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St.
Ignatius of Antioch
Also called Theophorus (ho Theophoros); born in Syria,
around the year 50; died at Rome between 98 and 117.
More than one of the earliest ecclesiastical writers have
given credence, though apparently without good reason, to
the legend that Ignatius was the child whom the Savior took
up in His arms, as described in Mark 9:35. It is also
believed, and with great probability, that, with his friend
Polycarp, he was among the auditors of the Apostle St. John.
If we include St. Peter, Ignatius was the third Bishop of
Antioch and the immediate successor of Evodius (Eusebius, "Hist.
Eccl.", II, iii, 22). Theodoret ("Dial. Immutab.", I, iv,
33a, Paris, 1642) is the authority for the statement that
St. Peter appointed Ignatius to the See of Antioch. St. John
Chrysostom lays special emphasis on the honor conferred upon
the martyr in receiving his episcopal consecration at the
hands of the Apostles themselves ("Hom. in St. Ig.", IV.
587). Natalis Alexander quotes Theodoret to the same effect
(III, xii, art. xvi, p. 53).
All the sterling qualities of ideal pastor and a true
soldier of Christ were possessed by the Bishop of Antioch in
a preeminent degree. Accordingly, when the storm of the
persecution of Domitian broke in its full fury upon the
Christians of Syria, it found their faithful leader prepared
and watchful. He was unremitting in his vigilance and
tireless in his efforts to inspire hope and to strengthen
the weaklings of his flock against the terrors of the
persecution. The restoration of peace, though it was
short-lived, greatly comforted him. But it was not for
himself that he rejoiced, as the one great and ever-present
wish of his chivalrous soul was that he might receive the
fullness of Christian discipleship through the medium of
martyrdom. His desire was not to remain long unsatisfied.
Associated with the writings of St. Ignatius is a work
called "Martyrium Ignatii ", which purports to be an account
by eyewitnesses of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius and the
acts leading up to it. In this work, which such competent
Protestant critics as Pearson and Ussher regard as genuine,
the full history of that eventful journey from Syria to Rome
is faithfully recorded for the edification of the Church of
Antioch. It is certainly very ancient and is reputed to have
been written by Philo, deacon of Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus,
a Syrian, who accompanied Ignatius to Rome. It is generally
admitted, even by those who regarded it as authentic, that
this work has been greatly interpolated. Its most reliable
form is that found in the "Martyrium Colbertinum" which
closes the mixed recension and is so called because its
oldest witness is the tenth-century Codex Colbertinus
(Paris).
According to these Acts, in the ninth year of his reign,
Trajan, flushed with victory over the Scythians and Dacians,
sought to perfect the universality of his dominion by a
species of religious conquest. He decreed, therefore, that
the Christians should unite with their pagan neighbors in
the worship of the gods. A general persecution was
threatened, and death was named as the penalty for all who
refused to offer the prescribed sacrifice. Instantly alert
to the danger that threatened, Ignatius availed himself of
all the means within his reach to thwart the purpose of the
emperor. The success of his zealous efforts did not long
remain hidden from the Church's persecutors. He was soon
arrested and led before Trajan, who was then sojourning in
Antioch. Accused by the emperor himself of violating the
imperial edict, and of inciting others to like
transgressions, Ignatius valiantly bore witness to the faith
of Christ. If we may believe the account given in the "Martyrium",
his bearing before Trajan was characterized by inspired
eloquence, sublime courage, and even a spirit of exultation.
Incapable of appreciating the motives that animated him, the
emperor ordered him to be put in chains and taken to Rome,
there to become the food of wild beasts and a spectacle for
the people.
That the trials of this journey to Rome were great we gather
from his letter to the Romans (par. 5): "From Syria even to
Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and
by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of
soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated."
Despite all this, his journey was a kind of triumph. News of
his fate, his destination, and his probable itinerary had
gone swiftly before. At several places along the road his
fellow-Christians greeted him with words of comfort and
reverential homage. It is probable that he embarked on his
way to Rome at Seleucia, in Syria, the nearest port to
Antioch, for either Tarsus in Cilicia, or Attalia in
Pamphylia, and thence, as we gather from his letters, he
journeyed overland through Asia Minor. At Laodicea, on the
River Lycus, where a choice of routes presented itself, his
guards selected the more northerly, which brought the
prospective martyr through Philadelphia and Sardis, and
finally to Smyrna, where Polycarp, his fellow-disciple in
the school of St. John, was bishop. The stay at Smyrna,
which was a protracted one, gave the representatives of the
various Christian communities in Asia Minor an opportunity
of greeting the illustrious prisoner, and offering him the
homage of the Churches they represented. From the
congregations of Ephesus, Magnesia, and Tralles, deputations
came to comfort him. To each of these Christian communities
he addressed letters from Smyrna, exhorting them to
obedience to their respective bishops, and warning them to
avoid the contamination of heresy. These, letters are
redolent with the spirit of Christian charity, apostolic
zeal, and pastoral solicitude. While still there he wrote
also to the Christians of Rome, begging them to do nothing
to deprive him of the opportunity of martyrdom.
From Smyrna his captors took him to Troas, from which place
he dispatched letters to the Christians of Philadelphia and
Smyrna, and to Polycarp. Besides these letters, Ignatius had
intended to address others to the Christian communities of
Asia Minor, inviting them to give public expression to their
sympathy with the brethren in Antioch, but the altered plans
of his guards, necessitating a hurried departure, from
Troas, defeated his purpose, and he was obliged to content
himself with delegating this office to his friend Polycarp.
At Troas they took ship for Neapolis. From this place their
journey led them overland through Macedonia and Illyria. The
next port of embarkation was probably Dyrrhachium (Durazzo).
Whether having arrived at the shores of the Adriatic, he
completed his journey by land or sea, it is impossible to
determine. Not long after his arrival in Rome he won his
long-coveted crown of martyrdom in the Flavian amphitheater.
The relics of the holy martyr were borne back to Antioch by
the deacon Philo of Cilicia, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian,
and were interred outside the gates not far from the
beautiful suburb of Daphne. They were afterwards removed by
the Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or Temple of
Fortune which was then converted into a Christian church
under the patronage of the martyr whose relics it sheltered.
In 637 they were translated to St. Clement's at Rome, where
they now rest. The Church celebrates the feast of St.
Ignatius on 1 February.
The character of St. Ignatius, as deduced from his own and
the extant writings of his contemporaries, is that of a true
athlete of Christ. The triple honor of apostle, bishop, and
martyr was well merited by this energetic soldier of the
Faith. An enthusiastic devotion to duty, a passionate love
of sacrifice, and an utter fearlessness in the defense of
Christian truth, were his chief characteristics. Zeal for
the spiritual well-being of those under his charge breathes
from every line of his writings. Ever vigilant lest they be
infected by the rampant heresies of those early days;
praying for them, that their faith and courage may not be
wanting in the hour of persecution; constantly exhorting
them to unfailing obedience to their bishops; teaching them
all Catholic truth ; eagerly sighing for the crown of
martyrdom, that his own blood may fructify in added graces
in the souls of his flock, he proves himself in every sense
a true, pastor of souls, the good shepherd that lays down
his life for his sheep.
Collections
The oldest collection of the writings of St. Ignatius known
to have existed was that made use of by the historian
Eusebius in the first half of the fourth century, but which
unfortunately is no longer extant. It was made up of the
seven letters written by Ignatius whilst on his way to Rome;
These letters were addressed to the Christians
• of Ephesus (Pros Ephesious);
• of Magnesia (Magnesieusin);
• of Tralles (Trallianois);
• of Rome (Pros Romaious);
• of Philadelphia (Philadelpheusin);
• of Smyrna (Smyrnaiois); and
• to Polycarp (Pros Polykarpon).
We find these seven mentioned not only by Eusebius ("Hist.
eccl.", III, xxxvi) but also by St. Jerome (De viris illust.,
c. xvi). Of later collections of Ignatian letters which have
been preserved, the oldest is known as the "long recension".
This collection, the author of which is unknown, dates from
the latter part of the fourth century. It contains the seven
genuine and six spurious letters, but even the genuine
epistles were greatly interpolated to lend weight to the
personal views of its author. For this reason they are
incapable of bearing witness to the original form. The
spurious letters in this recension are those that purport to
be from Ignatius
• to Mary of Cassobola (Pros Marian Kassoboliten);
• to the Tarsians (Pros tous en tarso);
• to the Philippians (Pros Philippesious);
• to the Antiochenes (Pros Antiocheis);
• to Hero a deacon of Antioch (Pros Erona diakonon
Antiocheias). Associated with the foregoing is
• a letter from Mary of Cassobola to Ignatius.
It is extremely probable that the interpolation of the
genuine, the addition of the spurious letters, and the union
of both in the long recension was the work of an
Apollonarist of Syria or Egypt, who wrote towards the
beginning of the fifth century. Funk identifies him with the
compiler of the Apostolic Constitutions, which came out of
Syria in the early part of the same century. Subsequently
there was added to this collection a panegyric on St.
Ignatius entitled, "Laus Heronis". Though in the original it
was probably written in Greek, it is now extant only in
Latin and Coptic texts. There is also a third recension,
designated by Funk as the "mixed collection". The time of
its origin can be only vaguely determined as being between
that of the collection known to Eusebius and the long
recension. Besides the seven genuine letters of Ignatius in
their original form, it also contains the six spurious ones,
with the exception of that to the Philippians.
In this collection is also to be found the "Martyrium
Colbertinum". The Greek original of this recension is
contained in a single codex, the famous Mediceo-Laurentianus
manuscript at Florence. This codex is incomplete, wanting
the letter to the Romans, which, however, is to be found
associated with the "Martyrium Colbertinum" in the Codex
Colbertinus, at Paris. The mixed collection is regarded as
the most reliable of all in determining what was the
authentic text of the genuine Ignatian letters. There is
also an ancient Latin version which is an unusually exact
rendering of the Greek. Critics are generally inclined to
look upon this version as a translation of some Greek
manuscript of the same type as that of the Medicean Codex.
This version owes its discovery to Archbishop Ussher, of
Ireland, who found it in two manuscripts in English
libraries and published it in 1644. It was the work of
Robert Grosseteste, a Franciscan friar and Bishop of Lincoln
(c. 1250). The original Syriac version has come down to us
in its entirety only in an Armenian translation. It also
contains the seven genuine and six spurious letters. This
collection in the original Syriac would be invaluable in
determining the exact text of Ignatius, were it in
existence, for the reason that it could not have been later
than the fourth or fifth century. The deficiencies of the
Armenian version are in part supplied by the abridged
recension in the original Syriac. This abridgment contains
the three genuine letters to the Ephesians, the Romans, and
to Polycarp. The manuscript was discovered by Cureton in a
collection of Syriac manuscripts obtained in 1843 from the
monastery of St. Mary Deipara in the Desert of Nitria. Also
there are three letters extant only in Latin. Two of the
three purport to be from Ignatius to St. John the Apostle,
and one to the Blessed Virgin, with her reply to the same.
These are probably of Western origin, dating no further back
than the twelfth century.
The Controversy
At intervals during the last several centuries a warm
controversy has been carried on by patrologists concerning
the authenticity of the Ignatian letters. Each particular
recension has had its apologists and its opponents. Each has
been favored to the exclusion of all the others, and all, in
turn, have been collectively rejected, especially by the
coreligionists of Calvin. The reformer himself, in language
as violent as it is uncritical (Institutes, 1-3), repudiates
in globo the letters which so completely discredit his own
peculiar views on ecclesiastical government. The convincing
evidence which the letters bear to the Divine origin of
Catholic doctrine is not conducive to predisposing
non-Catholic critics in their favor, in fact, it has added
not a little to the heat of the controversy. In general,
Catholic and Anglican scholars are ranged on the side of the
letters written to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians,
Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrniots, and to Polycarp; whilst
Presbyterians, as a rule, and perhaps a priori, repudiate
everything claiming Ignatian authorship.
The two letters to the Apostle St. John and the one to the
Blessed Virgin, which exist only in Latin, are unanimously
admitted to be spurious. The great body of critics who
acknowledge the authenticity of the Ignatian letters
restrict their approval to those mentioned by Eusebius and
St. Jerome. The six others are not defended by any of the
early Fathers. The majority of those who acknowledge the
Ignatian authorship of the seven letters do so
conditionally, rejecting what they consider the obvious
interpolations in these letters. In 1623, whilst the
controversy was at its height, Vedelius gave expression to
this latter opinion by publishing at Geneva an edition of
the Ignatian letters in which the seven genuine letters are
set apart from the five spurious. In the genuine letters he
indicated what was regarded as interpolations. The reformer
Dallaeus, at Geneva, in 1666, published a work entitled "De
scriptis quae sub Dionysii Areop. et Ignatii Antioch.
nominibus circumferuntur", in which (lib. II) he called into
question the authenticity of all seven letters. To this the
Anglican Pearson replied spiritedly in a work called "Vindiciae
epistolarum S. Ignatii", published at Cambridge, 1672. So
convincing were the arguments adduced in this scholarly work
that for two hundred years the controversy remained closed
in favor of the genuineness of the seven letters. The
discussion was reopened by Cureton's discovery (1843) of the
abridged Syriac version, containing the letters of Ignatius
to the Ephesians, Romans, and to Polycarp. In a work
entitled "Vindiciae Ignatianae" London, 1846), he defended
the position that only the letters contained in his abridged
Syriac recension, and in the form therein contained, were
genuine, and that all others were interpolated or forged
outright. This position was vigorously combated by several
British and German critics, including the Catholics
Denzinger and Hefele, who successfully de fended the
genuineness of the entire seven epistles. It is now
generally admitted that Cureton's Syriac version is only an
abbreviation of the original.
While it can hardly be said that there is at present any
unanimous agreement on the subject, the best modern
criticism favors the authenticity of the seven letters
mentioned by Eusebius. Even such eminent non-Catholic
critics as Zahn, Lightfoot, and Harnack hold this view.
Perhaps the best evidence of their authenticity is to be
found in the letter of Polycarp to the Philippians, which
mentions each of them by name. As an intimate friend of
Ignatius, Polycarp, writing shortly after the martyr's
death, bears contemporaneous witness to the authenticity of
these letters, unless, indeed, that of Polycarp itself be
regarded as interpolated or forged. When, furthermore, we
take into consideration the passage of Irenaeus (Adv. Haer.,
V, xxviii, 4) found in the original Greek in Eusebius (Hist.
eccI., III, xxxvi), in which he refers to the letter to the
Romans. (iv, I) in the following words: "Just as one of our
brethren said, condemned to the wild beasts in martyrdom for
his faith", the evidence of authenticity becomes compelling.
The romance of Lucian of Samosata, "De morte peregrini",
written in 167, bears incontestable evidence that the writer
was not only familiar with the Ignatian letters, but even
made use of them. Harnack, who was not always so minded,
describes these proofs as "testimony as strong to the
genuineness of the epistles as any that can be conceived of"
(Expositor, ser. 3, III, p. 11).
Contents of the letters
It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the importance of the
testimony which the Ignatian letters offer to the dogmatic
character of Apostolic Christianity. The martyred Bishop of
Antioch constitutes a most important link between the
Apostles and the Fathers of the early Church. Receiving from
the Apostles themselves, whose auditor he was, not only the
substance of revelation, but also their own inspired
interpretation of it; dwelling, as it were, at the very
fountain-head of Gospel truth, his testimony must
necessarily carry with it the greatest weight and demand the
most serious consideration. Cardinal Newman did not
exaggerate the matter when he said ("The Theology of the
Seven Epistles of St. Ignatius", in "Historical Sketches",
I, London, 1890) that "the whole system of Catholic doctrine
may be discovered, at least in outline, not to say in parts
filled up, in the course of his seven epistles". Among the
many Catholic doctrines to be found in the letters are the
following: 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 (Philad.,
c. iii); the hierarchy of the Church was instituted by
Christ (lntrod. to Philad.; Ephes., c. vi); the threefold
character of the hierarchy (Magn., c. vi); the order of the
episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the
priesthood (Magn., c. vi, c. xiii; Smyrn., c. viii; Trall.,
c. iii); the unity of the Church (Trall., c. vi; Philad., c.
iii; Magn., c. xiii); the holiness of the Church (Smyrn.,
Ephes., Magn., Trall., and Rom.); the catholicity of the
Church (Smyrn., c. viii); the infallibility of the Church (Philad.,
c. iii; Ephes., cc. xvi, xvii); the doctrine of the
Eucharist (Smyrn., c. viii), which word we find for the
first time applied to the Blessed Sacrament, just as in
Smyrn., viii, we meet for the first time the phrase
"Catholic Church", used to designate all Christians; the
Incarnation (Ephes., c. xviii); the supernatural virtue of
virginity, already much esteemed and made the subject of a
vow (Polyc., c. v); the religious character of matrimony (Polyc.,
c. v); the value of united prayer (Ephes., c. xiii); the
primacy of the See of Rome (Rom., introd.). He, moreover,
denounces in principle the Protestant doctrine of private
judgment in matters of religion (Philad. c. iii), The heresy
against which he chiefly inveighs is Docetism. Neither do
the Judaizing heresies escape his vigorous condemnation.
Editions
The four letters found in Latin only were printed in Paris
in 1495. The common Latin version of eleven letters,
together with a letter of Polycarp and some reputed works of
Dionysius the Areopagite, was printed in Paris, 1498, by
Lefevre d'Etaples. Another edition of the seven genuine and
six spurious letters, including the one to Mary of Cassobola,
was edited by Symphorianus Champerius, of Lyons, Paris,
1516. Valentinus Paceus published a Greek edition of twelve
letters (Dillingen, 1557). A similar edition was brought out
at Zurich, in 1559, by Andrew Gesner; a Latin version of the
work of John Brunner accompanied it. Both of these editions
made use of the Greek text of the long recension. In 1644
Archbishop Ussher edited the letters of Ignatius and
Polycarp. The common Latin version, with three of the four
Latin letters, was subjoined. It also contained the Latin
version of eleven letters taken from Ussher's manuscripts.
In 1646 Isaac Voss published at Amsterdam an edition from
the famous Medicean Codex at Florence. Ussher brought out
another edition in 1647, entitled "Appendix Ignatiana",
which contained the Greek text of the genuine epistles and
the Latin version of the "Martyrium Ignatii".
In 1672 J.B. Cotelier's edition appeared at Paris,
containing all the letters, genuine and supposititious, of
Ignatius, with those of the other Apostolic Fathers. A new
edition of this work was printed by Le Clerc at Antwerp, in
1698. It was reprinted at Venice, 1765-1767, and at Paris by
Migne in 1857. The letter to the Romans was published from
the "Martyrium Colbertinum" at Paris, by Ruinart, in 1689.
In 1724 Le Clerc brought out at Amsterdam a second edition
of Cotelier's "Patres Apostolici", which contains all the
letters, both genuine and spurious, in Greek and Latin
versions. It also includes the letters of Mary of Cassobola
and those purporting to be from the Blessed Virgin in the "Martyrium
Ignatii", the "Vindiciae Ignatianae" of Pearson, and several
dissertations. The first edition of the Armenian version was
published at Constantinople in 1783. In 1839 Hefele edited
the Ignatian letters in a work entitled "Opera Patrum
Apostolicorum", which appeared at Tubingen. Migne took his
text from the third edition of this work (Tubingen, 1847).
Bardenhewer designates the following as the best editions:
Zahn, "Ignatii et Polycarpi epistulae martyria, fragmenta"
in "Patr. apostol. opp. rec.", ed. by de Gebhardt, Harnack,
Zahn, fasc. II, Leipzig, 1876; Funk, "Opp. Patr. apostol.",
I, Tubingen, 1878, 1887, 1901; Lightfoot, "The Apostolic
Fathers", part II, London, 1885, 1889; an English version of
the letters to be found in Lightfoot's "Apostolic Fathers",
London, 1907, from which are taken all the quotations of the
letters in this article, and to which all citations refer. |
