the cross, herds of animals, shattered bones, dismemberment, and other calamities to fall upon me as long as I am able to reach Jesus Christ.. He cautions them of erroneous beliefs while also supplying them with the solid realities of the Christian faith to stand on. For, when I was among you, I cried, I spoke with a loud voice: Give heed to the bishop, and to the presbytery and deacons. It is good to set from the world unto God, that I may rise again to Him. CHAP. For "no man," says He, "cometh to the Father but by Me. Fare ye well in the grace of God. Trajan said, Do we not then seem to you to have the gods in our mind, whose assistance we enjoy in fighting against our enemies? Maintain thy position with all care, both in the flesh and spirit. If any one walks according to a strange(5) opinion, he is not of Christ, nor a partaker of His passion; but is a fox,(6) a destroyer of the vineyard of Christ. For this longing, though it is not manifest to many, all the more vehemently assails me. CHAP. St. Ignatius of Antioch, also known asIgnatius Theophoros (Greek: "God Bearer"),bishopofAntioch, Syria (now in Turkey), who died in Rome in the year 110, is best known for seven highly regarded letters he wrote while on a trip to Rome as a prisoner condemned to death for his religious beliefs. You should get updates on when the certificate is processed and being sent out in the mail. His memory is commemorated on December 20 by Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. The mystery of Christs body and blood, he added, and he described the Eucharist as the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death. He said that the Eucharist is a spiritual sustenance that nourishes the one who receives it and assists him in his journey towards everlasting life. It was during a persecution of the Antioch church that Ignatius was taken prisoner. For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. For there is not now a demand for mere profession,(16) but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end. In Paris, he collected a group of six young men around himself, whom he educated in prayer and the spiritual procedures he had developed for himself the famousSpiritual Exercises that would become famed around the world. [2] For every such thing is sinful, and opposed[to the will of] God. DO NOTHING WITHOUT THE BISHOP AND PRESBYTERS. But as for me, I do not place my hopes in one who died for me in appearance, but in reality. Avoid also the children of the evil one, Theodotus and Cleobulus, who produce death- bearing fruit, whereof if any one tastes, he instantly dies, and that not a mere temporary death, but one that shall endure for ever. "(6) And in like manner say I, what communion hath truth with falsehood? In his letter to them, he begs them to allow his death: Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. "[10] Let us make them brethren by our kindness. For they alienate Christ from the Father, and the law from Christ. A persecution of Christians occurred at Antioch, Syria, while Ignatius served as the overseer (bishop) of the Christians in the city during the reign of Trajan the Apostate. "(2) He did in reality both eat and drink. CHAP. "(13) Where is the boasting of those who are called mighty? Be watchful, possessing a sleepless spirit. IX, REFERENCE TO THE HISTORY OF CHRIST. Yet Jesus Christ, who is our true life, has the power of[effecting] this. T/F, 3. I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God. My authentic archives are His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith which bears on these things, by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified. Despite this, there is no sign of the fundamental gnostic coupling of good and evil with spirit and matter in his letters or in his writings. REQUEST THAT POLYCARP WOULD SEND A MESSENGER TO ANTIOCH. I salute him who shall be deemed worthy to go[from you] into Syria. Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. They have no regard for love; they despise the good things we expect hereafter; they regard present things as if they were durable; they ridicule him that is in affliction; they laugh at him that is in bonds. And especially we ought to bear all things for the sake of God, that He also may bear with us, and bring us into His kingdom. I entreat thee, by the grace with which thou art clothed, to press forward in thy course, and to exhort all that they may be saved. One Mission, Many Dreams, Many Roles, Ignatians: Focused Men Missionary Monks, Ignatians Proclaim Jesus is Lord through Sacred Heart Dedication, Championing Allegiance to Christs Heroic Sacred Heart, Ignatian Equipping GPS: Goal, Plan, Strategy, Equipping Men with a Clear, Strong Catholic Identity, Ignatian Chivalric Asceto-Mystical Equipping, Building the Future Priest: the Christ-centered Man, Building the Future Priest: Man of the Supernatural, Building the Future Priest: Man of Prayer, Future Priest: Schooled by the Sacred Liturgy, Ignatian Equipping: Forming Chivalric Men, Ignatians: Equipping through the Outdoors, Why Ignatians Value Intellectual Equipping, Equipping Men who are Unavoidably Leaders, Milestones to Ordination of Traditional Roman Liturgy, Ignatians are Thomistic for sake of Prayer and Action, Traditional Latin Rite: Ordination to Sacred Priesthood, Ignatian Equipping: 360, 24/7, Tough and Long, Before Applying to enter Society: Vocation Signs, The Priest, Mountaineering and Vocation-Risk, Eligibility: Rite of Passage for Applicants, A Heros Life, A Heros Death: White and Red Martyrdom. No man making a profession of faith ought to sin, nor one possessed of love to hate his brother. But consider those who are of a different opinion with respect to the grace of Christ which has come unto us, how opposed they are to the will of God. Knowing as I do that ye are full of all good, I have but briefly exhorted you in the love of Jesus Christ. I salute Alce, my well-beloved,(6) and the incomparable Daphnus, and Eutecnus, and all by name. I long after the Lord, the Son of the true God and Father, even Jesus Christ. For it is easy for you to accomplish what you please; but it is difficult for me to attain to God, if ye do not spare me,(2) under the pretence of carnal affection. Let your assembling together be of frequent(9) occurrence: seek after all by name. But it becomes both men and women who marry, to form their union with the approval of the bishop, that their marriage may be according to God, and not after their own lust. Why do we foolishly perish, not recognising the gift which the Lord has of a truth sent to us? For the Son of God, who was begotten before time began(2), and established all things according to the will of the Father, He was conceived in the womb of Mary, according to the appointment of God, of the seed of David, and by the Holy Ghost. Given that Ignatius lived so many centuries ago, we know relatively little about his early years. But our Physician is the only true God, the unbegotten and unapproachable, the Lord of all, the Father and Begetter of the only-begotten Son. where the disputer? Having been informed of your godly(1) love, so well-ordered, I rejoiced greatly, and determined to commune with you in the faith of Jesus Christ. But I am the more instructed by their injuries [to act as a disciple of Christ]; "yet am I not thereby justified. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be ye changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude[of the people] also be; by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr For even if I am not worthy of it, yet your zeal[to help me] is an admirable(9) thing. Supremely Urgent Why! (13) But the Spirit proclaimed these words: Do nothing without the bishop; keep your bodies(1) as the temples of God;(2) love unity; avoid divisions; be the followers of Jesus Christ, even as He is of His Father. And all the more when I commend you, I know that ye cherish modesty[4] of spirit; as it is written, "The righteous man is his own accuser. Thats the Jesus I mean.. "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. But I guard you beforehand from these beasts in the shape of men, from whom you must not only turn away, but even flee from them. He that is within the altar is pure, but(2) he that is without is not pure; that is, he who does anything apart from the bishop, and presbytery, and deacons,(4) such a man is not pure in his conscience. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lord(who ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned? Trajan answered, And who is Theophorus? Save. X. EXHORTATIONS TO PRAYER, HUMILITY, ETC. Weigh carefully the times. Actually, its kind of true but not really. I am indeed bound for the sake of Christ, but I am not yet worthy of Christ. I am a condemned man, ye have been the objects of mercy; I am subject to danger, ye are established in safety. From whom we also derive our being,(6) from His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard for the ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful[followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church. Fare ye well to the end, in the patience of Jesus Christ. Continue in harmony among yourselves, and in supplication; for it becomes every one of you, and especially the presbyters, to refresh the bishop, to the honour of the Father, and to the honour of Jesus Christ and of the apostles. As therefore the Lord does nothing without the Father, for says He, "I can of mine own self do nothing,"[1] so do ye, neither presbyter, nor deacon, nor layman, do anything without the bishop. Take care, then, to use only one Eucharist, so that whatever you do is in accordance with God: for there is only one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and only one cup in the union of His Blood; only one altar, just as there is only one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons; and only one altar, just as there is only one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons. Chapter 6 of the Letter to the Smyrnaeans (110 A.D.) Observe the people who hold heterodox views on the grace of Jesus Christ, which has been extended to us, and consider how their views are at odds with the mind of God.They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again. To the Romans, 5. The Life and Times of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius, who was born in Syria, turned to Christianity and eventually rose to the position of bishop of Antioch. Blessed be God, who has granted unto you, who are yourselves so excellent, to obtain such an excellent bishop. But I fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are but babes [in Christ]. The ruins of that blood-soaked amphitheater are very near the crypt that contains Ignatius revered relics. Yet it is not I, but the Lord Jesus through me; for whose sake being bound, I fear the more, for I am not yet perfect. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer,(7) because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Only the shorter versions of the letters are authentic.). Saint Ignatius martyrdom is shown in this icon. I give you these instructions, beloved, assured that ye also hold the same opinions[as I do]. by St. Ignatius of Antioch Description This file contains: The shorter and longer versions of the seven epistles of St. Ignatius of Antioch: 1. Of this fruit(7) we are by His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard s for all ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful[followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church. (He was also the first person outside of the New Testament to refer to Jesus virgin birth as a historical fact.) And He suffered truly, even as also He truly raised up Himself, not, as certain unbelievers maintain, that He only seemed to suffer, as they themselves only seem to be[Christians]. Not only that, but we dont even know when he died. But, other from the fact that he died at Rome as a martyr for the Christian faith, we know virtually little else about him. Its possible that youll be able to accomplish your goals. The ministering powers of God are good. Philo, my fellow-servant, who is with me, greets you. VesuviusAugust 24, 79 AD. Korah also,(16) and the two hundred and fifty who conspired with him against Aaron, were destroyed by fire. Fare ye well in the grace of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and divine and sacred wisdom. It is good to teach, if he who speaks also acts. Stand firm, as does an anvil which is beaten. that there may be a unity according to God among you. All these things tend towards the unity of the one and only true God. It is therefore necessary that, as ye indeed do, so without the bishop ye should do nothing, but should also our hope, in whom, if we live, we shall be found in Him. Seeing, then, all things have an end, and there is set before us life upon our observance[of God's precepts], but death as the result of disobedience, and every one, according to the choice he makes, shall go to his own place, let us flee from death, and make choice of life. CHRIST WAS POSSESSED OF A BODY AFTER HIS RESURRECTION. After passing through the city of Philippi, he continued his journey to Rome from there. The official gods were not acknowledged by Ignatius when he was apprehended; as a result, he was put to death in the amphitheater of Rome, despite the fact that he did not have citizenship in the city. (7) For I pray that, being found worthy of God, I may be found at their feet in the kingdom, as at the feet of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; as of Joseph, and Isaiah, and the rest of the prophets; as of Peter, and Paul, and the rest of the apostles, that were married men. CHAP. Wherefore, continuing to enjoy fair winds, we were reluctantly hurried on in one day and a night, mourning [as we did] over the coming departure from us of this righteous man. Labour together with one another; strive in company together; run together; suffer together; sleep together; and awake together, as the stewards, and associates,(10) and servants of God. Pre-Congregational period was canonized. For says the Scripture, "Many bodies of the saints that slept arose,"(3) their graves being opened. A star shone forth in heaven above all that were before it, and its light was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. If any one is truly religious, he is a man of God; but if he is irreligious, he is a man of the devil, made such, not by nature, but by his own choice. "(5) And do ye also reverence your bishop as Christ Himself, according as the blessed apostles have enjoined you. They have no regard for love; no care for the widow, or the orphan, or the oppressed; of the bond, or of the free; of the hungry, or of the thirsty. (11) Let governors be obedient to Caesar; soldiers to those that command them; deacons to the presbyters, as to high-priests; the presbyters, and deacons, and the rest of the clergy, together with all the people, and the soldiers, and the governors, and Caesar [himself], to the bishop; the bishop to Christ, even as Christ to the Father. But your prayer to God shall make me perfect, that I may attain to that portion which through mercy has been allotted me, while I flee to the Gospel as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles as to the presbytery of the Church. All I pray is that I will find them swift. To those who indeed talk of the bishop, but do all things without him, will He who is the true and first Bishop, and the only High Priest by nature, declare, "Why call ye Me Lord, and do not the things which I say ? May I enjoy you in all respects, if indeed I be worthy! The direct phone number for the California DPH is 916-445-2684. It was Polycarps student, St. Irenaeus, who died about the year 200203, who chronicled his death in the Roman arena. II. An enthusiastic devotion to duty, a . Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd, instead of me. Having therefore received through him the testimony of your good-will, according to God, I gloried to find you, as I knew you were, the followers of God. Ignatius replied, I mean Him who crucified my sin, with him who was the inventor of it, and who has condemned [and cast down] all the deceit and malice of the devil under the feet of those who carry Him in their heart. Fathers, "bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;"(8) and teach them the holy Scriptures, and also trades, that they may not indulge in idleness. Your prayer has reached to the Church which is at Antioch in Syria. Allow me to be abandoned to the wild creatures, for it is only through them that I may reach God. But if any one preach the Jewish law(9) unto you, listen not to him. I salute the house of Tavias, and pray that it may be confirmed in faith and love, both corporeal and spiritual. I therefore did what belonged to me, as a man devoted to(3) unity. I know that ye possess an unblameable and sincere mind in patience, and that not only for present use,[4] but as a permanent possession, as Polybius your bishop has shown me, who has come to Smyrna by the will of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, with the cooperation of the Spirit, and so sympathized in the joy which I, who am bound in Christ Jesus, possess, that I beheld your whole multitude in Him. For I have received the manifestation s of your love, and still have it with me, in your bishop, whose very appearance is highly instructive, and his meekness of itself a power; whom I imagine even the ungodly must reverence. For those things which the prophets announced, saying, "Until He come for whom it is reserved, and He shall be the expectation of the Gentiles,"(1) have been fulfilled in the Gospel, [our Lord saying,] "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. We are a vibrant Catholic Christian Community. where the disputer? The city served as the capital of the Seleucid Empire and later as . XIII. Now the more any one sees the bishop keeping silence,[10] the more ought he to revere him. "(10) It is manifest also, that he who honours a prisoner of Jesus Christ shall receive the reward of the martyrs. Despite the fact that St. Ignatius was a prominent church leader and theologian, he is most remembered for his own writings, which account for nearly all of what is known about him. He also lived a holy life, and healed every kind of sickness and disease among the people, and wrought signs and wonders for the benefit of men; and to those who had fallen into the error of polytheism He made known the one and only true God, His Father, and underwent the passion, and endured the cross at the hands of the Christ- killing Jews, under Pontius Pilate the governor and Herod the king. Do not at any time desire so much as even to breathe apart from Him. I do not issue orders to you, as if I were some great person. "(15) For they speak of Christ, not that they may preach Christ, but that they may reject Christ; and they speak(16) of the law, not that they may establish the law, but that they may proclaim things contrary to it. Let your baptism endure as your arms; your faith as your helmet; your love as your spear; your patience as a complete panoply. Be ye subject to the bishop, and to one another, as Christ to the. (18) All these things are good together, if ye believe in love. Let my spirit be sanctified(2) by yours, not only now, but also when I shall attain to God. I entreat you in love to hear me, that I may not, by having thus written, be a testimony against you. VI. The cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to the believing it is salvation and life eternal. As ye, brethren, have refreshed me, so will Jesus Christ refresh you. Do ye all come together in common, and individually,(15) through grace, in one faith of God the Father, and of Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son, and "the first-born of every creature,"(16) but of the seed of David according to the flesh, being under the guidance of the Comforter, in obedience to the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which prevents us from dying, but a cleansing remedy driving away evil, [which causes] that we should live in God through Jesus Christ. My bonds, which I carry about with me for the sake of Jesus Christ (praying that I may attain to God), exhort you. And when he was set before the Emperor Trajan, [that prince] said unto him, Who are you, wicked wretch, who settest yourself to transgress our commands, and persuadest others to do the same, so that they should miserably perish? Virgina Corwins St. Ignatius and Christianity in Antioch (published in 1960) provides an in-depth examination of his life, times and thinking. Let none of you, therefore, who are [in Rome] help him; rather be ye on my side, that is, on the side of God. "[8] This was first fulfilled in Syria; for "the disciples were called Christians at Antioch,"[9] when Paul and Peter were laying the foundations of the Church. (7), Flee evil arts; but all the more discourse in public regarding them. For, since ye are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, ye appear to me to live not after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order, by believing in His death, ye may escape from death. As persons who are perfect, ye should also aim at(10) those things which are perfect. XI. Let us therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples,(20) and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces. I entreat you in love to hear me, that I may not, by having written, be a testimony against you. Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For we ought to receive every one whom the Master of the house sends to be over His household,[11] as we would do Him that sent him. Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but [truly] will; and that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really be found to be one. I have great knowledge in God,(9) but I restrain myself, lest, I should perish through boasting. PDF Ignatius of Antioch on his Death: Discipleship, Sacrifice, Imitation 1. For it was needful for me to have been stirred up by you in faith, exhortation, patience, and long-suffering. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. Jesus took a little child and had him stand among them. My soul be for yours and theirs(2) whom, for the honour of God, ye have sent to Smyrna; whence also I write to you, giving thanks to the Lord, and loving Polycarp even as I do you. CHAP. For "blessed are the meek ;"[6] and Moses was meek above all men;[7] and David was exceeding meek. Do ye also reverence the deacons, as those that carry out[through their office] the appointment of God. It is fitting, then, not only to be called Christians, but to be so in reality: as some indeed give one the title of bishop, but do all things without him. I must be pounded to a powder by the fangs of these creatures in order to become the pure bread of Christ. Soon after his death, which occurred about the year 107, his memory was cherished, and his bones were worshipped. Saint Ignatius of Loyola is seen in the painting Ad maiorem Dei gloriam by Peter Paul Rubens. REQUEST TO THEM TO SEND A MESSENGER TO ANTIOCH. If any one has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened. The name Igo was given to him during baptism, and Id always believed that this was a Spanish variant of Ignatius (along with Ignacio), but this is not the case. EXHORTATIONS TO FAITH AND LOVE. The head, therefore, cannot be born by itself, without its members; God, who is [the Saviour] Himself, having promised their union.(10). Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. He, being begotten by the Father before the beginning of time,[5] was God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and remains the same for ever; for "of His kingdom there shall be no end,"[6] says Daniel the prophet. He symbolized Christianity as it went through a period of transition from its Jewish beginnings to its incorporation into the Greco-Roman culture. For the beginning has been well or dered, if I may obtain grace to cling to(1) my lot without hindrance unto the end. Your email address will not be published. Now I begin to be a disciple. Through prayer(3) to God I have obtained the privilege of seeing your most worthy faces,(4) and have even(5) been granted more than I requested; for I hope as a prisoner in Christ Jesus to salute you, if indeed it be the will of God that I be thought worthy of attaining unto the end. For we ought to receive every one whom the Master of the house sends to be over His household,[11] as we would do Him that sent him. I salute the families of my bretheren, with their wives and children, and the virgins who are called widows. Traditional Latin Mass: Highway to Catholicisms Future! 2. But I guard you beforehand from those beasts in the shape of men, whom you must not only not receive, but, if it be possible, not even meet with; only you must pray to God for them, if by any means they may be brought to repentance, which, however, will be very difficult. They are bound, therefore, to avoid alI grounds of accusation [against them], as they would a burning fire. Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, "To the end, for the eighth day,"[2] on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ, whom the children of perdition, the enemies of the Saviour, deny, "whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things,"[3] who are "lovers of pleasure, and not lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.