Letter of St Ignatius of Antioch to the Trallians
(circa year 110)
This letter was written in Smyrna while St Ignatius was on his way to martyrdom in Rome. It contains a warning against heresy; its message is: I wish to forewarn you, for you are my dearest children.
Ignatius, also called Theophorus [i.e., carried by God, or God bearer], to the holy church at Tralles in the province of Asia, dear to God the Father of Jesus Christ, elect and worthy of God, enjoying peace in body and in the Spirit through the passion of Jesus Christ, who is our hope through our resurrection when we rise to him. In the manner of the apostles, I too send greetings to you with the fullness of grace and extend my every best wish.
Hierarchical structure of the local church.
1 Reports of your splendid character have reached me; how you are beyond reproach and ever unshaken in your patient endurance–qualities that you have not acquired but are yours by nature. My informant was your own bishop Polybus, who by the Will of God and Jesus Christ visited me here in Smyrna. He filled me with such consolation that–even in chains for Christ as I am–I rejoiced, seeing your whole community embodied in him, always following God. Moreover, when I learned from him of your God‑given kindliness toward me, I broke out in words of praise for God.
2 You are obedient to your bishop, as you would be to Jesus, Christ; this shows me that you are not living with merely a human outlook but with supernatural outlook, in the manner of Jesus himself, who died for us that you might escape death by faith in his death. Thus one thing is necessary, and you already observe it, that you do nothing without your bishop; indeed, be subject to the clergy as well, seeing in them the apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope, for if we live in him we shall be found in him.
Deacons, too, who are dispensers of the mysteries of Jesus should in all things be pleasing to all men. For they are not mere servants with food and drink, but servants of God’s Church; hence, they should guard themselves against anything deserving reproach as they would against fire.
3 Similarly, all should respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, just as all should regard the bishop as representing the Father, and the priests as God’s senate and the college of the apostles. Without these three orders, you cannot begin to speak of a church.
I am confident that you share my feelings in this matter, for I have had an example of your love in the person of your bishop, who is with me now. His whole bearing is a great lesson, and his very gentleness wields a mighty influence.
Temptations against humility and perseverance.
4 By God’s grace, there are many things I understand, but I keep well within my limitations for fear that boasting should be my undoing. At the moment, then, I must be more apprehensive than ever and pay no attention at all to those who flatter me; their praise is as a scourge. For though I have a fierce desire to suffer martyrdom, I do not know if I am worthy of it. Most people are unaware of my passionate longing, yet the devil attacks me with increasing intensity. My present need, then, is for humility, by which the Prince of this world is defeated.
The bishop is responsible for the faith of the faithful. To be in communion with him is to be safeguarded against error and heresy. Error is always found mixed with truth. Once again, the Church is called “the place of the Sacrifice.”
6 And so I strongly urge you to abstain from the alien food–heresy–nourishing yourselves exclusively on Christian doctrine. It is not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, that speaks.
The heretics mingle poison with Jesus Christ, as one might administer a deadly drug in sweet wine. They do not give a hint of their manipulation, so that, trusting the sweetness of the potion, a man drinks his own death.
7 Be on your guard against such men.
You will maintain doctrinal purity if you are not proud and keep close to Jesus Christ, to the bishop, and to the teachings of the apostles.
Whoever is within the place of the Sacrifice–the Church–is pure; whoever is outside is impure. Whoever acts apart from the bishop, the priests, and the deacons is not clear in his conscience.
8 I am not aware of anything of the sort among you; in writing this, I only wish to warn you as I foresee the snares of the devil, for you are my dearest children.
Renew yourselves in the faith that is the Body of Christ and in the love that is his Blood.
Put on the armor of patience; strengthen your faith, which is the Body of the Lord; increase your charity, which is the Blood of Jesus Christ. No one must bear a grudge against his neighbor. Never give the pagans the slightest pretext, so that the great majority who serve God will not be mocked because of the folly of a few. Woe to him on account of whose folly God’s Name is blasphemed.
The following paragraphs contain a warning against Docetism. For the proponents of this heresy, the sufferings and death of our Lord were not real; he only seemed to have lived, suffered, and died in a human way (see also the letter to the church of Smyrna, nos. 1 and 2). St Ignatius asserts that Christ is true man and really suffered as such.
9 So turn a deaf ear to the talk of anyone whose language has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Descended from David, Jesus was truly born of Mary; he really ate and drank. He was really persecuted under Pontius Pilate, and truly died by crucifixion, while heavenly and earthly beings and those under the earth looked on. He truly rose from the dead, being raised by his Father. Those who believe in him will be raised like him by the Father. We shall rise again in Christ, without whom we do not have true life.
10 There are men who do not believe in God; they have no faith. If, as they say, Christ’s suffering was only an illusion–it is they themselves who are a mere illusion–why then am I a prisoner, and why do I want to fight with the wild beasts? I would then be dying in vain; I would be lying to you about the Lord.
Unity in the Church, the Body of Christ.
11 Avoid, then, those poisonous growths that bear deadly fruit; the mere taste of them is sudden death. Such growths are not of the Father’s planting; if they were, they would appear as branches of the Cross, and their fruit would be imperishable.
The head cannot come to life without the limbs; Christ invites you through his passion and Cross to be members of his Body. God offers us union, that is, himself, the very ground of unity.
12 I send you greetings from Smyrna and from all God’s churches which are here with me. They have been a comfort to me in every way, both physically and spiritually.
I wear my chains for the sake of Jesus Christ, praying all the time that I may reach God through them. My chains are my plea to you. Continue to live together in that harmony of yours, and persevere in prayer together. It is fitting that everyone, and especially the presbyters, should comfort the bishop and thereby honor the Father and Jesus Christ, and his apostles.
I beg of you, if you love me, listen to me, so that this letter of mine may not witness against you. And pray for me, too, lest I be found unfit, for in God’s mercy I need your charity to make me worthy of the destiny I am eager to meet.
13 The communities of Smyrna and Ephesus send greetings. In all your prayers, remember the church in Syria. I am unworthy to claim membership in it, being the least of them all. And now, farewell in Jesus Christ. Be submissive to your bishop, as you would to God’s command, and also to the clergy. As individuals, love one another with undivided affection. My life is being sacrificed for you, not only at this moment, but also when I shall come before God. Though I am still in danger, God the Father, through Jesus Christ, is my pledge that my prayer and yours will be heard. My desire is that, through him, you may be found without fault.
This letter was written in Smyrna while St Ignatius was on his way to martyrdom in Rome. It contains a warning against heresy; its message is: I wish to forewarn you, for you are my dearest children.
Ignatius, also called Theophorus [i.e., carried by God, or God bearer], to the holy church at Tralles in the province of Asia, dear to God the Father of Jesus Christ, elect and worthy of God, enjoying peace in body and in the Spirit through the passion of Jesus Christ, who is our hope through our resurrection when we rise to him. In the manner of the apostles, I too send greetings to you with the fullness of grace and extend my every best wish.
Hierarchical structure of the local church.
1 Reports of your splendid character have reached me; how you are beyond reproach and ever unshaken in your patient endurance–qualities that you have not acquired but are yours by nature. My informant was your own bishop Polybus, who by the Will of God and Jesus Christ visited me here in Smyrna. He filled me with such consolation that–even in chains for Christ as I am–I rejoiced, seeing your whole community embodied in him, always following God. Moreover, when I learned from him of your God‑given kindliness toward me, I broke out in words of praise for God.
2 You are obedient to your bishop, as you would be to Jesus, Christ; this shows me that you are not living with merely a human outlook but with supernatural outlook, in the manner of Jesus himself, who died for us that you might escape death by faith in his death. Thus one thing is necessary, and you already observe it, that you do nothing without your bishop; indeed, be subject to the clergy as well, seeing in them the apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope, for if we live in him we shall be found in him.
Deacons, too, who are dispensers of the mysteries of Jesus should in all things be pleasing to all men. For they are not mere servants with food and drink, but servants of God’s Church; hence, they should guard themselves against anything deserving reproach as they would against fire.
3 Similarly, all should respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, just as all should regard the bishop as representing the Father, and the priests as God’s senate and the college of the apostles. Without these three orders, you cannot begin to speak of a church.
I am confident that you share my feelings in this matter, for I have had an example of your love in the person of your bishop, who is with me now. His whole bearing is a great lesson, and his very gentleness wields a mighty influence.
Temptations against humility and perseverance.
4 By God’s grace, there are many things I understand, but I keep well within my limitations for fear that boasting should be my undoing. At the moment, then, I must be more apprehensive than ever and pay no attention at all to those who flatter me; their praise is as a scourge. For though I have a fierce desire to suffer martyrdom, I do not know if I am worthy of it. Most people are unaware of my passionate longing, yet the devil attacks me with increasing intensity. My present need, then, is for humility, by which the Prince of this world is defeated.
The bishop is responsible for the faith of the faithful. To be in communion with him is to be safeguarded against error and heresy. Error is always found mixed with truth. Once again, the Church is called “the place of the Sacrifice.”
6 And so I strongly urge you to abstain from the alien food–heresy–nourishing yourselves exclusively on Christian doctrine. It is not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, that speaks.
The heretics mingle poison with Jesus Christ, as one might administer a deadly drug in sweet wine. They do not give a hint of their manipulation, so that, trusting the sweetness of the potion, a man drinks his own death.
7 Be on your guard against such men.
You will maintain doctrinal purity if you are not proud and keep close to Jesus Christ, to the bishop, and to the teachings of the apostles.
Whoever is within the place of the Sacrifice–the Church–is pure; whoever is outside is impure. Whoever acts apart from the bishop, the priests, and the deacons is not clear in his conscience.
8 I am not aware of anything of the sort among you; in writing this, I only wish to warn you as I foresee the snares of the devil, for you are my dearest children.
Renew yourselves in the faith that is the Body of Christ and in the love that is his Blood.
Put on the armor of patience; strengthen your faith, which is the Body of the Lord; increase your charity, which is the Blood of Jesus Christ. No one must bear a grudge against his neighbor. Never give the pagans the slightest pretext, so that the great majority who serve God will not be mocked because of the folly of a few. Woe to him on account of whose folly God’s Name is blasphemed.
The following paragraphs contain a warning against Docetism. For the proponents of this heresy, the sufferings and death of our Lord were not real; he only seemed to have lived, suffered, and died in a human way (see also the letter to the church of Smyrna, nos. 1 and 2). St Ignatius asserts that Christ is true man and really suffered as such.
9 So turn a deaf ear to the talk of anyone whose language has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Descended from David, Jesus was truly born of Mary; he really ate and drank. He was really persecuted under Pontius Pilate, and truly died by crucifixion, while heavenly and earthly beings and those under the earth looked on. He truly rose from the dead, being raised by his Father. Those who believe in him will be raised like him by the Father. We shall rise again in Christ, without whom we do not have true life.
10 There are men who do not believe in God; they have no faith. If, as they say, Christ’s suffering was only an illusion–it is they themselves who are a mere illusion–why then am I a prisoner, and why do I want to fight with the wild beasts? I would then be dying in vain; I would be lying to you about the Lord.
Unity in the Church, the Body of Christ.
11 Avoid, then, those poisonous growths that bear deadly fruit; the mere taste of them is sudden death. Such growths are not of the Father’s planting; if they were, they would appear as branches of the Cross, and their fruit would be imperishable.
The head cannot come to life without the limbs; Christ invites you through his passion and Cross to be members of his Body. God offers us union, that is, himself, the very ground of unity.
12 I send you greetings from Smyrna and from all God’s churches which are here with me. They have been a comfort to me in every way, both physically and spiritually.
I wear my chains for the sake of Jesus Christ, praying all the time that I may reach God through them. My chains are my plea to you. Continue to live together in that harmony of yours, and persevere in prayer together. It is fitting that everyone, and especially the presbyters, should comfort the bishop and thereby honor the Father and Jesus Christ, and his apostles.
I beg of you, if you love me, listen to me, so that this letter of mine may not witness against you. And pray for me, too, lest I be found unfit, for in God’s mercy I need your charity to make me worthy of the destiny I am eager to meet.
13 The communities of Smyrna and Ephesus send greetings. In all your prayers, remember the church in Syria. I am unworthy to claim membership in it, being the least of them all. And now, farewell in Jesus Christ. Be submissive to your bishop, as you would to God’s command, and also to the clergy. As individuals, love one another with undivided affection. My life is being sacrificed for you, not only at this moment, but also when I shall come before God. Though I am still in danger, God the Father, through Jesus Christ, is my pledge that my prayer and yours will be heard. My desire is that, through him, you may be found without fault.