How Ignatius Understood Jesus, the Gospel, and the Apostles
In our last blog, we went over the main themes found in the seven letters written by Ignatius of Antioch. Topics like church unity, bishop authority, heresy, and martyrdom were explored to see the main points addressed in the seven letters and to better understand Ignatius himself.
In this blog, we’re going to look at some of the theology Ignatius shows in these letters. However, there is an important mindset to have when exploring what we can grasp from these figures in Church history. We only know what we know. These seven letters are the only known writings from Ignatius of Antioch that are considered to be authentic. Not only that, but they were written back-to-back with specific purposes. To put it simply, we don’t know everything there is to know about Ignatius’ theology.
With that said, we can still piece together quite a bit from these writings. Not only will it help us better understand Ignatius, but it can give us a closer glimpse into the thinking of the early Church. So, for this blog, we’re going to focus on three topics:
1. What was Ignatius’ view of Jesus Christ?
2. What was Ignatius’ view of the Apostles?
3. What was the Gospel according to Ignatius?
And real quick, before we get into the first question, let’s briefly go over what New Testament Scriptures we think Ignatius knew. Once again, we only know what we know, and Ignatius is going off of memory when reciting passages due to being jailed when writing.
“It was not on Ignatius’ agenda to list all his textual authorities for his readers. As a prisoner in transition, he probably did not have any, let alone all, of these with him as he wrote, and thus had to rely upon memory, as seems evident even from his Old Testament parallels and citations. ”
While it is not entirely agreed by all scholars as to which New Testament books Ignatius was and wasn’t familiar with (Weinandy, 2005, Pg. 71), there is a strong consensus that he was aware of Synoptic Gospel tradition, Pauline tradition, and perhaps Johannine tradition. Of the four Gospels, Matthew is linked the most, and it is reasonable to think Ignatius knew and used it. Of Paul’s writings, 1st Corinthians is certain, and there’s a good chance of Ephesians and 1st and 2nd Timothy (Holmes, 2006, Pg. 93). Although it is contested whether or not Ignatius knew/used John’s writings, Johannine traditions can be found in Ignatius’ letters (Weinandy, 2005, Pg. 75, 78).
What was Ignatius’ view of Jesus Christ?
While we may be limited in our knowledge of Ignatius’ theology, it is not difficult to piece together his Christology. Ignatius, using similar titles found all throughout the New Testament, gives a wide vocabulary in describing his Lord, Jesus Christ. First of all, to Ignatius, Jesus is the Christ, as “Jesus Christ” is consistently how Ignatius refers to Jesus. Second, here is a partial rundown of different names and expressions Ignatius uses in regards to Jesus:
Jesus Christ is God:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- Opening, 18.2
· Ignatius to the Romans- Opening, 3.3
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1
· Ignatius to the Polycarp- 8.3
Jesus Christ is our Savior:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 1.1
· Ignatius to the Magnesians- Opening
· Ignatius to the Philadelphians- 9.1
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 6
Jesus Christ is the Son of God:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 2.1, 20.2
· Ignatius to the Magnesians- 3.1
· Ignatius to the Romans- Opening
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1
Jesus Christ was born the Son of Mary:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 7.2, 18.2
· Ignatius to the Trallians- 9.1
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1
Jesus Christ is the descendant of David:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 20.2
· Ignatius to the Trallians- 9.1
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1
Jesus Christ suffered for our sake and was crucified:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 16.2
· Ignatius to the Magnesians- 11
· Ignatius to the Trallians- Opening, 9.1
· Ignatius to the Romans- 6
· Ignatius to the Philadelphians- 9.1
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1, 2.1, 12.2
· Ignatius to the Polycarp- 3.2
Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead:
· Ignatius to the Ephesians- 20
· Ignatius to the Magnesians- 11
· Ignatius to the Trallians- 9.2
· Ignatius to the Romans- 6
· Ignatius to the Philadelphians- 9.1
· Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans- 1.1, 12.2
We could keep this list going, but you get the point. Other key factors mentioned throughout the letters is Jesus being worthy of praise and glory, being/bringing eternal life, and the Church abiding in Him.
“[I glorify] God, even Jesus Christ, who has given you such wisdom.
...He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, and the Son of God according to the will and power of God; that He was truly born of a virgin, baptized by John, in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him; and was truly, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. Of this fruit we are by His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard for all ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful [followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church.”
What was Ignatius’ view of the Apostles?
“It is highly unlikely that Ignatius had access to the texts he cited while being taken to Rome. One can then only be impressed at the number of scriptural quotations he makes, and draw from this the conclusion that many of the texts he cites had been deemed authoritative enough to be committed to memory.”
As previously stated, teachings from the Apostles, particularly Paul, can be seen throughout Ignatius’ writings. We see Ignatius mention the Apostles as a group and specific ones as well, and his respect for them is evident.
In the 12th chapter to his letter to the Ephesians, Ignatius comforts the church as he awaits his impending martyrdom. He compares himself to Paul, reminding the Ephesian Christians how Paul paved the way for their church, and hopes to follow in Paul’s footsteps.
In his letter to the Trallians, Ignatius holds back from writing too authoritatively to the congregation, feeling he doesn’t have the same authority as an apostle (3.3). He expresses similar humility in his letter to the Romans:
“I do not give you orders like Peter and Paul: they were apostles, I am a convict; they were free… ”
When writing to the Philadelphians, Ignatius aligns the Apostles with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets (9.1). Ignatius also regard the Apostles as worthy of honor, and the commandments they instructed needing to be obeyed in the Church (Trallians 7.1, 12.2). Similar to the writings of the other Apostolic Fathers, Ignatius saw the Apostles as Christ’s faithful witnesses and their writings as prophetic and authoritative.
What was the Gospel according to Ignatius?
As shown in the list above, the death and resurrection of Jesus is mentioned by Ignatius in almost every letter. We consistently see Ignatius preach salvation, new life, and eternal life to come in Christ. In regard to the complexity of debating what New Testament books Ignatius did or didn’t know, Thomas G. Weinandy comments,
“Although Ignatius moulded such tradition as he had received as apostolic in order to address contemporary issues that he faced, the basic Christian Gospel that he espoused and defended is nevertheless recognizably the same Christian gospel as that found in at least some of the writings of the New Testament. Some of the apostolic traditions that became embodied in the New Testament are the very same apostolic traditions that are found in Ignatius’ seven brief letters. Ignatius, I would argue, is by no means a doctrinal innovator, for it is precisely this composite apostolic tradition, that he wanted to defend.”
We see in his letter to the Philadelphians that Ignatius sees the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the center and fulfillment of all Scripture:
“I trust 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 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 which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity; by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified.”
Like the other Apostolic Fathers we’ve examined so far, Ignatius sees grace and obedience being linked together in the Christian walk. There is no doubt that we are solely saved by the love and work of Christ through faith (Ephesians 1.1/14, Philadelphians 8/9.2). And because we are saved, while we are constantly in need of Christ’s mercy, we still humbly strive to keep and follow His commandments (Ephesians 9/14, Trallians 8, Magnesians 10.1-2).
“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.”
Conclusion
There are more theological points to be examined in these letters by Ignatius. But as a starting point, we see strong reverence for Jesus Christ, authoritative respect for the Apostles, and a basic Christian understanding of the Gospel. For Ignatius, Jesus is and must always be the focus for a Christian, and it’s clear that he desperately desired all the churches to not forget this simple yet crucial point.
Bibliography
Hill, C.E. (2005). Ignatius, ‘the Gospel’, and the Gospels. In A. Gregory and C. Tuckett, Trajectories Through the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford. Oxford University Press.
Weinandy, T.G. (2005). The Apostolic Christology of Ignatius of Antioch: The Road to Chalcedon. In A. Gregory and C. Tuckett, Trajectories Through the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford. Oxford University Press.
Holmes, M. (2006). The Apostolic Fathers in English (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Foster, P. (2005). The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch and the Writings that later formed the New Testament. In A. Gregory and C. Tuckett, The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford. Oxford University Press.