| Saint Ignatius of Antioch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bishop and Martyr; Patriarch; Theophorus | |
| Born | c. 50 |
| Died | c. Year 50 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 110, Rome |
| Canonized | pre-congregation |
| Major shrine | Relics are in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome |
| Feast | Western Christianity: October 17 but February 1 if General Roman Calendar of 1962 is used Eastern Orthodox Church: December 20 |
| Attributes | a bishop surrounded by lions or in chains; Patriarch |
| Patronage | Church in eastern Mediterranean; Church in North Africa |
 Saints Portal | |
Saint Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) (ca. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints The Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints ( Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum) is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process A shrine, from the Latin scrinium (‘box’ also used as a desk like the French bureau) was originally a container usually made of precious materials used The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1962 following the reforms of Pope John XXIII introduced with his Motu proprio ''Rubricarum The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Christianity has used symbols from its very beginnings Each Saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a Pater familias over an extended family The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members 35-110)[1] was the third Bishop or Patriarch of Antioch and a student of the Apostle John. Year 35 was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of the theology of the earliest Christians. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Important topics addressed in these letters include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Ecclesiology (from Greek grc ἐκκλησίᾱ ekklēsiā, "congregation church" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the A sacrament, as defined in Hexam's Concise Dictionary of Religion is "a Rite in which God is uniquely active A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight
St. Ignatius' feast day is observed on December 20 in Eastern Christianity. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about In Western Christianity it is celebrated on October 17, but on February 1 by those who follow the General Roman Calendar of 1962. Western Christianity is a term used to cover the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1962 following the reforms of Pope John XXIII introduced with his Motu proprio ''Rubricarum
Ignatius, along with Clement of Rome and Polycarp of Smyrna, is one of the chief Apostolic Fathers, early Christian authors who reportedly knew the apostles personally. Saint Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (ca 69 – ca 155 was a second century Bishop of Smyrna. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c
Contents |
Early life
St. Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch after Saint Peter and St. Evodius, who died around AD 67. The Patriarch of Antioch is one of the original Patriarchs of Early Christianity, who presided over the Bishops of Syria Palestine Armenia and Saint Evodius (d ca 69 is a Saint in the Christian Church and one of the first identifiable Christians Year 67 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiastica, II. iii. 22) records that St. Ignatius succeeded St. Evodius. Making his apostolic succession even more immediate, Theodoret (Dial. Theodoret (c 393 &ndash c 457 was an influential author theologian and Christian Bishop of Cyrrhus Syria (423-457 Immutab. , I, iv, 33a) reported that Peter himself appointed Ignatius to the see of Antioch.
Besides his Latin name, Ignatius, he also called himself Theophorus ("God Bearer"), and tradition says he was one of the children Jesus took in His arms and blessed. St. Ignatius was most likely a disciple of the Apostle John. Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. [2]
St. Ignatius is one of the Apostolic Fathers (the earliest authoritative group of the Church Fathers). The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church He based his authority on living his life in imitation of Christ.
Martyrdom
St. Ignatius was arrested by the authorities and transported to Rome under trying conditions:
| “ | 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. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 —Ignatius to the Romans, 5. | ” |
He was sentenced to die in the arena. The Roman authorities hoped to make an example of him and thus discourage Christianity from spreading, but his journey to Rome instead offered him the opportunity to meet with and teach Christians along his route, and he wrote six letters to the churches in the region and one to a fellow bishop. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings
Letters
The seven letters considered to be authentic are:
- To the Ephesians
- To the Magnesians
- Letter to the Trallians
- To the Romans
- To the Philadelphians
- To the Smyrnaeans
- To Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna
By the 5th century, this authentic collection had been enlarged by spurious letters, and the original letters had been changed with interpolations, created to posthumously enlist Ignatius as an unwitting witness in theological disputes of that age, while the purported eye-witness account of his martyrdom is also thought to be a forgery from around the same time. Ephesus ( Hittite Apasa; Ancient Greek; Turkish Efes) was a city of ancient Anatolia. Magnesia on the Maeander is an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, located on the Maeander river upstream from Ephesus, near the town of Germencik The Letter to the Trallians was one of the epistles written by Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Alaşehir ( Greek: Philadélphia (Φιλαδέλφεια is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey The Letter to the Smyrnaeans (often simply called To the Smyrnaeans) was written by Saint Ignatius of Antioch around AD 110 Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (ca 69 – ca 155 was a second century Bishop of Smyrna.
A detailed but spurious account of Ignatius' arrest and his travails and martyrdom is the material of the Martyrium Ignatii which is presented as being an eyewitness account for the church of Antioch, and as if written by Ignatius' companions, Philo of Cilicia, deacon at Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian. Though Bishop Ussher regarded it as genuine, if there is any genuine nucleus of the Martyrium, it has been so greatly expanded with interpolations that no part of it is without questions. James Ussher (sometimes spelled Usher) (4 January 1581–21 March 1656 was Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Its most reliable manuscript is the 10th century Codex Colbertinus (Paris), in which the Martyrium closes the collection. Codex Colbertinus is a Latin manuscript of the Bible. Its version of the gospels follows the Vetus Latina, while the rest of the New Testament follows the Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Martyrium presents the confrontation of the bishop Ignatius with Trajan at Antioch, a familiar trope of Acta of the martyrs, and many details of the long, partly overland voyage to Rome. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who A literary trope (from Greek τρόπος - tropos "turn" related to the root of τρέπω - trepō "to turn to direct
After St. Ignatius' martyrdom in the Flavian Amphitheatre, his remains were honorably carried back to Antioch by his companions, and were first interred outside the city gates, then removed by the Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or Temple of Tyche which was converted into a Christian church dedicated to Ignatius. The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre ( Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio Flavius Theodosius ( 10 April, 401 – July 28, 450) called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was In ancient Greek city cults, Tyche (Τύχη meaning "luck" in Greek, Roman equivalent Fortuna) was the presiding Tutelary In 637 the relics were translated to the Church of St Clement in Rome.
The letters of St. Ignatius have proved to be important testimony to the development of Catholic theology, since the number of extant writings from this period of church history is very small. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective They bear signs of being written in great haste and without a proper plan, such as run-on sentences and an unsystematic succession of thought. A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more Independent clauses (that is complete sentences are joined with no punctuation or conjunction Ignatius is the first known Catholic writer to put great stress on loyalty to a single bishop in each city, who is assisted by both presbyters (elders/priests) and deacons. This page is about loyalty as faithfulness to a cause For its use in business see Loyalty business model or Loyalty Marketing. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations then a synonym of episkopos (which has now come to mean Bishop An elder (in Greek, πρεσβυτερος; see Presbyter) in Christianity is a person valued for his Wisdom who accordingly holds a particular A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions Earlier writings only mention either bishops or presbyters, and give the impression that there was usually more than one bishop per congregation. [3]
St. Ignatius stressed the value of the Eucharist, calling it a "medicine of immortality" (Ignatius to the Ephesians 20:2). The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those The very strong desire for bloody martyrdom in the arena, which Ignatius expresses rather graphically in places, may seem quite odd to the modern reader. An examination of his theology of soteriology shows that he regarded salvation as one being free from the powerful fear of death and thus to bravely face martyrdom. Soteriology is the branch of theology that deals with Salvation.
St. Ignatius is claimed to be the first known Christian writer to argue in favor of Christianity's replacement of the Sabbath with the Lord's Day:
| “ | Be not seduced by strange doctrines nor by antiquated fables, which are profitless. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath The " Lord's Day " is one of the traditional Christian names for Sunday the first day of the Judaeo-Christian seven-day week observed by most Christians as the memorial For if even unto this day we live after the manner of Judaism, we avow that we have not received grace. . . . If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord's day, on which our life also arose through Him and through His death which some men deny . . . how shall we be able to live apart from Him? . . . It is monstrous to talk of Jesus Christ and to practise Judaism. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity — Ignatius to the Magnesians 8:1, 9:1-2, 10:3, Lightfoot translation. Joseph Barber Lightfoot ( April 13, 1828 &ndash December 21, 1889) was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham | ” |
He is also responsible for the first known use of the Greek word katholikos (καθολικός), meaning "universal," to describe the church, writing:
| “ | Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid. — Letter to the Smyrnaeans 8, J. R. Willis translation. | ” |
It is from the word katholikos that the word "catholic" comes. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". When Ignatius wrote the Letter to the Smyrnaeans in about the year 107 and used the word "catholic", he used it as if it were a word already in use to describe the Church. This has led many scholars to conclude that the appellation "Catholic Church" with its ecclesial connotation may have been in use as early as the last quarter of the first century.
On the Eucharist, Ignatius wrote in his letter to the Smyrnaeans:
| “ | Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes. — Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1 | ” |
Saint Ignatius's most famous quote, however, comes from his letter to the Romans:
| “ | I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all, that I am dying willingly for God's sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God's wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beast, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ. — Letter to the Romans | ” |
References
- ^ See "Ignatius" in The Westminster Dictionary of Church History, ed. Jerald Brauer (Philadelphia:Westminster, 1971) and also David Hugh Farmer, "Ignatius of Antioch" in The Oxford Dictionary of the Saints (New York:Oxford University Press, 1987).
- ^ The Martyrdom of Ignatius
- ^ For example, the structure of church leadership in 1 Clement has only deacons and a collective body of presbyters/bishops, with the two terms used interchangeably. The Epistles of Clement ( 1 Clement and 2 Clement) are two letters ascribed to Saint Clement, an Apostolic Father, and the fourth Pope Cf. 1 Clement 42:4; 44:4-5; 54:2
External links
- Early Christian writings: On-line texts of St. Ignatius' letters
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Ignatius of Antioch
- The Short Syriac Version
- The Ecclesiology of St. Ignatius of Antioch by Fr. John S. Romanides
- Saint Ignatius
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Graeca with analytical indexes
| Preceded by Evodius | Patriarch of Antioch 68 — 107 | Succeeded by Saint Heron |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic