Ignatius, Bishop & Martyr
The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Ignatius (d. c. 107), Bishop of Antioch, Martyr (source):
Feed us, O Lord, with the living bread
and make us drink deep of the cup of salvation
that, following the teaching of thy bishop Ignatius,
and rejoicing in the faith
with which he embraced the death of a martyr,
we may be nourished for that eternal life
which he ever desired;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Epistle: Romans 8:35-39
The Gospel: St. John 12:23-26
Ignatius, who became Bishop of Antioch c. 69, is a key witness of the early church in the era immediately following the apostles.
Nothing certain is known of his episcopate before his journey from Antioch to Rome as a prisoner condemned to death in the arena. Arrested during the persecution of the emperor Trajan, he was received in Smyrna by Bishop (later Saint) Polycarp and delegates from several other churches in Asia Minor.
While at Smyrna, Ignatius wrote letters to the churches at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, and Rome. Later, at Troas, he wrote to the churches at Philadelphia and Smyrna, and to Polycarp.
In his letters, Ignatius clearly affirmed Christ’s divinity and his resurrection from the dead. He encouraged all Christians to maintain church unity in and through the Eucharist and the authority of the local bishop, and he wrote against a heresy that contained elements of Docetism, Judaism, and possibly Gnosticism.
Above all else, his letters reflect an exalted, almost mystical, view of martyrdom as the highest goal to which the disciple of Christ can aspire. His passionate desire to be martyred for Christ is seen, for example, in his letter to the Romans.
I am God’s wheat and I am being ground by the teeth of wild beasts to make a pure loaf for Christ. I would rather that you fawn on the beasts so that they may be my tomb and no scrap of my body be left. Thus, when I have fallen asleep, I shall be a burden to no one. Then I shall be a real disciple of Jesus Christ when the world sees my body no more. Pray Christ for me that by these means I may become God’s sacrifice.
St. Ignatius was mauled to death by lions in Rome. According to church tradition, his friends obtained permission to gather his bones, which were then taken back to Antioch for burial.
The writings of Ignatius are posted online at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
Artwork: St. Ignatius of Antioch, stained glass, Church of the Advent, Boston.
