Letter of St Ignatius of Antioch to the Magnesians
(circa year 110)
St Ignatius is the first writer to use the words “Christian” and “Christianity” as titles of honor. We should be Christians in deed, as well as in name.
A Christian is seen as living “in God,” “in Jesus Christ.” The preposition “in” occurs six times in the first four lines of the Greek text. This fact shows that the early Christians had a profound understanding of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Magnesia on the river Meander, a church blessed with the grace of God the Father in Christ Jesus, our Savior, in whom I salute you. I send you every good wish in God the Father and in Jesus Christ.
1 I was delighted to hear of your love of God, so well ordered and devout, and so I decided to address you in the faith of Jesus Christ. Honored as I am with a name of the greatest splendor [Christian], though I am still in chains, I sing the praises of the churches. And I pray that they be united with the flesh and the spirit of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal life. This is a union in faith and love, to which nothing must be preferred; and, above all, a union with Jesus and the Father. For if in him we endure all the power of the Prince of this world, and escape unharmed, we shall make our way to God.
2 I have had the honor of seeing you in the person of Damas your bishop, a man of God; in the person of your worthy presbyters, Bassus and Apollonius; and in the person of my fellow‑servant, the deacon Zotion. May I continue to take delight in this deacon, for he is obedient to the bishop as one is to the grace of God; obedient to the presbyters as to the law of Jesus Christ. #1
The bishop’s power comes from Christ. Thus, even the authority of a young bishop is never to be questioned.
3 It hardly becomes you to take advantage of your bishop because of his youth. You should show him every mark of respect because he embodies the authority of God the Father. This, I understand, is what your holy priests do. They do not take advantage of his youthful condition but pay respect to him with the prudence that comes from God; or rather, not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, to the bishop of all.
So then, for the honor of Him who has chosen us, it is proper to obey without hypocrisy. For a man does not so much deceive the bishop he can see, but rather he is trying to deceive someone he cannot see. In such a case, he is dealing not with a man, but with God, who knows the secrets of the heart.
4 We should then really live as Christians and not merely have the name; for many invoke the bishop’s name but do everything apart from him. Such men, I think, do not have a good conscience, for they do not attend at regular church meetings, as commanded.
5 All things have an end; and two things, life and death, are side by side set before us. And each man will go “to his own place.” Likewise, there are two coinages, one of God and the other of the world, each with its own image. Thus, unbelievers bear the image of this world; and those who have faith, animated with love, bear the image of God the Father through Jesus Christ. Unless we are ready to die, as he did after his Passion, his life is not in us.
We obtain from this letter a vivid picture of the dignity accorded the bishop in the primitive Church. St Ignatius mentions nothing of the prophets or preachers who were still going from one locality to another, as described in the Didaché. Here, a bishop alone leads each community. He is surrounded by the priests and deacons. The bishop is the source of unity in the local church; he presides as God’s representative. All are united in one prayer, one hope, in love, and in holy joy.
6 In the persons I mentioned, I saw and loved in faith your whole community; go on. I urge you to strive to continue doing all things in harmony with God. The bishop is to preside as God’s representative, the presbyters are to function as the apostolic council, and the deacons, who are so dear to me, are to be entrusted with the service of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before time began and has now at last manifested himself to us.
Follow the ways of God, and have respect for one another. Let no one judge his neighbor as the world does, but love one another always in Jesus Christ. Let there be nothing among you that could divide you, but live united with the bishop and those who preside, serving all as a sign and a pattern of eternal life.
7 The Lord did nothing either by himself or through his apostles without his Father, with whom he is united; so too, you should undertake nothing without the bishop and the presbyters. Do not attempt to convince yourselves that what you do on your own account is right and proper. No, when you meet together, there must be just one petition, one prayer, one mind, one hope, in love and in holy joy; thus, you will have Jesus Christ, one and perfect before all else.
You must all come together to the one temple of God, one altar, to the one Jesus Christ, who came forth from the one Father, while still remaining one with him, and returned to him.
8 Do not be led astray by false doctrines or by old and idle tales. For if we still live by the Jewish law, we admit that we have not received grace. The holy prophets lived in conformity with Jesus Christ, and that is why they were persecuted. They were inspired by his grace to convince an unbelieving world that there is one God, manifested now through Jesus Christ his Son, his Word. He came forth from the Father and was in all things pleasing to the One who sent him.
Reason for the Sunday observance.
9 Those who lived by the ancient customs attained a fresh hope; thus, they no longer observed Saturday, but Sunday, the Lord’s day. On that day, life arose for us through Christ and through his death.
Some deny this mystery, but through it we have received our faith and because of it we persevere. May we prove to be disciples of our only teacher, Jesus Christ.
Christ did not come to annul, but to perfect the Law and the Prophets.
Even the prophets awaited him as their teacher, since they were his disciples in spirit. That is why Christ, whom they rightly awaited, raised them from the dead. How then can we live without him?
You have Christ within you.
10 Let us not be insensible to Christ’s loving kindness. For if he had acted as we do, we would have been lost indeed. Therefore, let us become his disciples and learn to live in the Christian way. Those who are called by any other name are not of God.
Cast out the evil leaven that has become old and sour, and replace it with the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. He must be the salt of your lives, so that none of you may become corrupt, since it is by your purity of life that you will be judged.
It is absurd to profess Christ with the lips and at the same time practice Judaism, for Christianity did not result into faith in Judaism, but Judaism into faith in Christianity. Thus, everyone professing faith in God was assembled in the bosom of Christianity.
The historical reality of Jesus’ deeds.
11 I do not write this to you, my dear friends, because I have heard that anyone of you were men of that ilk. Though I am a lesser man than yourselves, I write this to guard you all against falling into the snares of false doctrine. Have a firm faith in the reality of the Lord’s birth, and Passion and Resurrection which took place when Pontius Pilate was procurator. All this deeds were truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope. May none of you ever turn away from him!
Live in Christ, persevere in his commandments. St Ignatius asks for prayers.
12 May you be my joy in all things, if I deserve it. For although I am in chains, I do not deserve to be compared with any of you who live in freedom. I know that you are not inflated with pride, for you have Jesus Christ within you. And I know that you blush when I praise you, as the Scripture says: “The just man is his own accuser” (Prov 18:17 Septuagint Greek version).
13 Take care, then, to be firmly grounded in the teaching of the Lord and his apostles, so that you may prosper in all your doings, both in body and in soul, in faith and in love, in the Son, and in Father and in the Spirit, in the beginning and in the end, along with the most worthy bishop and his spiritual crown, your presbyters, and with the deacons, who are men of God.
Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was in his humanity to the Father, and the apostles to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity in flesh and in spirit.
14 I have exhorted you only briefly, for I am aware that you are filled with God. Remember me in your prayers, that I may happily make my way to God. And remember the Church in Syria, of which I am an unworthy member. How I need your united prayer and love in God! Remember then, the Church in Syria, that it may be strengthened through your prayers.
15 The Ephesians at Smyrna, where I write these lines, send their greetings. They have come together here, like yourselves, for the glory of God. They have encouraged me in every way and so has Polycarp, their bishop. The other churches, too, greet you for the glory of Jesus Christ. Farewell; may you abide in God’s peace, possessing that undivided spirit which is Jesus Christ.
Footnote:
1. There is a reference to the sacraments in the former expression, and one to preaching in the latter.
St Ignatius is the first writer to use the words “Christian” and “Christianity” as titles of honor. We should be Christians in deed, as well as in name.
A Christian is seen as living “in God,” “in Jesus Christ.” The preposition “in” occurs six times in the first four lines of the Greek text. This fact shows that the early Christians had a profound understanding of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Magnesia on the river Meander, a church blessed with the grace of God the Father in Christ Jesus, our Savior, in whom I salute you. I send you every good wish in God the Father and in Jesus Christ.
1 I was delighted to hear of your love of God, so well ordered and devout, and so I decided to address you in the faith of Jesus Christ. Honored as I am with a name of the greatest splendor [Christian], though I am still in chains, I sing the praises of the churches. And I pray that they be united with the flesh and the spirit of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal life. This is a union in faith and love, to which nothing must be preferred; and, above all, a union with Jesus and the Father. For if in him we endure all the power of the Prince of this world, and escape unharmed, we shall make our way to God.
2 I have had the honor of seeing you in the person of Damas your bishop, a man of God; in the person of your worthy presbyters, Bassus and Apollonius; and in the person of my fellow‑servant, the deacon Zotion. May I continue to take delight in this deacon, for he is obedient to the bishop as one is to the grace of God; obedient to the presbyters as to the law of Jesus Christ. #1
The bishop’s power comes from Christ. Thus, even the authority of a young bishop is never to be questioned.
3 It hardly becomes you to take advantage of your bishop because of his youth. You should show him every mark of respect because he embodies the authority of God the Father. This, I understand, is what your holy priests do. They do not take advantage of his youthful condition but pay respect to him with the prudence that comes from God; or rather, not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, to the bishop of all.
So then, for the honor of Him who has chosen us, it is proper to obey without hypocrisy. For a man does not so much deceive the bishop he can see, but rather he is trying to deceive someone he cannot see. In such a case, he is dealing not with a man, but with God, who knows the secrets of the heart.
4 We should then really live as Christians and not merely have the name; for many invoke the bishop’s name but do everything apart from him. Such men, I think, do not have a good conscience, for they do not attend at regular church meetings, as commanded.
5 All things have an end; and two things, life and death, are side by side set before us. And each man will go “to his own place.” Likewise, there are two coinages, one of God and the other of the world, each with its own image. Thus, unbelievers bear the image of this world; and those who have faith, animated with love, bear the image of God the Father through Jesus Christ. Unless we are ready to die, as he did after his Passion, his life is not in us.
We obtain from this letter a vivid picture of the dignity accorded the bishop in the primitive Church. St Ignatius mentions nothing of the prophets or preachers who were still going from one locality to another, as described in the Didaché. Here, a bishop alone leads each community. He is surrounded by the priests and deacons. The bishop is the source of unity in the local church; he presides as God’s representative. All are united in one prayer, one hope, in love, and in holy joy.
6 In the persons I mentioned, I saw and loved in faith your whole community; go on. I urge you to strive to continue doing all things in harmony with God. The bishop is to preside as God’s representative, the presbyters are to function as the apostolic council, and the deacons, who are so dear to me, are to be entrusted with the service of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before time began and has now at last manifested himself to us.
Follow the ways of God, and have respect for one another. Let no one judge his neighbor as the world does, but love one another always in Jesus Christ. Let there be nothing among you that could divide you, but live united with the bishop and those who preside, serving all as a sign and a pattern of eternal life.
7 The Lord did nothing either by himself or through his apostles without his Father, with whom he is united; so too, you should undertake nothing without the bishop and the presbyters. Do not attempt to convince yourselves that what you do on your own account is right and proper. No, when you meet together, there must be just one petition, one prayer, one mind, one hope, in love and in holy joy; thus, you will have Jesus Christ, one and perfect before all else.
You must all come together to the one temple of God, one altar, to the one Jesus Christ, who came forth from the one Father, while still remaining one with him, and returned to him.
8 Do not be led astray by false doctrines or by old and idle tales. For if we still live by the Jewish law, we admit that we have not received grace. The holy prophets lived in conformity with Jesus Christ, and that is why they were persecuted. They were inspired by his grace to convince an unbelieving world that there is one God, manifested now through Jesus Christ his Son, his Word. He came forth from the Father and was in all things pleasing to the One who sent him.
Reason for the Sunday observance.
9 Those who lived by the ancient customs attained a fresh hope; thus, they no longer observed Saturday, but Sunday, the Lord’s day. On that day, life arose for us through Christ and through his death.
Some deny this mystery, but through it we have received our faith and because of it we persevere. May we prove to be disciples of our only teacher, Jesus Christ.
Christ did not come to annul, but to perfect the Law and the Prophets.
Even the prophets awaited him as their teacher, since they were his disciples in spirit. That is why Christ, whom they rightly awaited, raised them from the dead. How then can we live without him?
You have Christ within you.
10 Let us not be insensible to Christ’s loving kindness. For if he had acted as we do, we would have been lost indeed. Therefore, let us become his disciples and learn to live in the Christian way. Those who are called by any other name are not of God.
Cast out the evil leaven that has become old and sour, and replace it with the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. He must be the salt of your lives, so that none of you may become corrupt, since it is by your purity of life that you will be judged.
It is absurd to profess Christ with the lips and at the same time practice Judaism, for Christianity did not result into faith in Judaism, but Judaism into faith in Christianity. Thus, everyone professing faith in God was assembled in the bosom of Christianity.
The historical reality of Jesus’ deeds.
11 I do not write this to you, my dear friends, because I have heard that anyone of you were men of that ilk. Though I am a lesser man than yourselves, I write this to guard you all against falling into the snares of false doctrine. Have a firm faith in the reality of the Lord’s birth, and Passion and Resurrection which took place when Pontius Pilate was procurator. All this deeds were truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope. May none of you ever turn away from him!
Live in Christ, persevere in his commandments. St Ignatius asks for prayers.
12 May you be my joy in all things, if I deserve it. For although I am in chains, I do not deserve to be compared with any of you who live in freedom. I know that you are not inflated with pride, for you have Jesus Christ within you. And I know that you blush when I praise you, as the Scripture says: “The just man is his own accuser” (Prov 18:17 Septuagint Greek version).
13 Take care, then, to be firmly grounded in the teaching of the Lord and his apostles, so that you may prosper in all your doings, both in body and in soul, in faith and in love, in the Son, and in Father and in the Spirit, in the beginning and in the end, along with the most worthy bishop and his spiritual crown, your presbyters, and with the deacons, who are men of God.
Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was in his humanity to the Father, and the apostles to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity in flesh and in spirit.
14 I have exhorted you only briefly, for I am aware that you are filled with God. Remember me in your prayers, that I may happily make my way to God. And remember the Church in Syria, of which I am an unworthy member. How I need your united prayer and love in God! Remember then, the Church in Syria, that it may be strengthened through your prayers.
15 The Ephesians at Smyrna, where I write these lines, send their greetings. They have come together here, like yourselves, for the glory of God. They have encouraged me in every way and so has Polycarp, their bishop. The other churches, too, greet you for the glory of Jesus Christ. Farewell; may you abide in God’s peace, possessing that undivided spirit which is Jesus Christ.
Footnote:
1. There is a reference to the sacraments in the former expression, and one to preaching in the latter.