Who Was Ignatius of Antioch?

If your experience is anything like mine, you look around the world today and see a culture increasingly hostile to Christianity. Something as simple as a trip to the local library with the kids has shifted in recent years from a pleasant morning out in the community to an aggressive confrontation with anti-Christian ideology.

Perhaps, as I do, you hurry your kids past the first few shelves of showcased new acquisitions with their rainbows and gender-ambiguous main characters to the all-but-forgotten “Books on CD” wall in the back of the kids’ section, where you scan the titles for familiar classics and let your kids know which ones they’re “allowed to check out.”

A Cross to Bear

One of the benefits of knowing church history is the realization that our own cultural moment is not all that unique. The world is not worse than it was in the past, nor is it better. In some ways it is different, yet in the most significant ways, it is the same. Our most recent run-in with godless ideology may have taken place in the public library of Antioch, Illinois, but over 1900 years ago, followers of Christ were first called Christians in the city for which our town is named (Acts 11:26). In this ancient Antioch, around AD 107, a man named Ignatius was condemned to death by wild beasts in the colosseum in Rome for the crime of being a Christian. We may face the ill will of our neighbors at times, just for being Christian, but when we read the stories and examples of men and women like Saint Ignatius, we are encouraged to bear whatever our crosses are in this life with joyful hearts.

Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch is commemorated on October 17th and is remembered as one of the earliest church fathers. Born around AD 30, Ignatius knew those who saw the risen Christ personally. He was a disciple of John. There is even a legend that he was one of the little children who sat on Jesus’ lap when Jesus welcomed them with the famous words, “Let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14). While this story is impossible to verify, it does illustrate how early Ignatius’ life and ministry took place. Eusebius of Caesarea, a third-fourth-century church historian, reports that Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch (the apostle Peter being the first). Ignatius is best known for his martyrdom and the seven letters he wrote to various churches and individuals while traveling to Rome as a prisoner.

The journey from Antioch to Rome took months, and during that time, word about Ignatius spread. He wrote in his letters that he spent his travels—some by land, some by sea—chained to ten Roman soldiers. As word spread, many came to see him as he traveled through their towns, and some of his fellow Christians desired to rescue him. Ignatius wrote in his letter to the Christians in Rome urging them not to ask for his release. He was willing and eager to join in the sufferings of Christ so that he might attain eternal life, which he prized more highly than earthly life. When we read the words of Ignatius it surprises us—how could someone prefer to be fed to the animals than to keep on living? Granted, we don’t need to rush head-first into death to be faithful. But Ignatius’ courage shows one thing with clarity: his certainty of the bodily resurrection. His willingness to die encouraged both believers and unbelievers to look to the life of the world to come and to see this life as fleeting compared with the hope we have in the next.

Ignatius’ letters are some of the earliest writings we have other than Scripture and give us a good deal of knowledge about the early church. He wrote about the importance of submitting to the authority of the bishops (the leaders of the church in each city) with humility. He warned against false teachings. He wrote about the Eucharist, emphasizing that when we receive Holy Communion, we receive the same body and blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross.

We Are Not Alone

I used to think that not much was known about early church history. Of course, there are things we do not know, and we know more about some times and places than others. But the saints who have gone before us have preserved a vast treasure of writings for us that go back to the apostolic era. As I began my own study of church history, I discovered the comfort and confidence that can come from knowing that our generation is not alone in our struggles and challenges. The Christian Church has been and will continue to be faithfully preserved by Christ until He comes again in glory. We know this from reading God’s Word, and we see the evidence of it in the lives of the saints who have gone before us. With Saint Ignatius and all the others, we can boldly proclaim:

All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. “For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?” Him I seek, who died for us: Him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me. (Letter to Rome, Chapter 6, as quoted in Journey through Church History Leader Guide, p. 13)

Scripture: ESV^®.

524439 Journey Petzold Mock Learn about other remarkable men and women in church history with Journey through Church History curriculum.