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Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–c. 107). Born around 35 AD, possibly in Syria, Ignatius was an early Christian bishop of Antioch, one of the Apostolic Fathers, and a disciple of the Apostle John. Little is known of his early life, but he emerged as a key leader in the Antiochene church, emphasizing unity under episcopal authority. Arrested during a persecution, likely under Emperor Trajan, he was sentenced to death in Rome’s Colosseum. While being transported as a prisoner, he wrote seven letters to churches in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and to Polycarp, which survive as vital early Christian texts. These letters defend the Incarnation, the Eucharist as Christ’s flesh, and the centrality of bishops, countering heresies like Docetism. Martyred around 107 AD, he was devoured by wild beasts, leaving only a few bones. His fearless embrace of death for Christ’s sake inspired early believers. Ignatius wrote, “I am God’s wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ.”
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Ignatius of Antioch warns against those who mock the cross, passion, and resurrection of Jesus, attributing their actions to the evil spirit who has been the source of sin and rebellion since the beginning. He urges believers to distance themselves from such individuals, focusing instead on the teachings of the law, prophets, and those who proclaim salvation. Ignatius emphasizes the importance of avoiding heresies and divisions, recognizing them as the root of many evils.
Let Us Stand Aloof From Such Heretics
They are ashamed of the cross; they mock at the passion; they make a jest of the resurrection. They are the offspring of that spirit who is the author of all evil, who led Adam, by means of his wife, to transgress the commandment, who slew Abel by the hands of Cain, who fought against Job, who was the accuser of Joshua the son of Josedech, who sought to "sift the faith" of the apostles, who stirred up the multitude of the Jews against the Lord, who also now "worketh in the children of disobedience; from whom the Lord Jesus Christ will deliver us, who prayed that the faith of the apostles might not fail, not because He was not able of Himself to preserve it, but because He rejoiced in the pre-eminence of the Father. It is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof from such persons, and neither in private nor in public to talk with them; but to give heed to the law, and the prophets, and to those who have preached to you the word of salvation. But flee from all abominable heresies, and those that cause schisms, as the beginning of evils.
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Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–c. 107). Born around 35 AD, possibly in Syria, Ignatius was an early Christian bishop of Antioch, one of the Apostolic Fathers, and a disciple of the Apostle John. Little is known of his early life, but he emerged as a key leader in the Antiochene church, emphasizing unity under episcopal authority. Arrested during a persecution, likely under Emperor Trajan, he was sentenced to death in Rome’s Colosseum. While being transported as a prisoner, he wrote seven letters to churches in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and to Polycarp, which survive as vital early Christian texts. These letters defend the Incarnation, the Eucharist as Christ’s flesh, and the centrality of bishops, countering heresies like Docetism. Martyred around 107 AD, he was devoured by wild beasts, leaving only a few bones. His fearless embrace of death for Christ’s sake inspired early believers. Ignatius wrote, “I am God’s wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ.”