Historical Figures Codexery

Ignatius of Antioch

Early Christian bishop and martyr whose letters shaped early theology.

His feast day is observed on 17 October in western Christianity and on 20 December in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[1][2] While traveling to Rome for his martyrdom, Ignatius sent six letters to churches and one additional letter to Polycarp.[3]

Quick Facts

Titles
Patriarch of Antioch, Theophoros
Birthplace
c. 33, Province of Syria, Roman Empire
Died
c. 108, or perhaps a few decades later
Place of death
Rome, Roman Empire
Canonized
Pre-congregation
Canonized by
John the Apostle (said in later writings)
Attributes
Surrounded by lions or in chains
Patronage
Church in eastern Mediterranean; Church in North Africa

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He stressed the value of the Eucharist, calling it a "medicine of immortality"[4] Apart from what his own letters and later traditions record, no details about Ignatius' life are known.[5] Eusebius, a fourth-century historian, records that Ignatius became Bishop of Antioch after Evodius.[6][7] Under the rule of Trajan, Ignatius was taken into custody and condemned to be eaten by wild animals in Rome.[8]

On his trip to Rome, Ignatius authored six letters directed to churches in the region and one to Polycarp.[3] The earliest Christian writer to stress allegiance to a single bishop per city is Ignatius.[9]

What the cited sources add

The Martyrium Ignatii presents Ignatius' confrontation with Emperor Trajan at Antioch.[10][8] The sixth-century writings of Evagrius Scholasticus state that Emperor Theodosius II moved the reputed remains to the Tychaeum.[11] The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the Church celebrated Ignatius' feast on 1 February before the calendar change.[12] The Martyrium Colbertinum is the most reliable manuscript of the martyrdom account.[12][10]

The Martyrium Ignatii recounts that Ignatius' companions transported his remains back to Antioch.[11][12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Farmer, David, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford University Press, 2011 ), p. 220; Calendarium Romanum (Vatican City, 1969), p. 106 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America", antiochian.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davies, "The Predicament of Ignatius of Antioch", Vigiliae Christianae, 1976, p. 175–180 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cobb, L. Stephanie; Dying To Be Men - Gender and Language in Early Christian Martyr Texts, p. 3, Columbia University Press, 2008; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Saint Ignatius of Antioch", Franciscan Media, 2016-10-17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Connor, John Bonaventure, "St. Ignatius of Antioch", The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 7, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1910, 15 February 2016; "Church Fathers - Church History, Book III (Eusebius)", newadvent.org; ""St. Ignatius of Antioch", Lives of Saints, John J. Crawley & Co., Inc." (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "Church Fathers - Church History, Book III (Eusebius)", newadvent.org. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org
  8. "Church Fathers - The Martyrdom of Ignatius", newadvent.org. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Strong's Concordance G4244"; "Strong's Concordance G4245" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Lives of Saints - Kiahk 24", copticchurch.net (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Ignatius of Antioch" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Church Fathers - The Martyrdom of Ignatius", newadvent.org; Evagrius Scholasticus, "Ecclesiastical History", 1846; Mullooly, "Saint Clement, Pope and Martyr, and his Basilica in Rome", G. Barbera, 1873, p. 137 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. O'Connor, John Bonaventure, "St. Ignatius of Antioch", The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 7, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1910, 15 February 2016. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ignatius of Antioch (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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