For The Bulletin Of His Life October 18, 2020 Nothing is known of Ignatius' life apart from what may be inferred internally from his letters, except from later (sometimes spurious) traditions. It is said Ignatius converted to Christianity[10] at a young age. Tradition identifies Ignatius, along with his friend Polycarp, as disciples of John the Apostle.[11] Later in his life, Ignatius was chosen to serve as Bishop of Antioch; the fourth-century Church historian Eusebius writes that Ignatius succeeded Evodius.[12] Theodoret of Cyrrhus claimed that St. Peter himself left directions that Ignatius be appointed to the episcopal see of Antioch.[13] Ignatius called himself Theophorus (God Bearer). A tradition arose that he was one of the children whom Jesus Christ took in his arms and blessed,[14] although if he was born THE FEAST OF ST. IGNATIUS OF around 50 AD, as supposed, then Jesus had ANTIOCH been crucified approximately 20 years prior. Ignatius of Antioch (/ɪɡˈneɪʃəs/; Greek: Veneration Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ignátios Antiokheías; Ignatius' feast day was kept in his own died c. 108/140 AD),[3][4][7][8][9] also known Antioch on 17 October, the day on which he as Ignatius Theophorus (Ιγνάτιος ὁ is now celebrated in the Catholic Church Θεοφόρος, Ignátios ho Theophóros, lit. "the and generally in western Christianity, God-bearing") or Ignatius although from the 12th century until 1969 it Nurono (lit. "The fire-bearer"), was an early was put at 1 February in the General Roman Christian writer and bishop of Antioch. Calendar.[15][16] While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of In the Eastern Orthodox Church it is letters. This correspondence now forms a observed on 20 central part of a later collection of works December.[17] The Synaxarium of known to be authored by the Apostolic the Coptic Orthodox Church of Fathers. He is considered to be one of the Alexandria places it on the 24th of the three most important of these, together Coptic Month of Koiak (which is also the 24 with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His day of the fourth month of Tahisas in letters also serve as an example of the Synaxarium of The Ethiopian Orthodox early Christian theology. Important topics Tewahedo Church), corresponding in three they address include ecclesiology, years out of every four to 20 December in the sacraments, and the role of bishops. the Julian Calendar, which currently falls on 2 January of the Gregorian Calendar. 1 Martyrdom gift."[18]:176 Instead, Davies proposes that Circumstances of martyrdom Ignatius may have been indicted by a legate, Instead of being executed in his home town or representative, of of Antioch, Ignatius was escorted to Rome the governor of Syria while the governor by a company of ten Roman soldiers: was away temporarily, and sent to Rome for From Syria even unto Rome I fight with trial and execution. Under Roman law, only beasts, both by land and sea, both by night the governor of a province or the emperor and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean himself could impose capital punishment, so a band of soldiers... the legate would have faced the choice of imprisoning Ignatius in Antioch or sending — Ignatius to the Romans Chapter 5 him to Rome. Davies postulates that the Scholars consider Ignatius' transport to legate may have decided to send Ignatius to Rome unusual, since those persecuted as Rome so as to minimize any further Christians would be expected to be punished dissension among the Antiochene locally. Stevan Davies has pointed out that Christians.[18]:177–178 "no other examples exist from the Flavian age of any prisoners except citizens or Christine Trevett has called Davies' prisoners of war being brought to Rome for suggestion "entirely hypothetical" and execution."[18] concludes that no fully satisfactory solution to the problem can be found, writing, "I tend If Ignatius were a Roman citizen, he could to take the bishop at his word when he says have appealed to the emperor, but then he he is a condemned man. But the question would usually have been beheaded rather remains, why is he going to Rome? The than tortured.[19] Furthermore, the epistles of truth is that we do not know."[21] Ignatius state that he was put in chains during the journey to Rome, but it was Route of travel to Rome illegal under Roman law for a citizen to be During the journey to Rome, Ignatius and put in bonds during an appeal to the his entourage of soldiers made a number of emperor.[18]:175–176 lengthy stops in Asia Minor, deviating from the most direct land route from Antioch to Allen Brent argues that Ignatius was Rome.[18]:176 Scholars generally agree on the transferred to Rome at the request of the following reconstruction of Ignatius' route of emperor in order to provide entertainment to travel: the masses by being killed in the Colosseum. Brent insists, contrary to some, that "it was 1. Ignatius first traveled from Antioch, normal practice to transport condemned in the province of Syria, to Asia criminals from the provinces in order to Minor. It is uncertain whether he offer spectator sport in the Colosseum at traveled by sea or by land. Rome."[20]:15 2. He was then taken to Smyrna, via a route that bypassed the cities Stevan Davies rejects the idea that Ignatius of Magnesia, Tralles, and Ephesus, was transported to Rome for the games at but likely passed the Colosseum. He reasons that "if Ignatius through Philadelphia (cf. Ign. was in some way a donation by the Imperial Phil. 7). Governor of Syria to the games at Rome, a 3. Ignatius then traveled to Troas, single prisoner seems a rather miserly where he boarded a ship bound 2 for Neapolis in Macedonia (cf. Ign. source for this Trajanic date is the 4th Pol. 8). century church historian Eusebius of 4. He then passed through the city Caesarea, who is regarded by some modern of Philippi (cf. Pol. Phil. 9). scholars as an unreliable source for 5. After this, he took some land or sea chronological information regarding the route to Rome.[22] early church. Eusebius had an ideological interest in dating church leaders as early as During the journey, the soldiers seem to possible, and ensuring that there were no have allowed Ignatius to meet with entire gaps in succession between the original congregations of Christians while in chains, apostles of Jesus and the leaders of the at least while he was in Philadelphia (cf. Ign. church in his day.[3] Unfortunately, the Phil. 7), and numerous Christian visitors and epistles attributed to Ignatius provide no messengers were allowed to meet with him clear indication as to their date. on a one-on-one basis. These messengers allowed Ignatius to send six letters to nearby While many scholars accept the traditional churches, and one to Polycarp, the bishop dating of Ignatius' martyrdom under Trajan, of Smyrna.[18]:176 others have argued for a somewhat later date. Richard Pervo dated Ignatius' death to These aspects of Ignatius' martyrdom are 135-140 AD.[3] British classicist Timothy also regarded by scholars as unusual. It is Barnes has argued for a date in the 140s AD, generally expected that a prisoner would be on the grounds that Ignatius seems to have transported on the most direct, cost-effective quoted a work of the Gnostic Ptolemy in one route to their destination. Since travel by of his epistles, who only became active in land in the Roman Empire was between five the 130s.[4] and fifty-two times more expensive than travel by sea,[23] and Antioch was a major Death and aftermath port city, the most efficient route would Ignatius himself wrote that he would be likely have been entirely by sea. Steven thrown to the beasts, and in the fourth Davies argues that Ignatius' circuitous route century Eusebius reports tradition that this to Rome can only be explained by positing came to pass,[24] which is then repeated that he was not the main purpose of the by Jerome who is the first to explicitly soldiers' trip, and that the various stops in mention "lions."[19] John Chrysostom is the Asia Minor were for other state business. He first to allude to the Colosseum as the place suggests that such a scenario would also of Ignatius' martyrdom.[25] Contemporary explain the relative freedom that Ignatius scholars are uncertain that any of these was given to meet with other Christians authors had sources other than Ignatius' own during the journey.[18]:177 writings.[19][24] Date of martyrdom According to a medieval Christian text Due to the sparse and fragmentary nature of titled Martyrium Ignatii, Ignatius' remains the documentation of Ignatius' life and were carried back to Antioch by his martyrdom, the date of his death is subject companions after his martyrdom.[26] The to a significant amount of uncertainty. sixth-century writings of Evagrius Tradition places the martyrdom of Ignatius Scholasticus state that the reputed remains in the reign of Trajan, who was emperor of of Ignatius were moved by the Rome from 98 to 117 AD. But the earliest Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or 3 Temple of Tyche, which had been converted Painting of Ignatius of Antioch from into a church dedicated to Ignatius.[27] In 637 the Menologion of Basil II (c. 1000 AD) the relics were transferred to the Basilica di The following seven epistles preserved San Clemente in Rome.[citation needed] under the name of Ignatius are generally considered authentic, since they were The Martyrium Ignatii mentioned by the historian Eusebius in the There is a purported eye-witness account of first half of the fourth century.