The Gospel according to Ignatius of Antioch
If you were to ask a 1st century Christian what the Gospel is, what would they say?
While Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write their own accounts of the Gospel, the earliest known Gospel is actually quoted briefly in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. It is believed by many scholars that Paul is quoting a tradition passed on to him from the apostles. (McKnight, 2011, Pg. 46)
“For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.”
As brief as this Gospel tradition is, it is loaded with information. It proclaims Israel’s long awaited Christ, how He died for our sins and rose again, and how His actions fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures.
All of these declarations are made in the canonical Gospels. A look into the diverse sermons in Acts also shows these points made. This Gospel tradition became the essential framework in understanding Jesus Christ. Beyond the New Testament, we see this outline of the Gospel continued into the second century. As theologically diverse as the 2nd century Church was, we see the earliest Gospel tradition faithfully passed down by leaders like Ignatius of Antioch.
Ignatius of Antioch and the Gospel
While Ignatius mentions the salvation of Jesus throughout his letters, he only refers to the word, “gospel” in two of his letters. His letter to the Philadelphians is the most telling, and shows how he understood the Gospel.
In chapter 8, Ignatius recounts a debate he had with some people in the Philadelphian Church. Scholars are not in agreement on who Ignatius’ opponents in this section are. A popular theory is that they may be Judaizers. (Robinson, 2009, Pg. 113-114)
Whoever the group was, and whatever the specific topic was, they challenge Ignatius to match what he was preaching with the “archives”, which is presumably the Old Testament:
“I exhort you to do nothing from partisanship but in accordance with Christ’s teaching. For I heard some say, ‘If I do not find (it) in the archives, I do not believe (it to be) in the gospel.’ And when I said, ‘It is written,’ they answered me, ‘That is just the question.’
But for me the archives are Jesus Christ, the inviolable archives are his cross and death and his resurrection and faith through him— in which, through your prayers, I want to be justified.”
Let’s first address what Ignatius is not arguing. Ignatius is not dismissing the Old Testament, but rather showing how the Old Testament points to Jesus as Christ and the fulfillment of Scripture.
While Ignatius doesn’t quote an extended amount of the Old Testament in his letters, he declares love for the prophets. (Ignatius to the Philadelphians 5.2) Following his statement of the “inviolable archives” being Jesus Christ and His work, he brings up the high priests in chapter 9. He acknowledges the priests of Israel’s past as “noble”, but points to Jesus being the superior High Priest. (Ignatius to the Philadelphians 9.1)
Ignatius then states how it is through Jesus that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, the apostles, and all the Church come to the Father. Here drives home Ignatius’ point, which is a similar one to Paul’s in his letters. The Old Testament is holy and sacred, but its end purpose is to lead you to Jesus.
Jesus makes this point Himself in John’s Gospel: “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.” (John 5:39)
At the end of chapter 9 we see Ignatius use the word, “gospel” again:
“But the Gospel possesses something transcendent, the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, His passion and resurrection. For the beloved prophets announced Him, but the Gospel is the perfection of immortality. All these things are good together, if you believe in love.”
In chapter 8 and 9, we see Ignatius’ Gospel stress similar points to the Gospel in 1st Corinthians 15:
Jesus is the Christ
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures
Jesus died
Jesus rose again
While Ignatius doesn’t give an elaborated explanation, he even states in 8.2 how it is in faith that the death and resurrection of Christ justifies him. (Arnold, 2017, Pg. 57-65)
Conclusion
Ignatius of Antioch writes interesting and sometimes controversial ideas. His letters have generated no small amount of debate between Christians and scholars. But when it comes to the Gospel, I would argue that Ignatius carried on the earliest Gospel tradition from the time of the apostles to his day. May we do the same.
Bibliography
McKnight, S. (2011). The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan.
Robinson, T. (2009). Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways: Early Jewish-Christian Relations. Peabody, MA. Hendrickson Publishers.
Schoedel, W. (1985). Ignatius of Antioch. Philadelphia, PA. Fortress Press.
Arnold, B. (2017). Justification in the Second Century. Waco, TX. Baylor University Press.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.