Life and Teaching of St. Ignatius of Antioch

Life and Teaching of St. Ignatius of Antioch

According to the Martyrdom of Ignatius (Martyrium Ignatii), St. Ignatius is said to have been a disciple of St. John the Apostle, and bishop of Antioch. Although there is a difference in opinion amongst scholars, the latest date placed for St. Ignatius' martyrdom is the year 116 AD (only 20 years removed from the last New Testament writing).

According to historian Fr. William A. Jurgens,

“St. Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He is accounted an Apostolic Father by reason of his having been a hearer of the Apostle John. During the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117A.D.), and probably about the year 110 A.D., he was sentenced to the beasts in the arena. On his journey from Antioch to Rome and martyrdom he wrote seven letters, his only extant authentic writings. Almost everything of the little that is known of him must be gleaned from these letters, addressed to the Christian communities at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna, and a personal one to Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna. The most important of the letters is that to the Romans; yet, all seven are veritable treasure houses for the history of dogma. Chiefly because the letters present so clear a view of a hierarchical and monarchical Church, the authenticity of the letters was long questioned by protestant scholars. The genuinity of the letters has now, however, been long since vindicated by J. B Lightfoot, Adolph von Harnack, Theodore Zahn, and F. X. Funk; and their authenticity is now almost universally accepted. The text of the letters, however, is preserved in three distinct forms, known as the short recension, the long recension and the Syriac abridgment. The long recension, extant in Greek and in Latin, was the first known, and was regarded as authentic until the 17th century, when the short recension was first published. It is now recognized that the long recension is an interpolated text, made in the fourth century. It is the so-called short recension, extant only in Greek, (which, of course, is the original language of the letters), that is now regarded as the authentic text. The Syriac abridgment apparently was made from a no longer extant Syriac translation of the short recension, i.e., the original Greek text. Numerous other letters purporting to belong to the same Ignatian corpus are spurious. The Migne text, PG 5, 643-728 is no longer serviceable. Like the writings of the other Apostolic Fathers, a convenient edition for text and translation is Kirsopp Lake's The Apostolic Fathers, in the Loeb Classical Library edition. However, for the best available critical edition, scholars will consult Schneemelcher's Funk-Bihlmeyer, Die apostolischen Water, Vol. 1, Tübingen 1956, pp. 82-113.”

The seven authentic epistles are addressed to the Christians in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna; and also one epistle to St. Polycarp. In these letters, we discover several key tenets of the Catholic faith. Amongst them include:

1.      The Trinity and Unity of God

2.      The Incarnation

3.      The Virgin Birth

4.      The Divinity/Deity of Jesus Christ

5.      The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

6.      The Sacrament of the Eucharist

7.      The Sacrament of Baptism

The Catholic Encyclopedia article on St. Ignatius also includes:

9.      The Church was Divinely established as a visible society, the salvation of souls is its end, and those who separate themselves from it cut themselves off from God

10.    The hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ

11.    The order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood

12.    The unity of the Church

13.    The holiness of the Church

14.    The catholicity of the Church

15.    The infallibility of the Church

16.    The supernatural virtue of virginity, already much esteemed and made the subject of a vow

17.    The religious character of matrimony

18.    The value of united prayer

19.    The primacy of the See of Rome

The Trinity and Unity of God

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace.” (Ephesians, Introduction)

II.                “For even Jesus Christ, our inseparable life, is the [manifested] will of the Father;” (Ephesians 3)

III.              “taking up the song of God in unison, you may with one voice sing to the Father through Jesus Christ, so that He may both hear you, and perceive by your works that you are indeed the members of His Son. It is profitable, therefore, that you should live in an unblameable unity, that thus you may always enjoy communion with God.” (Ephesians 4)

IV.              “how much more do I reckon you happy who are so joined to him as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father, that so all things may agree in unity! (Ephesians 5)

Epistle to the Magnesians:

I.                 “As therefore the Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to Him… There is one Jesus Christ, than whom nothing is more excellent. Therefore run together as into one temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one Father, and is with and has gone to one. (Magnesians 7)

II.                “there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His Son, who is His eternal Word” (Magnesians 8)

III.              “Study, therefore, to be established in the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles, that so all things, whatsoever you do, may prosper both in the flesh and spirit; in faith and love; in the Son, and in the Father, and in the Spirit; in the beginning and in the end; with your most admirable bishop, and the well-compacted spiritual crown of your presbytery, and the deacons who are according to God. Be subject to the bishop, and to one another, as Jesus Christ to the Father, according to the flesh, and the apostles to Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit; that so there may be a union both fleshly and spiritual.” (Magnesians 13)

Epistle to the Trallians:

I.                 “Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father” (Trallians 3)

Epistle to the Romans:

I.                 “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High Father, and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son” (Romans, Introduction)

II.                “I also salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father” (Romans, Introduction)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 “Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially if [men] are in unity with the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whom He has established in security, after His own will, and by His Holy Spirit.” (Philadelphians, Introduction)

II.                But the Spirit proclaimed these words: Do nothing without the bishop; keep your bodies as the temples of God; love unity; avoid divisions; be the followers of Jesus Christ, even as He is of His Father. (Philadelphians 7)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 “And after his resurrection He ate and drank with them, as being possessed of flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father.” (Smyrnaeans 3)

Epistle to St. Polycarp:

I.                 Polycarp, Bishop of the Church of the Smyrnæans, or rather, who has, as his own bishop, God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: abundance of happiness. (St. Polycarp, Introduction)

The Incarnation

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water. (Ephesians 18)

The Virgin Birth

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 “that He was truly born of a virgin” (Smyrnaeans 1)

The Divinity/Deity of Jesus Christ

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace.” (Ephesians, Introduction)

II.                “For even Jesus Christ, our inseparable life, is the [manifested] will of the Father;” (Ephesians 3)

III.              “There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible— even Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Ephesians 7)

IV.              “Let us therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces. Wherefore we justly love Him.”  (Ephesians 15)

V.               “For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost.” (Ephesians 18)

VI.              “God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life.” (Ephesians 19)

VII.            “Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, being both the Son of man and the Son of God, so that you obey the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote to prevent us from dying, but [which causes] that we should live for ever in Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 20)

Epistle to the Magnesians:

I.                 “Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time, and in the end was revealed.” (Magnesians 6)

II.                “There is one Jesus Christ, than whom nothing is more excellent. Therefore run together as into one temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one Father, and is with and has gone to one.” (Magnesians 7)

III.              “If we still live according to the Jewish law, we acknowledge that we have not received grace. For the divinest prophets lived according to Christ Jesus. On this account also they were persecuted, being inspired by His grace to fully convince the unbelieving that there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His Son, who is His eternal Word, not proceeding forth from silence, and who in all things pleased Him that sent Him.” (Magnesians 8)

IV.              “Fare well in the harmony of God, you who have obtained the inseparable Spirit, who is Jesus Christ.” (Magnesians 15)

Epistle to the Romans:

I.                 “Jesus Christ our God” (Romans, Introduction)

II.                “For our God, Jesus Christ, now that He is with the Father, is all the more revealed” (Romans 3)

III.              “Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God.” (Romans 6)

IV.              “I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life.” (Romans 7)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 “Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially if [men] are in unity with the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whom He has established in security, after His own will, and by His Holy Spirit.” (Philadelphians, Introduction)

II.                “The priests indeed are good, but the High Priest is better; to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been trusted with the secrets of God. He is the door of the Father, by which enter in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Church. (Philadelphians 9)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                  “the Church which is at Smyrna, in Asia, wishes abundance of happiness, through the immaculate

Spirit and word of God.” (Smyrnaeans, Introduction)

II.                “Now, He suffered all these things for our sakes, that we might be saved. And He suffered truly, even as also He truly raised up Himself” (Smyrnaeans 2)

III.              “And after his resurrection He ate and drank with them, as being possessed of flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father.” (Smyrnaeans 3)

IV.              “they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ,” (Smyrnaeans 7)

Epistle to St. Polycarp:

I.                 “Look for Him who is above all time, eternal and invisible, yet who became visible for our sakes; impalpable and impassible, yet who became passible on our account; and who in every kind of way suffered for our sakes.” (St. Polycarp 3)

II.                “I pray for your happiness for ever in our God, Jesus Christ” (St. Polycarp 8)

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Epistle to the Ephesians

I.                 “being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God” (Ephesians, Introduction)

II.                “He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water.” (Ephesians 18)

III.              "If Jesus Christ shall graciously permit me through your prayers, and if it be His will, I shall, in a second little work which I will write to you, make further manifest to you [the nature of] the dispensation of which I have begun [to treat], with respect to the new man, Jesus Christ, in His faith and in His love, in His suffering and in His resurrection." (Ephesians 20)

Epistle to the Magnesians

I.                 “The unbelieving are of this world; but the believing have, in love, the character of God the Father by Jesus Christ, by whom, if we are not in readiness to die into His passion, His life is not in us.” (Magnesians 5)

II.                “If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death.” (Magnesians 9)

III.              “I desire to guard you beforehand, that you fall not upon the hooks of vain doctrine, but that you attain to full assurance in regard to the birth, and passion, and resurrection which took place in the time of the government of Pontius Pilate, being truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope,” (Magnesians 11)

Epistle to the Trallians

I.                 "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia, beloved of God, the Father of Jesus Christ, elect, and worthy of God, possessing peace through the flesh, and blood, and passion of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, through our rising again to Him, which also I salute in its fullness, and in the character, and wish abundance of happiness." (Trallians, Introduction)

II.                “Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order, by believing in His death, you may escape from death” (Trallians 2)

III.              “Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and ate and drank. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from whom we do not possess the true life.” (Trallians 9)

IV.             "Flee, therefore, those evil offshoots [of Satan], which produce death-bearing fruit, whereof if any one tastes, he instantly dies. For these men are not the planting of the Father. For if they were, they would appear as branches of the cross, and their fruit would be incorruptible. By it He calls you through His passion, as being His members. The head, therefore, cannot be born by itself, without its members; God, who is [the Saviour] Himself, having promised their union." (Trallians 11)

Epistle to the Romans

I.                 “Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God.” (Romans 6)

Epistle to the Philadelphians

I.                 “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, in Asia, which has obtained mercy, and is established in the harmony of God, and rejoices unceasingly in the passion of our Lord, and is filled with all mercy through his resurrection; which I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy” (Philadelphians, Introduction)

II.                “But to me Jesus Christ is in the place of all that is ancient: His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity” (Philadelphians 8)

III.              “But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former dispensation], viz., the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, His passion and resurrection.” (Philadelphians 9)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans

I.                 “I Glorify God, even Jesus Christ, who has given you such wisdom. For I have observed that you are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if you were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established in love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded with respect to our Lord, that He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, Romans 1:3 and the Son of God according to the will and power of God; that He was truly born of a virgin, was baptized by John, in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled Matthew 3:15 by Him; and was truly, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. Of this fruit we are by His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard 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.” (Smyrnaeans 1)

II.                “Now, He suffered all these things for our sakes, that we might be saved. 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. And as they believe, so shall it happen unto them, when they shall be divested of their bodies, and be mere evil spirits.” (Smyrnaeans 2)

III.              “For I know that after His resurrection also He was still possessed of flesh, and I believe that He is so now. When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, "Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit." And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors. And after his resurrection He ate and drank with them, as being possessed of flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father.” (Smyrnaeans 3)

IV.              “But if these things were done by our Lord only in appearance, then am I also only in appearance bound. And why have I also surrendered myself to death, to fire, to the sword, to the wild beasts? But, [in fact,] he who is near to the sword is near to God; he that is among the wild beasts is in company with God; provided only he be so in the name of Jesus Christ. I undergo all these things that I may suffer together with Him, Romans 8:17 He who became a perfect man inwardly strengthening me.” (Philippians 4:13) (Smyrnaeans 4)

V.                “Yea, far be it from me to make any mention of them, until they repent and return to [a true belief in] Christ's passion, which is our resurrection.” (Smyrnaeans 5)

VI.              "They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, 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… It is fitting, therefore, that you should keep aloof from such persons, and not to speak of them either in private or in public, but to give heed to the prophets, and above all, to the Gospel, in which the passion [of Christ] has been revealed to us, and the resurrection has been fully proved. But avoid all divisions, as the beginning of evils.” (Smyrnaeans 7)

VII.            "I salute your most worthy bishop, and your very venerable presbytery, and your deacons, my fellow-servants, and all of you individually, as well as generally, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in His flesh and blood, in His passion and resurrection, both corporeal and spiritual, in union with God and you." (Smyrnaeans 10)

The Sacrament of the Eucharist

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God.” (Ephesians 5)

II.                “Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, being both the Son of man and the Son of God, so that you obey the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote to prevent us from dying, but [which causes] that we should live for ever in Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 20)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 "Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth ] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God." (Philadelphians 4)

II.                “I flee to the Gospel as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles as to the presbytery of the Church.” (Philadelphians 5)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 "They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, 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.” (Smyrnaeans 7)

The Sacrament of Baptism

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water.” (Ephesians 18)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 “It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.” (Smyrnaeans 8)

The Church was Divinely established as a visible society

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “For if I in this brief space of time, have enjoyed such fellowship with your bishop — I mean not of a mere human, but of a spiritual nature— how much more do I reckon you happy who are so joined to him as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father, that so all things may agree in unity! Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two possesses such power, how much more that of the bishop and the whole Church! He, therefore, that does not assemble with the Church, has even by this manifested his pride, and condemned himself. For it is written, "God resists the proud." Let us be careful, then, not to set ourselves in opposition to the bishop, in order that we may be subject to God.”(Ephesians 5)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 "For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Philadelphians 3)

The hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “Now the more any one sees the bishop keeping silence, the more ought he to revere him. For we ought to receive every one whom the Master of the house sends to be over His household, (Matthew 24:25) as we would do Him that sent him.” (Ephesians 6)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 “I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially if [men] are in unity with the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whom He has established in security, after His own will, and by His Holy Spirit.” (Philadelphians, Introduction)

The threefold character of the hierarchy

Epistle to the Magnesians:

I.                 "I exhort you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, and are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time, and in the end was revealed. Do all then, imitating the same divine conduct, pay respect to one another, and let no one look upon his neighbour after the flesh, but continually love each other in Jesus Christ. Let nothing exist among you that may divide you; but be united with your bishop, and those that preside over you, as a type and evidence of your immortality." (Magnesians 6)

The order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood

Epistle to the Magnesians:

I.                 “I exhort you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, and are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time, and in the end was revealed.” (Magnesians 6)

II.                “Study, therefore, to be established in the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles, that so all things, whatsoever you do, may prosper both in the flesh and spirit; in faith and love; in the Son, and in the Father, and in the Spirit; in the beginning and in the end; with your most admirable bishop, and the well-compacted spiritual crown of your presbytery, and the deacons who are according to God. Be subject to the bishop, and to one another, as Jesus Christ to the Father, according to the flesh, and the apostles to Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit; that so there may be a union both fleshly and spiritual.” (Magnesians 13)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 "See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid." (Smyrnaeans 8)

Epistle to the Trallians:

I.                 “In like manner, let all reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as the sanhedrim of God, and assembly of the apostles. Apart from these, there is no Church.” (Trallians 3)

The unity of the Church

Epistle to the Magnesians:

I.                 “Study, therefore, to be established in the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles, that so all things, whatsoever you do, may prosper both in the flesh and spirit; in faith and love; in the Son, and in the Father, and in the Spirit; in the beginning and in the end; with your most admirable bishop, and the well-compacted spiritual crown of your presbytery, and the deacons who are according to God. Be subject to the bishop, and to one another, as Jesus Christ to the Father, according to the flesh, and the apostles to Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit; that so there may be a union both fleshly and spiritual.” (Magnesians 13)

Epistle to the Trallians:

I.                 “I therefore, yet not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, entreat you that you use Christian nourishment only, and abstain from herbage of a different kind; I mean heresy.” (Trallians 6)

Epistle to the Philadelphians:

I.                 “For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Philadelphians 3)

The holiness of the Church

Epistle to the Trallians:

I.                 “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia,” (Trallians, Introduction)

Epistle to the Romans:

I.                 “worthy of being deemed holy” (Romans, Introduction)

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 “adorned with holiness: the Church which is at Smyrna, in Asia,” (Smyrnaeans, Introduction)

The catholicity of the Church  

Epistle to the Smyrnaeans:

I.                 “Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” (Smyrnaeans 8)

The infallibility of the Church

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 "Do not err, my brethren. Those that corrupt families shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If, then, those who do this as respects the flesh have suffered death, how much more shall this be the case with any one who corrupts by wicked doctrine the faith of God, for which Jesus Christ was crucified! Such an one becoming defiled [in this way], shall go away into everlasting fire, and so shall every one that hearkens unto him. For this end did the Lord allow the ointment to be poured upon His head, that He might breathe immortality into His Church. Be not anointed with the bad odour of the doctrine of the prince of this world; let him not lead you away captive from the life which is set before you." (Ephesians 16-17)

The supernatural virtue of virginity

Epistle to St. Polycarp:

I.                 “If any one can continue in a state of purity, to the honor of Him who is Lord of the flesh, let him so remain without boasting. If he begins to boast, he is undone; and if he reckon himself greater than the bishop, he is ruined.”(St. Polycarp 5)

The religious character of matrimony

Epistle to St. Polycarp:

I.                 “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.” (Polycarp 5)

The value of united prayer

Epistle to the Ephesians:

I.                 “Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when you assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith. Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end.” (Ephesians 13)

The primacy of the See of Rome

Epistle to the Romans:

I.                 “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High Father, and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son; the Church which is beloved and enlightened by the will of Him that wills all things which are according to the love of Jesus Christ our God, which also presides in the place of the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honour, worthy of the highest happiness, worthy of praise, worthy of obtaining her every desire, worthy of being deemed holy, and which presides over love, is named from Christ, and from the Father, which I also salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father: to those who are united, both according to the flesh and spirit, to every one of His commandments; who are filled inseparably with the grace of God, and are purified from every strange taint, [I wish] abundance of happiness unblameably, in Jesus Christ our God.” (Romans, Introduction)