Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The second-century bishop Ignatius of Antioch is remembered for his witness to the Christian faith as a disciple, a bishop, an apostolic father, and a martyr. His letters are a notable testament to his life. Furthermore, they provide insight into the intense internal process of self-definition, as Christians sought to identify themselves in distinct relation to society and empire.Virtually nothing is known with certainty about Ignatius's birth and early life. The ecclesiastical historian Eusebius writes that Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch in 69 ce, after the death of Evodius, successor to Peter (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.22). Ignatius was arrested in Antioch toward the end of the reign of Emperor Trajan (98–117 ce), under unknown circumstances, and he was taken to Rome for judgment and death as a martyr. Trajan's correspondence with Pliny, the governor of Bithynia in 112 ce, calls for this same practice to be instituted toward problem Christians of Roman citizenship. Upon his arrest, Ignatius was led by a military escort through Syria, Asia Minor, and Philadelphia. At Smyrna, Ignatius was met by delegates from the Christian communities in Tralles, Magnesia, and Ephesus, to whom he then issued letters. He also wrote a letter to the church in Rome regarding the status of his arrival. From Smyrna the escort led Ignatius to Troas where he issued three more letters, ... log in or subscribe to read full text