According to the
Martyrdom of Ignatius (Martyrium Ignatii), St. Ignatius is said to have been a
disciple of St. John the Apostle, and a bishop of Antioch. Although there is a
difference in opinion amongst scholars, the latest date placed for St.
Ignatius’ death is the year 116 AD (which is 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.”
Theseven 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 keytenets 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
8.
Moral
obligation to attend Mass on the Lord’s Day
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.” (Magnesians8)
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” (Trallians2)
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.” (Trallians9)
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. (Trallians11)
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.” (Smyrnaeans1)
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.” (Smyrnaeans2)
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.” (Smyrnaeans3)
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) (Smyrnaeans4)
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.” (Smyrnaeans5)
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.” (Smyrnaeans7)
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. (Smyrnaeans10)
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 deaconswho 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)
