#5 | The Church Father Who “Red Pilled” Me on the Catholic Church, Part 2

Introduction

This is Part 2 of a two-part series called The Church Father Who “Red Pilled” Me on the Catholic Church. We recommend reading Part 1 first, where the Roadmap for the series is provided, including its thesis, which is as follows: “Our thesis is that the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple and companion of the Apostles, written barely 70 years after the Ascension of Our Lord, are astoundingly Catholic, and thus strong evidence of the ancient and apostolic origin of the Catholic Faith.”

We are continuing our analysis of the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a companion of the Apostles, martyr, and powerful witness to the ancient and apostolic origins of the Catholic Faith. In Part 1, we provided a brief biographical overview of St. Ignatius, and analyzed his Letter to the Ephesians, Letter to the Magnesians, Letter to the Trallians, and Letter to the Smyrnaeans.

In Part 2, we will analyze his Letter to the Philadelphians, Letter to the Romans, and Letter to St. Polycarp, as well as cover the ancient patristic witness to the historicity of St. Ignatius and his writings given some of the doubts expressed by protestants about both.

We will conclude by summarizing why St. Ignatius of Antioch was truly a “red pill” for me when I was a protestant, and is now my patron saint.

Letter to the Philadelphians

We now proceed to St. Ignatius’s Letter to the Philadelphians. Philadelphia was another ancient city in what is today western Turkey. Many of the points in this letter require less analysis from me, simply because they echo the same and similar points made in his other letters about the authority of the priesthood, the unity of the Church, the Eucharist, etc. We nonetheless share the relevant quotes because of the evidence importance of these topics to St. Ignatius.

St. Ignatius’s greeting, like so many of his other greetings, immediately references union with the bishop as a sign of the true Church, and asserts that such authority was established by God Himself (Intro):

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, in Asia, which has obtained mercy, and is established in the harmony of God, and rejoices unceasingly in the passion of our Lord, and is filled with all mercy through his resurrection; which I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially if [men] are in unity with the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whom He has established in security, after His own will, and by His Holy Spirit.

In the first section, he emphasizes the point about the bishop’s God-derived authority, and commends him for his character (§1):

Which bishop [in previous section], I know, obtained the ministry which pertains to the common [weal], not of himself, neither by men [Gal. 1:1], nor through vainglory, but by the love of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; at whose meekness I am struck with admiration, and who by his silence is able to accomplish more than those who vainly talk.

In the second section, St. Ignatius switches to the oft-mentioned subject of unity, and asserts the necessity of obeying God’s shepherds (§2):

Wherefore, as children of light and truth, flee from division and wicked doctrines; but where the shepherd is, there do you as sheep follow. For there are many wolves that appear worthy of credit, who, by means of a pernicious pleasure, carry captive those that are running towards God; but in your unity they shall have no place.

In the third section, he again emphasizes unity, and decries schism (§3):

Keep yourselves from those evil plants which Jesus Christ does not tend, because they are not the planting of the Father. Not that I have found any division among you, but exceeding purity. For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If anyone walks according to a strange [heretical] opinion, he agrees not with the passion [of Christ].

In the fourth section, he says this unity is not only based on obedience to the bishop (and other church leaders), but the Eucharist and the altar upon which it is offered, about which he speaks in completely Catholic terms (§4):

Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God.

Once more, we see that the idea of anything beyond one Church, one faith, one altar, one Eucharist, one communion of Christians, is completely anathema to St. Ignatius. For him, this oneness is not only spiritual and invisible, but physical and visible, a union of Christ’s body and spirit as he said in multiple letters we covered in Part 1. This visible unity is manifested by fellowship around and under the authority of the bishop and the priesthood by which one may approach the one altar of the Eucharistic Lord.

In the fifth section, St. Ignatius compares the love with which he prepares to meet the Apostles in heaven with the love for the leadership of the Church, and his love of the Gospel being akin to the love of Christ’s “flesh” (which would seem to once more be a reference to the Eucharist) (§5):

But your prayer to God shall make me perfect, that I may attain to that portion which through mercy has been allotted me, while I flee to the Gospel as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles as to the presbytery of the Church.

In the sixth section, he again warns against falling into heresy, specifically that of the Judaizers, and exhorts the Philadelphians to maintain unity of faith (§6):

But if anyone preach the Jewish law [Judaism] to you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchers of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, you grow weak in your love. But be you all joined together with an undivided heart.

In the seventh section, St. Ignatius then describes a past visit to the church in Philadelphia, and the way in which the Holy Spirit revealed the importance of authority and unity in the church (§7):

For though some would have deceived me according to the flesh, yet the Spirit, as being from God, is not deceived. For it knows both where it comes and where it goes, and detects the secrets [of the heart]. For, when I was among you, I cried, I spoke with a loud voice: Give heed to the bishop, and to the presbytery and deacons. Now, some suspected me of having spoken this way, as knowing beforehand the division caused by some among you. But He is my witness, for whose sake I am in bonds, that I received no intelligence from any man. But the Spirit proclaimed these words: Do nothing without the bishop; keep your bodies as the temples of God; love unity; avoid divisions; be the followers of Jesus Christ, even as He is of His Father.

The eighth section speaks of disunity being a sin that required repentance, and exhorted the congregation to “communion” with the bishop. While he does not mention the sacrament of penance (or confession) explicitly, given that St. Ignatius directly connects repentance to “communion with the bishop,” something like the sacrament of penance is strongly implied (§8):

I therefore did what belonged to me, as a man devoted to unity. For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop. I trust [as to you] in the grace of Jesus Christ, who shall free you from every bond. And I exhort you to do nothing out of strife, but according to the doctrine of Christ. When I heard some [heretics] saying, “If I do not find it in the ancient Scriptures, I will not believe the Gospel,” on my saying to them, “It is written,” they answered me, “That remains to be proved.” But to me Jesus Christ is in the place of all that is ancient: His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith [doctrine] which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity; by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified.

The ninth section makes an explicit reference to “priests,” which could refer to the priests under the Old Covenant, as well as the priestly hierarchy of the Church, all of which is ordered to “the unity of God,” which is reflected in the unity of His Church (§9):

The priests indeed are good, but the High Priest is better; to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been trusted with the secrets of God. He is the door of the Father, by which enter in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Church. All these have for their object the attaining to the unity of God.

Finally, in the penultimate tenth section, St. Ignatius speaks of the ministry of the Church’s priests being “in Christ” (a common phrase used by St. Paul), suggesting that they are, in some way, participating in the High-Priestly ministry of Christ he described in the previous section (§10):

Since, according to your prayers, and the compassion which you feel in Christ Jesus, it is reported to me that the Church which is at Antioch in Syria possesses peace, it will become you, as a Church of God, to elect a deacon to act as the ambassador of God [for you] to [the brethren there], that he may rejoice along with them when they are met together, and glorify the name [of God]. Blessed is he in Jesus Christ, who shall be deemed worthy of such a ministry; and you too shall be glorified. And if you are willing, it is not beyond your power to do this, for the sake of God; as also the nearest Churches have sent, in some cases bishops, and in others presbyters and deacons.

Thus, St. Ignatius once more speaks about the three grades of holy orders: bishop, presbyter (priest), and deacon–the same grades we have in the Catholic Church to this very day.

Once more, throughout this letter, we see the same themes and assertions we’ve seen throughout the other letters of St. Ignatius:

• He everywhere assumes a tripartite hierarchy of bishop, priests, and deacons;
• He says this priestly hierarchy must be obeyed for (among other reasons) the sake of unity and avoiding heresy;
• He says this unity is expressed by communion in one Eucharist around one altar; and that
• Heresy and schism lead to damnation.

Letter to the Romans

As far as his letters to churches, we will end with St. Ignatius’s Letter to the Romans, which exhibits many of the same ideas and assertions found in his other letters. However, the letter to the Roman church is quite different than any of the others. In short, St. Ignatius speaks to this particular church in ways he never speaks to the other churches, which arguably has implications for the papacy.

For example, in his greeting, St. Ignatius uses the most exalted language he uses for any of the six churches he writes to (Intro):

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High Father, and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son; the Church which is beloved and enlightened by the will of Him that wills all things which are according to the love of Jesus Christ our God, which also presides in the place of the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of the highest happiness, worthy of praise, worthy of obtaining her every desire, worthy of being deemed holy, and which presides over love, is named from Christ, and from the Father, which I also salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father: to those who are united, both according to the flesh and spirit, to every one of His commandments; who are filled inseparably with the grace of God, and are purified from every strange taint, [I wish] abundance of happiness unblameably, in Jesus Christ our God.

St. Ignatius’s greeting to the Roman church is easily the longest of any of his letters. In it, he says several things about the Roman church that he doesn’t say about any other. For example, he says:

• It is “enlightened” by God’s will;
• It is the only one he speaks of “presiding” anywhere;
• It is said to “preside over love,” and that it is “named from Christ.”

The language about Rome “presiding”–at least in the protestant translation I first read–is not absolutely clear as to whether “in the place of the Romans” means the Roman Church rules in the area of Rome, or that she presides over the whole Church from Rome.

However, other translations have concluded the language refers to a general primacy over the entire Church. They render St. Ignatius’s words on this matter as follows¹:

[T]he Church in the place of the country of the Romans which holds the primacy…which holds the primacy of the community of love.

On the first phrase, the translator notes that the previous protestant translation does not make good sense, and provides several reasons why²:

The reading en tópo choriou, “in the place of the country,” makes very poor sense. It was suggested by P.S. Phillimore in an article in the Journal of Theological Studies 19 (1919) 276 that we should read Christou for choriou. In this case the meaning would be “the Church of the Romans that holds the primacy in the place of Christ.” This should be compared with the expression in the Letter to the Magnesians 6 which means either “the bishop having the primacy in the place (tópo) of God” or “having the primacy according to the pattern (typo) of God.” The reading with tópos has the authority of our present Greek text and of the Latin translation. The reading with typo is suggested by the Syriac and Armenian versions.

Likewise, on the second phrase about “the primacy of the community of love,” the translator explains³:

It has been well argued by F.X. Funk that the word agápe, “love,” has often the meaning in St. Ignatius of “the community.” The Greek verb prokáthemai, “I preside over,” is always found followed, as in Plato (Laws 758 D), by some such word as “city” and never by a merely abstract noun like “love.” Whether St. Ignatius has in mind a pre-eminence of authority or of charity, the context seems to imply that he means a universal and not merely a local pre-eminence. It will be noted that, unlike the other Letters in this series, the one to the Roman Church contains no hint of doctrinal or disciplinary disunion.

Eternal Christendom has in fact commissioned a new translation of the letters of St. Ignatius which we intend to release in the future. Our translator completed doctoral studies in patristics, and is fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, all three of which he was inspired to learn because of his love of the Scriptures and the Church Fathers. This love is what ultimately brought him out of his native protestantism and into the bosom of the Catholic Church. He likewise confirmed this point, namely, that “love” in St. Ignatius’s letters often stands for the Church Herself. As a communion founded on love, built on love, and sustained by love, the identification of the two was taken for granted. Indeed, given his ubiquitous emphasis on unity, this emphasis on and identification of “love” with the Church Herself makes all the sense in the world. Thus, when St. Ignatius speaks about the Roman Church which “presides over love,” as the earlier protestant translation had it, this in all likelihood means precisely what the second translation rendered it as: namely, holding “the primacy of the community of love,” i.e. the primacy of the Church. Our translator observed as follows:

This word [“presides”] in the standard patristic Greek dictionary by Lampe [an Anglican clergyman] refers to the leader, president, emperor, or most senior and authoritative clergyman; and for a city or region, its capital. The verb takes the genitive [possessive] of the people whom one rules [namely, “love,” or “the community of love”], and thus the following phrase about a region or place can only mean where the presidency is–not those over whom this Church rules.

In other words, the form of the verb “preside” in St. Ignatius’s letter grammatically matches the subject of “love,” or “community of love,” which means “presides” is in reference to the Church as a whole, whereas the geographical information about Rome and the Romans indicates from where such presiding takes place. On the phrase about the Roman church “presiding over love” (or “primacy of the community of love”), he noted:

Even Lampe [a protestant] gives “the Church” as the likely meaning of St. Ignatius’s use of “agape,” as it also occurs elsewhere in Ignatius’s letters, almost always with the Greek feminine article [the Church has often been called “mother”]. It also has this meaning in a few other places in early Greek patristic literature.

This assertion from Lampe can be found in his classic Patristic Greek Lexicon, where he indicates that St. Ignatius uses “love” as an identifier for the Church in his Letter to the Trallians (§13), Letter to the Smyrnaeans (§12), Letter to the Philadelphians (§11), and Letter to the Romans (§9).⁴

Given these facts, the language he uses in other parts of the letter (which we will get to), as well as the other praises he heaps on the Roman Church that he gives to no other, it is reasonable to conclude St. Ignatius is referring to the Roman Church as the head of all the churches. He consistently speaks of the Roman Church as “worthy” and “honorable,” terms he applies to no other church. He speaks of her as being “deemed holy,” and “named from” both Christ and the Father—terminology he uses for no other church, implying that the Roman Church is somehow uniquely established by God. Finally, he speaks of the Roman Church as “filled inseparably with the grace of God,” and “purified from every strange taint,” which, given the tenor of this and all the other letters, most likely refers to heretical doctrines. Indeed, similar language was used throughout the ensuing centuries to describe the doctrinal solidity and teaching–even infallibility–of the Roman church (though when I was first reading these words, I did not yet know that). Thus, while St. Ignatius warns every other church to avoid heretical doctrine, he speaks of the Roman church quite differently: as one “purified” from such things, eliciting from St. Ignatius an acknowledgment of both authority and grace from God that he does not ascribe to any other church.

Let us proceed to the body of the letter.

In the first section, St. Ignatius almost seems to beg the Roman church not to pray for him, as he seeks martyrdom for the sake of Jesus, and says that “it is easy for you to accomplish what you please.” This again seems to be some sort of acknowledgement of a unique grace, or ability of the Roman church. While St. Ignatius was headed to Rome for his martyrdom, his comment could not possibly refer to any sway the Roman church had with civil authorities, as this was a period of great persecution.

Similarly, he writes in section 4 of his desire to accept martyrdom, but quite interestingly speaks of the Roman church as the only one capable of somehow resisting or preventing this. He also contrasts his ability to command the Roman church with that of St. Peter and Paul, observing that he has no such authority, and also implicitly acknowledging the presence of both Apostles in the Eternal City (§4):

I write to the churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good-will towards me. Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may be no trouble to anyone. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Christ for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice [to God]. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments to you. They were apostles; I am but a condemned man: they were free, while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.

While many protestants accept that St. Peter was in Rome, many likewise do not, believing that acknowledging as much would strengthen Catholic claims about the papacy. Thus, I was surprised by St. Ignatius’s implicit assertion that St. Peter was in fact in Rome–an assertion I later found was unanimous among all early Christian witnesses.

There are three important observations to make about this passage. First, it affirms that St. Peter was indeed at Rome. Second, it lists him first, following the biblical pattern in which St. Peter is always listed first, a testimony to his primacy. Third, given the fact that churches could only be founded by apostles, and we know that St. Paul did not found the Roman church, we must necessarily conclude that, at least as far as St. Ignatius knew, St. Peter must have been its founder.

While this topic is an extensive one, a quick look at the biblical evidence is merited here. St. Ignatius’s words are particularly interesting in light of Romans 15:20, where Paul, explaining why he has not yet come to Rome, speaks of “my ambition to preach the gospel [elsewhere], not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man’s foundation…” This implies that the Roman church, “[whose] faith is proclaimed in all the world” (Rom. 1:8) has already been founded. And since it was clearly not founded by St. Paul (according to St. Paul himself), the only other contender who is listed in the historical record is St. Peter. This is, in fact, the universal testimony of the Church Fathers and other ancient Christian witnesses. Indeed, in St. Peter’s first epistle, he speaks of writing from “She who is at Babylon” (1 Peter. 5:13), “She” referring to the church, and “Babylon” in all likelihood being a coded reference to Rome. This was likely both a prophetic way of referring to Rome (as takes place in the Apocalypse), as well as a common sense security precaution given the intense persecution of the early Christians in the capital city of the Roman Empire.

Moving on to section 6, St. Ignatius once more issues a request to the Roman church to not prevent his martyrdom, once more indicating a belief in some sort of power of the Roman church to prevent his martyrdom. While we don’t believe any firm arguments for the papacy can be made on this basis, it is nonetheless interesting how much the great saint seems to believe the Roman church can impact his fate by its decisions (§6):

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?” (Matt. 16:26). 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. Pardon me, brethren: do not hinder me from living, do not wish to keep me in a state of death; and while I desire to belong to God, do not you give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone there, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If anyone has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened.

St. Ignatius repeats the same request in section 7, and once more speaks of the Eucharist–“the heavenly bread”–in remarkably realistic and substantial terms (§7):

The prince of this world would fain carry me away, and corrupt my disposition towards God. Let none of you, therefore, who are [in Rome] help him; rather be you on my side, that is, on the side of God. Do not speak of Jesus Christ, and yet set your desires on the world. Let not envy find a dwelling-place among you; nor even should I, when present with you, exhort you to it, be you persuaded to listen to me, but rather give credit to those things which I now write to you. For though I am alive while I write to you, yet I am eager to die. My love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me desiring to be fed; but there is within me a water that lives and speaks, saying to me inwardly, “Come to the Father.” I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life [the Eucharist], which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life.

The eighth section contains yet another request of the Roman church to not prevent his martyrdom (§8):

I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if you consent. Be you willing, then, that you also may have your desires fulfilled. I entreat you in this brief letter; do you give credit to me. Jesus Christ will reveal these things to you, [so that you shall know] that I speak truly. He is the mouth altogether free from falsehood, by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray you for me, that I may attain [the object of my desire]. I have not written to you according to the flesh, but according to the will of God. If I shall suffer, you have wished [well] to me; but if I am rejected, you have hated me.

St. Ignatius thus seemingly attributes unique power to the prayers, spiritual initiative, or actions of the Roman church: she is the only one he seems to be asking permission from, in some way. He speaks to no other church in this fashion. The precise reason for this is not entirely clear from the letter itself. No doubt both St. Ignatius and the Roman church had some sort of common understanding that would make his comments fully intelligible. We simply note that he treats no other church in this fashion.

The third section of the letter, however, is particularly important, for it uses language that does in fact seem to indicate superior authority on the part of the Roman church (§3):

You have never envied anyone; you have taught others. Now I desire that those things may be confirmed [by your conduct], which in your instructions you enjoin [on others]. Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but [truly] will; and that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really be found to be one.

This line is crucial, as it speaks of the Roman church as one that teaches, confirms, instructs, and enjoins other churches. This implies authority over other churches, for it would be very strange to claim that a church that “taught” and enjoined instructions on others did not possess greater authority. Otherwise, such actions would be presumptuous and prideful, which St. Ignatius nowhere indicates. Indeed, he says the Roman church envies no other church—once more implying she possesses a preeminence other churches lack. This fact cannot be overlooked: St. Ignatius speaks of and to no other church in this way.

In section 9, St. Ignatius speaks of the fact that the church in Syria now lacks a bishop (himself). But, he speaks of the interim period in this way (§9):

Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd, instead of me. Jesus Christ alone will oversee it, and your love [will also regard it]. But as for me, I am ashamed to be counted one of them; for indeed I am not worthy, as being the very last of them, and one born out of due time. But I have obtained mercy to be somebody, if I shall attain to God. My spirit salutes you, and the love of the Churches that have received me in the name of Jesus Christ, and not as a mere passer-by. For even those Churches which were not near to me in the way, I mean according to the flesh, have gone before me, city by city, [to meet me].

Once again, St. Ignatius speaks of the Roman church in a unique way. In the greeting, he spoke of it “presiding over love,” or the “community of love” (i.e. very likely the Church itself), and here, toward the end of his letter, he speaks of the love of the Roman church being extended to the church of Antioch (Syria). As already noted, St. Ignatius nowhere else speaks of any church “presiding” except the Roman church, and clearly he understood that presidency as extending, in some way, even to the remote eastern regions of Christianity. Exactly how is unclear. But what is clear is that he speaks of no other church in this way.

In summary, while the exact implications of this particular letter are not always clear, it is beyond doubt that St. Ignatius speaks of the Roman church in ways he simply does not speak of any other church. Most significantly, he speaks of her as one who teaches, confirms, instructs, and enjoins other churches, and as one not only deserving of, but indeed gifted with, unique honors and graces both from God, and the other churches.

Such claims no doubt serve as an early witness (barely 70 years after Christ’s death and resurrection) to the idea of the primacy of the Roman church, the church founded by St. Peter, and strengthened by St. Paul; the church which “presides over love [the Church]” from “the place of the Romans,” and continues to teach, instruct, and pass on the Christian faith, “purified from every strange taint,” to the whole world.

Letter to St. Polycarp

Last, but not least, we will conclude our analysis of St. Ignatius’s writings with his Letter to St. Polycarp, which was written to the bishop of Smyrna privately, alongside his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, intended for the church as a whole.

To begin, we see in St. Ignatius’s greeting that St. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna (Intro):

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to Polycarp, Bishop of the Church of the Smyrnaeans, or rather, who has, as his own bishop, God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: [wishes] abundance of happiness.

In section 1, St. Ignatius exhorts St. Polycarp to (§1) “Have a regard to preserve unity, [of] which nothing is better,” in line with his consistent focus on church unity throughout all his letters.

And in section 5, he refers to celibacy/virginity as a vocation, and the role of the Church in marriage (§5):

Flee evil arts; but all the more discourse in public regarding them. Speak to my sisters, that they love the Lord, and be satisfied with their husbands both in the flesh and spirit. In like manner also, exhort my brethren, in the name of Jesus Christ, that they love their wives, even as the Lord the Church [Eph. 5:25]. If anyone can continue in a state of purity [celibacy], to the honor of Him who is Lord of the flesh, let him so remain without boasting. If he begins to boast, he is undone; and if he reckon himself greater than the bishop, he is ruined. But it becomes both men and women who marry, to form their union with the approval of the bishop, that their marriage may be according to God, and not after their own lust. Let all things be done to the honor of God.

While St. Ignatius didn’t say much about it, it was clear that he held celibacy/virginity in high esteem. This itself was contrary to much of my protestant background, and indeed historic protestantism in general, which often denied the value of celibacy/virginity as a vocation.

I was also struck by his words about the necessity of a bishop’s approval for a man and woman to marry, “that their marriage may be according to God, and not after their own lust.” While not an explicit affirmation of marriage as a sacrament (which is taught by the Catholic Church, and denied by most protestant sects), the fact that St. Ignatius believed something as fundamental as marriage required the approval of the bishop–who he elsewhere speaks of standing in the place of God, Christ, and the Apostles–struck me as leaning strongly in that direction. To this day, if a Catholic marries outside the Church without a dispensation from the bishop, the marriage is considered invalid. So once more, I found that the core of St. Ignatius’s ideas and theology were still present in the same “Catholic Church” he referred to in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, while being largely if not completely absent from anything I knew from my protestant background.

In section 6, clearly intended to be read by St. Polycarp to the people, St. Ignatius again affirms the importance of obedience to the bishop, and also references baptism as the beginning of Christian life (§6):

Give you heed to the bishop, that God also may give heed to you. My soul be for theirs that are submissive to the bishop, to the presbyters, and to the deacons, and may my portion be along with them in God! Labor together with one another; strive in company together; run together; suffer together; sleep together; and awake together, as the stewards, and associates, and servants of God. Please you Him under whom you fight, and from whom you receive your wages. Let none of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism endure as your arms; your faith as your helmet; your love as your spear; your patience as a complete panoply. Let your works be the charge assigned to you, that you may receive a worthy recompense. Be long-suffering, therefore, with one another, in meekness, as God is towards you. May I have joy of you forever!

Coming from a mostly evangelical background, it struck me that St. Ignatius identified the beginning of Christian life with baptism. Most of my life I was taught that the beginning was a profession of faith in Christ (whether private or public). Baptism was, in varying protestant sects, either a nice add on, or something that was seemingly necessary or just really important for reasons we couldn’t fully explain in light of our “faith alone” theology, except for “Christ commanded it.” But most of these sects put more emphasis on placing “faith alone” in Christ as the beginning of their Christian life, not baptism (though this isn’t true of all protestant sects). So at the very least, St. Ignatius was following what most protestants would consider a “high church” approach to baptism, which is the minority approach among protestants today.

On top of this, St. Ignatius emphasized the importance of good works, and receiving a heavenly reward for them. While various protestant sects would accept his language, it was certainly stronger than I was used to. If anyone else had used it, I would have likely considered them as advocating something like “works-based righteousness,” which I had been taught was uniquely Catholic (in a bad way). So once more, while not completely incompatible with every form of protestantism, St. Ignatius was speaking in a way that I would not have been comfortable with throughout most of my Christian life. That he framed all of this in the context of “let your baptism endure as your arms” suggested to me that he associated such good works with faithfulness to one’s baptism, which was a very Catholic view.

We thus see in this letter that, in addition to the topics he so routinely address in his other letters, St. Ignatius:

• Prized Christian celibacy/virginity;
• Believed the bishop’s approval was necessary for Christian marriage (perhaps implying a belief in the sacramental nature of marriage);
• Identified the beginning of Christian life not with an individual profession of faith (private or public), but with baptism; and
• Believed Christians had a duty, stemming from their baptism, to do good works in order to obtain a heavenly reward.

Ancient Testimony About St. Ignatius of Antioch

The Catholic witness of St. Ignatius of Antioch is so overwhelming and decisive that, unfortunately, some protestants have gone so far as to doubt the authenticity of his writings, or that he even existed at all.

Our purpose is not to completely refute such silly notions, which are widely rejected by scholars. However, we would like to present ancient evidence for both the existence of St. Ignatius, as well as his writings. We will do so by appealing to testimonies ranging from the 2nd to 4th centuries, in particular, those of: St. Polycarp, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. John Chrysostom, all of whom speak about St. Ignatius, and most of whom quote portions of his letters, thereby affirming their ancient provenance.

St. Polycarp (69-155)

The earliest mention of St. Ignatius comes from the pen of St. Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostles, appointed a bishop by them, and conversed with others who had seen Christ. This was recorded by St. Irenaeus of Lyon in his masterpiece, Against Heresies (Book 3, Ch. 3, §4), written around 180:

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true…

St. Polycarp himself mentions St. Ignatius in his Letter to the Philippians (§9):

I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness, and to exercise all patience, such as ye have seen [set] before your eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles.

We can be certain this reference to “Ignatius” is St. Ignatius thanks to the additional context provided in section 13, where St. Polycarp alludes to §8 of St. Ignatius’s letter to him, as well as referring to St. Ignatius and his letters more generally (§13):

Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, that if any one went [from this] into Syria, he should carry your letter with him; which request I will attend to if I find a fitting opportunity, either personally, or through some other acting for me, that your desire may be fulfilled. The Epistles of Ignatius written by him to us [to St. Polycarp, as well as the church at Smyrna], and all the rest [of his Epistles] which we have by us, we have sent to you, as you requested. They are subjoined to this Epistle, and by them you may be greatly profited; for they treat of faith and patience, and all things that tend to edification in our Lord. Any more certain information you may have obtained respecting both Ignatius himself, and those that were with him, have the goodness to make known to us.

St. Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 130-c. 202)

St. Ignatius was also mentioned and quoted by St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who also quoted his Letter to the Romans (§4) in Against Heresies as an example of how the righteous endure suffering in order to grow in holiness (Book 5, Ch. 28, §4):

As a certain man of ours [St. Ignatius of Antioch] said, when he was condemned to the wild beasts because of his testimony with respect to God: “I am the wheat of Christ, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God.”

Origen (c. 184-c. 253)

St. Ignatius was also mentioned and quoted by Origen of Alexandria, one of the most influential theologians in the early Church.

In his Homily 6 on the Gospel of Luke, Origen both mentions St. Ignatius, and quotes his Letter to the Ephesians (§19), as follows (§4)⁵:

I found an elegant statement in the letter of a martyr–I mean Ignatius, the second bishop of Antioch after Peter. During a persecution, he fought against wild animals at Rome. He stated, “Mary’s virginity escaped the notice of the ruler of this age.” It escaped his notice because of Joseph, and because 24 | 25 of their wedding, and because Mary was thought to have a husband. If she had not been betrothed or not had (as people thought) a husband, her virginity could never have been concealed from the “ruler of this age” (1 Cor. 2:6; cf. John 12:31).

Origen also mentions St. Ignatius in his Commentary on the Song of Songs, quoting his Letter to the Romans (§7) as follows (Prologue, Ch. 2)⁶:

Indeed, I remember that one of the saints, by name Ignatius, said of Christ: “My Love (Amor) is crucified” and I do not consider him worthy of censure on this account.

Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260/265-339)

St. Ignatius was also mentioned at length by the preeminent ancient Church historian, Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Ecclesiastical History.

For example, he noted that St. Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch, after Evodius (Book 3, Ch. 22), and elsewhere described him as “second in succession to Peter, and whose fame is still celebrated by a great many” (Book 3, Ch. 36, §2). Eusebius relays the rest of his story–including quotes from his Letter to the Romans (§5) and Letter to the Smyrnaeans (§3)–as follows (Book 3, Ch. 36, §§3-6, 10, 15):

(§3) Report says that he was sent from Syria to Rome, and became food for wild beasts on account of his testimony to Christ.

(§4) And as he made the journey through Asia under the strictest military surveillance, he fortified the parishes in the various cities where he stopped by oral homilies and exhortations, and warned them above all to be especially on their guard against the heresies that were then beginning to prevail, and exhorted them to hold fast to the tradition of the apostles. Moreover, he thought it necessary to attest that tradition in writing, and to give it a fixed form for the sake of greater security.

(§5) So when he came to Smyrna, where Polycarp was, he wrote an epistle to the church of Ephesus, in which he mentions Onesimus, its pastor; and another to the church of Magnesia, situated upon the Maeander, in which he makes mention again of a bishop Damas; and finally one to the church of Tralles, whose bishop, he states, was at that time Polybius.

(§6) In addition to these he wrote also to the church of Rome, entreating them not to secure his release from martyrdom, and thus rob him of his earnest hope [quotes Letter to the Romans (§5)]…

(§10) These things he wrote from the above-mentioned city to the churches referred to. And when he had left Smyrna he wrote again from Troas to the Philadelphians and to the church of Smyrna; and particularly to Polycarp, who presided over the latter church. And since he knew him well as an apostolic man, he commended to him, like a true and good shepherd, the flock at Antioch, and besought him to care diligently for it [quotes Letter to the Smyrnaeans (§3)]…

(§15) The letters of Ignatius which were sent to us by him and the others which we had with us we sent to you as you gave charge. They are appended to this epistle, and from them you will be able to derive great advantage. For they comprise faith and patience, and every kind of edification that pertains to our Lord.” So much concerning Ignatius. But he was succeeded by Heros in the episcopate of the church of Antioch.

St. Athanasius (c. 296/98-373)

St. Athanasius also mentioned and quoted St. Ignatius’s Letter to the Ephesians (§7) in his work On Councils, or De Synodis, written between 359 and 361. He writes as follows (§47):

Ignatius, for instance, who was appointed Bishop in Antioch after the Apostles, and became a martyr of Christ, writes concerning the Lord thus: “There is one physician, fleshly and spiritual, originate and unoriginate, God in man, true life in death, both from Mary and from God.”

St. Jerome (c. 342/347-420)

St. Ignatius is also mentioned by St. Jerome, who dedicates an entire chapter to him in his work, Lives of Illustrious Men. In that chapter, he specifically mentions all seven of St. Ignatius’s letters that we have to this day. He even quotes from several of them, particularly the Letter to the Smyrnaeans (§3), and the Letter to the Romans (§5), writing as follows (Ch. 16):

Ignatius, third bishop of the church of Antioch after Peter the apostle, condemned to the wild beasts during the persecution of Trajan, was sent bound to Rome, and when he had come on his voyage as far as Smyrna, where Polycarp the pupil of John was bishop, he wrote one epistle To the Ephesians, another To the Magnesians, a third To the Trallians, a fourth To the Romans, and going thence, he wrote To the Philadelphians and To the Smyrnaeans and especially To Polycarp, commending to him the church at Antioch. In this last he bore witness to the Gospel which I have recently translated, in respect of the person of Christ saying, “I indeed saw him in the flesh after the resurrection and I believe that he is,” and when he came to Peter and those who were with Peter, he said to them “Behold! touch me and see me how that I am not an incorporeal spirit” and straightway they touched him and believed [quoting Letter to the Smyrnaeans (§3)]. Moreover it seems worthwhile inasmuch as we have made mention of such a man and of the Epistle which he wrote to the Romans, to give a few “quotations” [quotes Letter to the Romans (§5)]…

When he had been condemned to the wild beasts and with zeal for martyrdom heard the lions roaring, he said “I am the grain of Christ. I am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts that I may be found the bread of the world.” He was put to death the eleventh year of Trajan and the remains of his body lie in Antioch outside the Daphnitic gate in the cemetery.

St. Jerome also briefly alludes to St. Ignatius in Against Helvidius: The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary (§19):

Might I not array against you the whole series of ancient writers? Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and many other apostolic and eloquent men, who against Ebion, Theodotus of Byzantium, and Valentinus, held these same views, and wrote volumes replete with wisdom. If you had ever read what they wrote, you would be a wiser man.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407)

St. Ignatius is also mentioned by the great Church Father and famed homilist, St. John Chrysostom, who delivered a homily in Antioch celebrating his life and martyrdom in the presence of his relics, testifying to the ongoing esteem in which he was held in Antioch during the centuries following his death.

In On the Holy Martyr Ignatius (§3), he once more affirmed that St. Ignatius had known and indeed worked with the Apostles⁷:

He was genuinely in the company of the Apostles and enjoyed their spiritual streams. What kind of person is he likely to have been, then, seeing that he was raised alongside them and was in their company everywhere, and shared with them experiences both well-known and secret, and, in their opinion, deserved so great an office [bishop]?…What, then, shall we mention first? The Apostles’ teaching, which he demonstrated in everything, or his disdain for the present life, or the scrupulous virtue with which he administered his role as head of the Church [in Antioch]? Whom shall we praise in song first? The martyr, or the bishop, or the apostle? For the Spirit’s grace wove a triple crown and in this way wreathed that holy head.

In short, we have numerous ancient witnesses to not only the existence of St. Ignatius of Antioch, but the very writings that we have in our possession today.

Conclusion: The Church Father Who “Red-Pilled” Me on the Catholic Church

With that, we conclude this 2-part series on how St. Ignatius of Antioch “red-pilled” me on the Catholic Church.

In short, I saw that one of the earliest leaders of the Church, a disciple of the Apostles, barely 75 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, was asserting the divine and God-given authority of bishops; communion with the bishop as a necessity to maintain unity as well as doctrinal purity; the Real, arguably “physical” Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (as opposed to heretics who denied Christ’s physical body); the necessity of a bishop for a valid Eucharist; the Eucharist as a source of Christian unity; the Eucharistic altar as the center of Christian worship; the three-fold office of the clergy: episcopate (bishops), presbytery (priests), and diaconate (deacons) as divinely ordained offices within the Church; and if not the primacy, certainly some sort of preeminence of the Roman church.

There is only one Church in existence today who continues to maintain every basic feature of the Church to which St. Ignatius testifies, and it is the very same Church he is the first to mention in writing: the Catholic Church.

As the introduction of the Catholic University of America’s mid-20th century translation of St. Ignatius of Antioch’s writings observed⁸:

The dogmatic significance of the Letters [of St. Ignatius] will be obvious to every reader. Even when allowance is made for the normal development of doctrine and discipline during the last eighteen hundred years, St. Ignatius’s firm handling of the mysteries of the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption, and Eucharist, his insistence on the hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons, and the primacy of the see of Rome, his clear conception of the Church as Catholic, in the sense of one and universal, his allusions to the practice of Christian virginity, to the religious character of marriage, and to other such matters, set up a standard by which all who are eager to adhere to the tradition of Apostolic Christianity may measure the degree of their conformity with this early witness.

Footnotes

1. Francis X. Glimm, Joseph M.F. Marique, SJ, Gerald G. Walsh, SJ, trans., The Fathers of the Church, Vol. 1: The Apostolic Fathers (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1947), 107. ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. Ibid. ↩︎
4. G.W.H. Lampe, ed., A Patristic Greek Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961), 8. ↩︎
5. Origen, Joseph T. Lienhard, trans., The Fathers of the Church, Vol. 94: Origen, Homilies and Fragments on Luke (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1996), 24-25. ↩︎
6. Origen, R.P. Lawson, trans., Ancient Christian Writers, Vol. 26: Origen, The Song of Songs Commentary and Homilies (New York: The Newman Press, 1956), 35. ↩︎
7. St. John Chrysostom, Wendy Mayer, trans., Popular Patristics, Vol. 31: The Cult of the Saints (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2006), 104. ↩︎
8. Francis X. Glimm, Joseph M.F. Marique, SJ, Gerald G. Walsh, SJ, trans., The Fathers of the Church, Vol. 1: The Apostolic Fathers (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1947), 85. ↩︎