Ignatius of Antioch (35/50 – 98/117) – a disciple of the Apostle John who was also very good friends with Polycarp. He was the bishop of Antioch and his seven authentic letters were written rather hastily as he was being forcefully moved to Rome for persecution. These were likely written some time around 110 AD.
There exists a shorter and longer version of each of his letters. Some say the shorter versions are more authentic, others the longer. There aren’t any huge differences I noticed between the two other than a lot of scripture references are absent from the shorter versions. Whether these were removed from the original letters for the sake of brevity while copying by hand, or added later for the sake of clarity, nobody really knows. Either version is a worthwhile read and essentially contains the same message.
I included the shorter versions here on my website because I personally think that they are probably the originals. As mentioned above, these letters were written in haste when St Ignatius was on a forceful march to his death. I think they were probably gently edited in the proceeding centuries.
With that said, one of my largest target audiences with this website are those who are “Orthodox inquirers.” When I was inquiring, I wanted to read the original ancient documents, and not anything that had been “touched up” by a Church that I felt was possibly corrupt.
There are seven legit epistles by St Ignatius. Those I have included. The others out there that bear his name were probably not written by him. These seven epistles significantly impacted my thoughts about the early Church, and each of them are a fairly quick read.
Without further ado, here are the Epistles of St Ignatius of Antioch:
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to Polycarp
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Philadelphians
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Romans
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Trallians
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Magnesians
- The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Ephesians
Wow. Just. Wow. Thank you for sharing these. My husband and I are now Orthodox Catechumens and are struggling with the hurdle called “The One Catholic and Apostolic Church IS Orthodoxy”. We balk about how we will be expected to relate to other churches and Christians. Well, I have to say these letters cut me to the quick. I find nothing in these that speaks of an “invisible” Church bonded in some sort of intellectual unity of belief in Jesus; nothing but a spiritual reality. In fact I find statements like this:
“If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” *gulp* *crosses self*
and this:
“Be ye subject to the bishop, and to one another, as Jesus Christ to the Father, according to the flesh, and the apostles to Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit; that so there may be a union both fleshly and spiritual.”
Man… difficult but oh so necessary stuff. I am home.
Eliana, these epistles played a large part in convincing me that the Orthodox Church IS that ever-so-elusive “early Church” that Protestants constantly talk about.
St. Ignatius was being led to his death, he had no time to think about ways to say things nicely and was rather blunt and forward with his letters. They cut me to the quick as well when I first read them, and they still do.
I try to stay away from hotly debated topics on this blog such as homosexuality or ecumenism because I’m still fairly new to the faith and have so much to learn, but you are right, he leaves no room for an “invisible church” doctrine.
Hi Fr. Jeremy McKermy. I’m Dindo Honrado, a Roman Catholic. I stumbled upon your website when I saw an Orthodox icon painting of St. Ignatius Palamas. Is he the same as the Catholic St. Ignatius of Antioch? By the way, I couldn’t find the answer here on your website. So are these 2 Saints one and the same. So what does PALAMAS mean, in the St. Ignatius Palamas name ?
Hello Dindo, we have a St. Ignatius of Antioch and a St. Gregory Palamas. Perhaps you are accidentally conflating the two.
Hi Fr. Jeremy. I’m Dindo Honrado from California. Thanks for your reply. What does PALAMAS mean in St. Gregory Palamas ? Are all the Catholic saints also Saints in the Orthodox Church? However, I have heard of Orthodox Saints not considered Catholic Saints, like St. Gregory Palamas and St. Marina.
Hello Dindo, I’m not sure what the word “Palamas” means. In ancient times, people didn’t have surnames. Usually, a “last” name attached to their first name either indicated where they were from (e.g., St. Isaac the Syrian or St. Alexander of Constantinople) or it was an honorific title (such as the case with St. John Chrysostom or St. Gregory the Great).
There are saints in the Roman Catholic Church who are not saints in the Orthodox Church and vice-versa.
This may not be the proper place for my comment but I could not resist in thanking you for the work, love and Faith you have poured out from your heart in this Blog. Glory to Jesus Christ!
Thank you. I have been sharing some of your posts with our Chatechumens and Bible Study Group (I am a Greek Orthodox Priest in Canada), it has helped them and helped me.
Thank you, and the Lord grant us to meet in His Kingdom in the Age to Come, face to face 🙂
Thank you for the kind words, Fr. Kosta. God willing, we will see each other one of these days.
Thank you so much for sharing these Epistle, I am a Coptic Orthodox and these Epistle helped me a lot in studying the writing of the Apostolic Fathers!
I read some of the spurious epistles of Ignatius as well. If their authenticity could be proven it would be a great boon for Orthodoxy. Especially on the Orthodox teachings of Mary. St. Ignatius implies that she will be crowned in heaven (Queen of Heaven), is pure and perfect in virtutes, and she is the wisest of women. Regardless if they are authentic or not, the 7 that are are already a nail in the coffin for Protestantism (and even RC).