Saint Ignatius of Antioch 1st Century Martyr
Saint Ignatius of Antioch was born around 30 or 40 and died around 108. We do not know either, though we do know that Saint Ignatatius of Antioch was born in Syria and lived in the Roman Empire. Saint Ignatius of Antioch was a writer, which is how we know about him, the Patriarch of Antioch, and a martyr. While traveling to Rome, he was martyred. Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote a series of letters. These play a central part in a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. Have you ever heard of him?
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Biography
Nothing is known of Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s life apart from the words of his letters and later traditions. It is said he converted to Christianity at a young age. Tradition identifies him and his friend Polycarp as disciples of John the Apostle, which is noteworthy. Later, Ignatius was chosen to serve as Bishop of Antioch; the fourth-century Church historian Eusebius writes that Ignatius succeeded Evodius.
Theodoret of Cyrrhus claimed that St. Peter himself left directions that Ignatius be appointed to this episcopal see. Saint Ignatius of Antioch was called Theophorus (God Bearer). A tradition exists that he was one of the children whom Jesus Christ took in his arms and blessed. What is noteworthy is that Saint Ignatius of Antioch was a martyr, which is useful.
The Martyrdom of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
A lot of what we know about Saint Ignatius of Antioch comes from the debate of scholars. We know he was condemned to death for his faith, but instead of being executed in Antioch, the bishop was taken to Rome by a company of ten soldiers: ‘From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers…’ Scholars consider histransport to Rome strange because those persecuted as Christians normally would be punished locally. Stevan Davies wrote that “no other examples exist from the Flavian age of any prisoners except citizens or prisoners of war being brought to Rome for execution.”
If Saint Ignatius of Antioch had been a Roman citizen, he could have appealed to the emperor, with the common result of execution by beheading. However, Ignatius’s letters state that he was put in chains during the journey to appeal to the Roman emperor (Trajan) for his life. Some argue that Ignatius was transferred to Rome for the emperor to provide a spectacle as a victim in the Colosseum.
Others, like Stevan Davies, reject its idea: “If Ignatius was in some way a donation by the Imperial Governor of Syria to the games at Rome, a single prisoner seems a rather miserly gift.” Instead, Ignatius may have been indicted by a legate, or representative, of the governor of Syria while the governor was away temporarily, and sent to Rome for trial and execution.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch took a circuitous route to Rome. However, when he got there, he was killed by being thrown to to lions. The tale of his death is probably accurate. It was an eye-witness account for the church of Antioch, attributed to Ignatius’ companions, Philō of Cilicia, deacon at Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian.
Conclusion
Saint Ignatius of Antioch modelled his letters after the biblical epistles of Paul, Peter, and John, quoting or paraphrasing freely. For example, in his letter to the Ephesians, he quoted 1 Corinthians 1:18: Let my spirit be counted as nothing for the sake of the cross, which is a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to us salvation and life eternal. Nevertheless, here we have yet another example of a saint from long ago whom we know because he was a writer.
