The First Christian Centuries: Ignatius of Antioch

An otherwise unknown second-century Christian, Ignatius was taken from Antioch to Rome in an imperial triumph, to be executed in the arena. He saw this triumphal proession as Christ s, as he went to a conquering death. As Christ s death brought about reconciliation between Jew and Gentile, Ignatius hoped that his death, united with Christ s, would bring about reconciliation within and among the churches to which he wrote. Two centuries later, when the Arian controversy further divided the Antiochene church, an unknown writer took on the persona of Ignatius to appeal for peace. As today the church is more than ever divided, Fr Stewart presents a fresh English version of both Ignatius and his imitator, with the Greek of Ignatius, and concise introductions to the letters. The most recent research on Ignatius is accessibly presented, and the first English version of the imitation Ignatius is here made available to students, to clergy, and to the people of God.

An account of the circumstances and the cultural context in which Ignatius constructed what became the historic church order of Christendom.

The letters of Ignatius of Antioch, written ca. 110 C.E., are a primary witness to the beginnings of post-New Testament Christianity’s movement to define its message, organization, and practice. This book focuses on a specific facet of Christian life in Ignatius’ world: the articulation of the central Christian message, the gospel. Thus, this study examines Ignatius’ gospel with respect to its content and form, its place among the gospels of earliest Christianity, as well as its use by Ignatius to delineate what is for him acceptable belief and practice within the church.

The study of Ignatius of Antioch has for several centuries been chiefly concerned with two enigmas relating to the corpus of literature associated with him: authorship and date. This book goes beyond these issues in that it evaluates the meaning and purpose of these letters on their own terms in an attempt to better understand the background and the exigencies that helped produce them. By evaluating how homonoia was used in a variety of contexts and comparing these uses with those in Ignatius of Antioch, this book provides a fresh approach to his letters. Broken by the discord in his own church and shamed with a difficult journey to an ignominious death, Ignatius sought to admonish the church members with whom he had contact - almost as if it were a last testament - to avoid schism by staying united and by submitting to the bishop, presbyters, and deacons appointed over them. These letters were written out of the context of Ignatius’ experiences of discord. Thus, concord, unity, and submission to the leaders were such overriding concerns for him as he made his way across the empire to Rome, where he died as a martyr.

Hermeneia identifies itself as "a critical and historical commentary on the Bible".The letters of Ignatius of Antioch are not now and never have been among the biblical books.They are,however,close to the canonical writings of the New Testament in time(I argue for the authenticity of the so-called middle recension)and are in many ways still part of the same world.Thus they frequently put us in touch with developments that have roots in the first century,and they often set features of the New Testament writings themselves in clearer perspective.The decision to include a study of Ignatius in this series reflects the conviction that a historically sound understanding of Christian origins requires attention to such sources.

" ... Represents a thorough reevaluation of Ignatius as author and theologian, demonstrating that his seven authentic letters present a sophisticated and cohesive vision of the economy of redemption. [The author] argues that Ignatius's thought represents a vital synthesis of Pauline, Johannine, and Matthean perspectives while representing important elements of later patristic theology. Topics treated in this volume include Ignatius's soteriological anthropology, his Christology and nascent Trinitarianism, his nuanced understanding of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and his ecclesiology and eschatology"--Jacket, page [2].

St. Clement's epistle, written c. 96, is called the first epistle, and is a model of a pastoral letter. The epistles of St. Ignatius, Bishop of Smyrna at the beginning of the second century, are addressed to six Christian communities.