Church scholars believe that Ignatius was born in the year AD 35, in Antioch. He is amongst the most well-known early Christians from the first century. He was originally called Theophoros, which means ‘one who carries God’. He was a disciple of the apostles Peter and John the Beloved. We know from his writings that he was highly educated in Greek. At the beginning of the second century AD, he was made bishop of the See of Antioch, successor of Saint Peter and to Evodios. He administered his see with apostolic zeal and devotion. He helped spread the faith through his eloquence and fervour.
At the beginning of the second century, Caesar Taranos had started to persecute Christians. He arrested Ignatius and condemned him to death, to be thrown to wild beasts. Ignatius, and some of his faithful, were thus led to Rome to their martyrdom. On the journey to Rome, his ship stopped in Izmeer where he met his friend Polycarp, the bishop of that city, who prayed that he receive the grace of martyrdom. The Christians in the city and from the suburbs would run to meet him, so he preached to them and encouraged them to be firm in their faith. When he arrived at Rome, the faithful crowded around him, kissing his hands and chains, thereby receiving his blessing. The soldiers led him to the Colosseum, where they threw him to the lions, who devoured him while he knelt in prayer.
As he was being led to Rome, he wrote us letters; his first four letters written in Izmeer. He wrote his other three letters when he was in Tarwada. In his writings, he taught largely about Christian unity and Christian Baptism. On the subject of unity, he said that the Church should not splinter, but that the faithful should unite in respect and in obedience to ecclesiastical authority, i.e., the body of priests and believers around the bishop, who is the storehouse of the Spirit. Churches do not live alone; they are related to each other. On the subject of baptism, he mentioned that Jesus, our God, was born and baptized to purify the water by his sufferings, and that baptism is armour and protection for believers.
Ignatius is considered among the first theologians, who wrote about priesthood: the deaconate, the presbyterate, and the episcopate. He showed a lively interest in the dignity of the bishop within the Church, because the bishop presents Christ within the community
Issam John Darwish BSO DD
Eparch