Ignatius and His Letters

At this time Polycarp, who had been a companion of the apostles, was prominent in Asia. He had been entrusted with the office of bishop of the church at Smyrna by the eyewitnesses and servants of the Lord. [a] In the same period Papias, himself bishop of the church at Hierapolis, was well known; and so was Ignatius, who is still famous among a great many people, the second in the succession from Peter to be chosen bishop at Antioch. [b] Report has it that he was sent from Syria to the city of Rome and became food for wild beasts because of his testimony to Christ. He was brought through Asia under the most careful military guard, and in each city where he stayed he strengthened the churches by spoken homilies and exhortations. Above all he urged them to be on their guard against the heresies, which were then springing up for the first time, and he exhorted them to hold fast to the tradition of the apostles. For safety’s sake he thought it necessary to bear witness to that tradition in writing as well, and to give it a firm form.

So, when he was at Smyrna, where Polycarp was, he wrote one letter to the church at Ephesus, in which he mentions Onesimus, its shepherd; another to the church at Magnesia on the Maeander, where again he mentions a bishop, Damas; and another to the church at Tralles, whose leader at that time, he tells us, was Polybius. [c] Besides these he wrote to the church of the Romans as well, and in it he appeals to them not to beg him off from martyrdom and so rob him of the hope he longed for. It is worth quoting very briefly from these letters to show the truth of what has been said. He writes, word for word: “From Syria all the way to Rome I am fighting wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and day, chained to ten leopards, that is, a squad of soldiers, who only get worse when they are treated well. Their wrongs make more of a disciple of me; but I am not counted righteous by that. [e] May I have the joy of the beasts that are ready for me, and I pray that they may be found quick for me. I will even coax them to devour me quickly, not as they did with some, whom they were afraid to touch. And if they hold back unwilling, I will force them. [f] Forgive me: I know what is good for me. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May nothing seen or unseen begrudge me my reaching Jesus Christ. Fire and cross and packs of wild beasts, the scattering of bones, the mangling of limbs, the grinding of the whole body, the devil’s tortures, let them come upon me, only let me reach Jesus Christ.” [g]

These letters he wrote from the city named above to the churches listed. When he had gone on beyond Smyrna, he wrote again from Troas, to those at Philadelphia and to the church of the Smyrnaeans, and privately to Polycarp, who presided over that church. Knowing him well as an apostolic man, he entrusted to him, like a true and good shepherd, the flock at Antioch, and asked him to take earnest care of it. [h] Writing to the Smyrnaeans, the same man uses words from I do not know what source, telling something like this about Christ: “But I know and believe that he was in the flesh even after the resurrection. And when he came to Peter and those with him, he said to them, ‘Take hold, handle me and see that I am not a bodiless demon.’ And at once they touched him and believed.” [i]

Irenaeus too knew of his martyrdom, and he mentions his letters, saying: “As one of our own said, when he was condemned to the beasts because of his witness toward God, ‘I am God’s wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may be found pure bread.’” [j] Polycarp also mentions these same letters in the letter to the Philippians that goes under his name. His very words are these: “So I urge all of you to obey and to practice all endurance, as you saw it with your own eyes not only in the blessed Ignatius, Rufus and Zosimus, but also in others from among you, and in Paul himself and the rest of the apostles, being persuaded that all these did not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in the place owed to them, beside the Lord, with whom they also suffered. For they did not love the present age, but him who died for us and was raised by God for our sakes.” [k] And next he adds: “You wrote to me, both you and Ignatius, that if anyone goes to Syria he should take your letters along too. I will do this if I get a fitting opportunity, either I myself or someone I send to be an envoy for you as well. [l] The letters of Ignatius that he sent to us, and all the others we had with us, we have sent to you, as you instructed. They are attached to this letter, and you will be able to gain much from them, for they contain faith and endurance and every kind of building up that has to do with our Lord.” So much for Ignatius. Heros succeeded him as bishop of Antioch. [m]