Dead guys who dominate: Ignatius

Around AD 107, Ignatius, a church leader in Antioch, was condemned to death by Roman authorities. At that time, it was illegal to be a Christian in the Roman Empire, because Christianity was opposed to the official religion of the Empire, especially the worship of the Sun and the Caesar as gods. Roman religion was integral to the cohesion of the Empire, and therefore any opposition to the Roman gods was seen as opposition to Rome.

At the time of Ignatius’s arrest, big festivals were being planned in Rome. So the authorities decided to take Ignatius to Rome and make his execution a part of the entertainment. On the way to Rome, Ignatius wrote seven letters to various churches and church leaders around the ancient world. These letters are some of the earliest Christian documents outside the New Testament that survive to us. They therefore give us some important insights into what the early church was like and the issues it was talking about.

Ignatius was born around AD 30 or 35, so he was well over seventy when he was arrested. Not much is known about his life, but in his letters he often refers to himself as Theophorus, or “the bearer of God”, which may have been his nickname. This indicates that Ignatius was an influential and respected leader in the church. From his letters it is clear that he tenaciously opposed various false teachings popular in Antioch at the time.

On the way to Rome, a number of Christian leaders wanted to meet Ignatius as he traveled past their towns. With these leaders he sent letters of encouragement and teaching back to their churches. In the letters, Ignatius emphasized the importance of communion and good church leadership, among other things.

While he was traveling, news came to Ignatius that a group of Christians in Rome were hatching a plan to free him. But he was determined to die as a martyr, and show the Romans that he was willing to die for Christ, who had died for him less than a hundred years earlier. So Ignatius wrote a letter to the Christians at Rome asking them not to go through with their plan.

Ignatius believed, like Paul, that his suffering would “fill up in [his] flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24). In his letter to the Roman Christians, he wrote:

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 beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.

Soon after, Ignatius was executed in Rome. He probably was probably torn apart by wild animals in front of a crowd of cheering of Roman revelers. Just as his Lord had suffered and died for him, he was willing to die a horribly bloody death as a witness to his Lord.

If you want to check out Ignatius’s letters, search for Ignatius at CCEL.

Photo by vgm8383 via Flickr.