IGNATIUS
To the Romans

Lightfoot's Translation
Srawley's Translation
Roberts-Donaldson Translation

Lightfoot's Translation

Ignatius to the Romans*
*from:  The Apostolic Fathers, 1891 translation.

CHAPTER 0
 0:0  Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her that
hath found mercy in the bountifulness of the Father
Most High and of Jesus Christ His only Son; to the
church that is beloved and enlightened through the
will of Him who willed all things that are, by faith
and love towards Jesus Christ our God; even unto her
that hath the presidency in the country of the region
of the Romans, being worthy of God, worthy of honor,
worthy of felicitation, worthy of praise, worthy of
success, worthy in purity, and having the presidency
of love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing the
Father's name; which church also I salute in the name
of Jesus Christ the Son of the Father; unto them that
in flesh and spirit are united unto His every
commandment, being filled with the grace of God
without wavering, and filtered clear from every
foreign stain; abundant greeting in Jesus Christ our
God in blamelessness.

CHAPTER 1
 1:1  Forasmuch as in answer to my prayer to God it
hath been granted me to see your godly countenances,
so that I have obtained even more than I asked; for
wearing bonds in Christ Jesus I hope to salute you, if
it be the Divine will that I should be counted worthy
to reach unto the end;
 1:2  for the beginning verily is well ordered, if so
be I shall attain unto the goal, that I may receive
mine inheritance without hindrance. For I dread your
very love, lest it do me an injury; for it is easy for
you to do what ye will, but for me it is difficult to
attain unto God, unless ye shall spare me.

CHAPTER 2
 2:1  For I would not have you to be men-pleasers but
to please God, as indeed ye do please Him. For neither
shall I myself ever find an opportunity such as this
to attain unto God, nor can ye, if ye be silent, win
the credit of any nobler work. For, if ye be silent
and leave me alone, I am a word of God; but if ye
desire my flesh, then shall I be again a mere cry.
 2:2  [Nay] grant me nothing more than that I be
poured out a libation to God, while there is still an
altar ready; that forming yourselves into a chorus in
love ye may sing to the Father in Jesus Christ, for
that God hath vouchsafed that the bishop from Syria
should be found in the West, having summoned him from
the East. It is good to set from the world unto God,
that I may rise unto Him.

CHAPTER 3
 3:1  Ye never grudged any one; ye were the
instructors of others. And my desire is that those
lessons shall hold good which as teachers ye enjoin.
 3:2  Only pray that I may have power within and
without, so that I may not only say it but also desire
it; that I may not only be called a Christian, but
also be found one. For if I shall be found so, then
can I also be called one, and be faithful then, when I
am no more visible to the world.
 3:3  Nothing visible is good. For our God Jesus
Christ, being in the Father, is the more plainly
visible. The Work is not of persuasiveness, but
Christianity is a thing of might, whenever it is
hated by the world.

CHAPTER 4
 4:1  I write to all the churches, and I bid all men
know, that of my own free will I die for God, unless
ye should hinder me. I exhort you, be ye not an
unseasonable kindness to me. Let me be given to the
wild beasts, for through them I can attain unto God. I
am God's wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild
beasts that I may be found pure bread [of Christ].
 4:2  Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may
become my sepulchre and may leave no part of my body
behind, so that I may not, when I am fallen asleep, be
burdensome to any one. Then shall I be truly a
disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not so
much as see my body. Supplicate the Lord for me, that
through these instruments I may be found a sacrifice
to God.
 4:3  I do not enjoin you, as Peter and Paul did. They
were Apostles, I am a convict; they were free, but I
am a slave to this very hour. Yet if I shall suffer,
then am I a freed-man of Jesus Christ, and I shall
rise free in Him. Now I am learning in my bonds to put
away every desire.

CHAPTER 5
 5:1  From Syria even unto Rome I fight with wild
beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being
bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers,
who only wax worse when they are kindly treated.
Howbeit through their wrong doings I become more
completely a disciple; _yet am I not hereby
justified._
 5:2  May I have joy of the beasts that have been
prepared for me; and I pray that I may find them
prompt; nay I will entice them that they may devour me
promptly, not as they have done to some, refusing to
touch them through fear. Yea though of themselves they
should not be willing while I am ready, I myself will
force them to it.
 5:3  Bear with me. I know what is expedient for me.
Now am I beginning to be a disciple. May nothing of
things visible and things invisible envy me; that I
may attain unto Jesus Christ. Come fire and cross and
grapplings with wild beasts, [cuttings and manglings,]
wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushings of my
whole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to assail
me. Only be it mine to attain unto Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 6
 6:1  The farthest bounds of the universe shall profit
me nothing, neither the kingdoms of this world. It is
good for me to die for Jesus Christ rather than to
reign over the farthest bounds of the earth. Him I
seek, who died on our behalf; Him I desire, who rose
again [for our sake]. The pangs of a new birth are
upon me.
 6:2  Bear with me, brethren. Do not hinder me from
living; do not desire my death. Bestow not on the
world one who desires to be God's, neither allure him
with material things. Suffer me to receive the pure
light. When I am come thither, then shall I be a man.
 6:3  Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my
God. If any man hath Him within himself, let him
understand what I desire, and let him have fellow-
feeling with me, for he knows the things which
straiten me.

CHAPTER 7
 7:1  The prince of this world would fain tear me in
pieces and corrupt my mind to Godward. Let not any of
you therefore who are near abet him. Rather stand ye
on my side, that is on God's side. Speak not of Jesus
Christ and withal desire the world.
 7:2  Let not envy have a home in you. Even though I
myself, when I am with you, should beseech you, obey
me not; but rather give credence to these things which
I write to you. [For] I write to you in the midst of
life, yet lusting after death. My lust hath been
crucified, and there is no fire of material longing in
me, but only water living +and speaking+ in me, saying
within me, Come to the Father.
 7:3  I have no delight in the food of corruption or
in the delights of this life. I desire the bread of
God, which is the flesh of Christ who was of the seed
of David; and for a draught I desire His blood, which
is love incorruptible.

CHAPTER 8
 8:1  I desire no longer to live after the manner of
men; and this shall be, if ye desire it. Desire ye,
that ye yourselves also may be desired.
 8:2  In a brief letter I beseech you; believe me. And
Jesus Christ shall make manifest unto you these
things, that I speak the truth -- Jesus Christ, the
unerring mouth in whom the Father hath spoken [truly].
 8:3  Entreat ye for me, that I may attain [through
the Holy Spirit]. I write not unto you after the
flesh, but after the mind of God. If I shall suffer,
it was your desire; if I shall be rejected, it was
your hatred.

CHAPTER 9
 9:1 Remember in your prayers the church which is in
Syria, which hath God for its shepherd in my stead.
Jesus Christ alone shall be its bishop -- He and your
love.
 9:2  But for myself I am ashamed to be called one of
them; for neither am I worthy, being the very last of
them and an untimely birth: but I have found mercy
that I should be some one, if so be I shall attain
unto God.
 9:3  My spirit salutes you, and the love of the
churches which received me in the name of Jesus
Christ, not as a mere wayfarer: for even those
churches which did not lie on my route after the flesh
went before me from city to city.

CHAPTER 10
 10:1  Now I write these things to you from Smyrna by
the hand of the Ephesians who are worthy of all
felicitation. And Crocus also, a name very dear to me,
is with me, with many others besides.
 10:2  As touching those who went before me from Syria
to Rome unto the glory of God, I believe that ye have
received instructions; whom also apprise that I am
near; for they all are worthy of God and of you, and
it becomes you to refresh them in all things.
 10:3  These things I write to you on the 9th before
the Kalends of September. Fare ye well unto the end in
the patient waiting for Jesus Christ.

Roberts-Donaldson Translation

THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE ROMANS SHORTER VERSION

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Mast 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 report 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 San of the Father: to those who are united, both according ta 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.

CHAPTER I.--AS A PRISONER, I HOPE TO SEE YOU.

THROUGH prayer to God I have obtained the privilege of seeing your most worthy faces, and have even been granted more than I requested; for I hope as a prisoner in Christ Jesus to salute you, if indeed it be the will of God that I be thought worthy of attaining unto the end. For the beginning has been well ordered, if I may obtain grace to cling to my lot without hindrance unto the end. For I am afraid of your love, lest it should do me an injury. For it is easy for you to accomplish what you please; but it is difficult for me to attain to God, if ye spare me. But it is difficult for me to attain to God, if ye do not spare me, under the pretence of carnal affection.

CHAPTER II.--DO NOT SAVE ME FROM MARTYRDOM.

For it is not my desire to act towards you as a man-pleaser, but as pleasing God, even as also ye please Him. For neither shall I ever have such [another] opportunity of attaining to God; nor will ye, if ye shall now be silent, ever be entitled to the honor of a better work. For if ye are silent concerning me, I shall become God's; but if you show your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race. Pray, then, do not seek to confer any greater favor upon me than that I be sacrificed to God while the altar is still prepared; that, being gathered together in love, ye may sing praise to the Father, through Christ Jesus, that God has deemed me, the bishop of Syria, worthy to be sent for from the east unto the west. It is good to set from the world unto God, that I may rise again to Him.

CHAPTER III.--PRAY RATHER THAT I MAY ATTAIN' TO MARTYRDOM.

Ye have never envied anyone; ye have taught others. Now I desire that those things may be confirmed [by your conduct], which in your instructions ye enjoin [on others]. Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but [truly] will, so that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really found to be one. For if I be truly found [a Christian], I may also be called one, and be then deemed faithful, when I shall no longer appear to the world. Nothing visible is eternal. "For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. The Christian is not the result of persuasion, but of power. When he is hated by the world, he is beloved of God. For says [the Scripture], "If ye were of this world, the world would love its own; but now ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it: continue in fellowship with me."

CHAPTER IV.--ALLOW ME TO FALL A PREY TO THE WILD BEASTS.

I write to all the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless ye hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable goodwill 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 am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God. 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 not be found troublesome to any one. Then shall I be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat the Lord for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles of Jesus Christ, but I am the very least [of believers]: they were free, as the servants of God; while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freedman of Jesus Christ, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being in bonds for Him, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.

CHAPTER V.--I DESIRE TO DIE.

From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits, show themselves all the worse. But I am the more instructed by their injuries [to act as a disciple of Christ]; "yet am I not thereby justified." May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray that they may be found eager to rush upon me, which also I will entice to devour me speedily, and not deal with me as with some, whom, out of fear, they have not touched. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Pardon me [in this] I know what is for my benefit. Now I begin to be a disciple. And let no one, of things visible or invisible, envy me that I should attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER VI.--BY DEATH I SHALL ATTAIN TRUE LIFE.

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. 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 ye give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone thither, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If any one has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened.

CHAPTER VII.--REASON OF DESIRING TO DIE.

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 ye 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 ye 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, 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.

CHAPTER VIII.--BE YE FAVORABLE TO ME.

I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent. Be ye willing, then, that ye also may have your desires fulfilled. I entreat you in this brief letter; do ye give credit to me. Jesus Christ will reveal these things to you, [so that ye shall know] that I speak truly. He is the mouth altogether free from falsehood, by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray ye 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, ye have wished [well] to me; but if I am rejected, ye have hated me.

CHAPTER IX.--PRAY FOR THE CHURCH IN SYRIA.

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.]

CHAPTER X.--CONCLUSION.

Now I write these things to you from Smyrna by the Ephesians, who are deservedly most happy. There is also with me, along with many others, Crocus, one dearly beloved by me. As to those who have gone before me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe that you are acquainted with them; to whom, [then,] do ye make known that I am at hand. For they are all worthy, both of God and of you; and it is becoming that you should refresh them in all things. I have written these things unto you, on the day before the ninth of the Kalends of September (that is, on the twenty-third day of August). Fare ye well to the end, in the patience of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Srawley's Translation (with notes)

IGNATIUS' EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 

[This epistle was one of the four letters written from Smyrna. It bears the date August 24th. While the other letters were called forth by the dangers and heresies which threatened the life of the Churches addressed, this deals with a personal matter, his own impending martyrdom. Of heresy we hear nothing. His favorite topic, Church order, is not once mentioned. Certain members of the Syrian Church had preceded Ignatius to Rome with news of his coming martyrdom. He fears that the influential Church in that city may intercede for him, and, by procuring some commutation of his sentence, rob him of the crown of martyrdom. He earnestly deprecates their interference, and expresses his own passionate desire for a martyr's death. On account of this strong personal interest the letter was more popular, and is quoted earlier, than any of the others. It became, in Lightfoot's words, a ' sort of martyr's manual,' and influenced largely the language and ideas of several of the early stories of martyrdom. The epistle was incorporated in the Antiochene Acts of the martyrdom and so became dissociated from the other letters in its transmission, being preserved in a separate set of manuscripts and translated separately. The only extant Greek manuscript which contains the epistle is the Colbertine MS. of the tenth century in the National Library at Paris, the epistle being incorporated in the Acts of the martyrdom.]

IGNATIUS, who is also Theophorus, to her that has found mercy in the bounteous power[1] of the Father most High and Jesus Christ, His only Son, to the Church that is beloved and illuminated by the will of Him that willed all things which exist, in faith and love towards Jesus Christ our God; to her that has the chief place in the district of the region of the Romans,[2] being 

[1] For the word used here cf. Luke ix. 43, A. V., 'the mighty power of God.' It denotes an exhibition of God's power which reveals His goodness and bounty.
[2] These words describe merely the area over which the Roman Church exercised supervision. Cf. Tertullian, de Praescr. 36: 'Go through the Apostolic churches, in which the very seats of the Apostles, at this very day, preside over their own places.' Others, however, have urged that Ignatius is here maintaining the absolute 

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worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of congratulation, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in purity, and holding the chief place in love,[1] following the law of Christ, bearing the Father's name; which Church also I salute in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Father; to them that are united in flesh and spirit with every one of His commandments, being wholly filled with the grace of God, without wavering, and strained clear from every foreign dye,[2] warmest greeting in Jesus Christ our God without blame. 

I. My prayer to God has been heard, and I have been permitted to see your holy faces, so that I have gained even more than I was asking.[3] For in bonds in Christ Jesus I hope to salute you, if it be God's will that I should be accounted worthy to reach the end.[4] For the beginning is well ordained if I may attain the

supremacy of the Roman Church among the churches of the world, as though he said, 'To her that, being situate in the district of the region of the Romans, has the chief place [among churches].' But, as Lightfoot urges, in that case it is difficult to see why Ignatius did not write merely 'in Rome,' when describing the locality of the church. The text of the passage, however, is not above suspicion, and it has recently been suggested (Phillimore, Journ. of Theol. Studies, xix. (1918), p. 276) that Χριστου should be read for χωριον. The passage then runs 'to her that presides over the Romans in the place of Christ.' Cf. Magn. 6, where the Greek text and Latin version read τοπον for τυπον, 'the bishop presiding in the place of God.' Cf. also Eph. 3, Smyrn. 8. 
[1] As the Church of Rome had the supremacy of rank among the churches in the region around it, so too was it foremost among them in works of love. Dionysius of Corinth (c. A.D. 175) testifies to the world-wide charity of the Roman Church (Euseb. H. E. iv. 23). 
[2] The 'foreign dye' is the colouring-matter which pollutes the purity of a stream. The Church had been kept pure from grave errors of doctrine and life. For the metaphor cf. Philad. 3. 
[3] He had asked that he might visit Rome. His prayer had been granted, with the further favor that he was privileged to visit it as a prisoner of Jesus Christ, soon to be glorified by a martyr's death. 
[4] That is, the goal of his ambition, martyrdom.

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end and so receive my inheritance without hindrance. For I fear lest your very love should do me wrong. For you may easily do what you will.[1] But for me it is difficult to attain unto God, unless you spare me. 

II. For I would not that you should please men, but that you should please God,[2] as indeed you do.  For I shall never have such an opportunity of attaining unto God, nor can you, if you keep silent, be credited[3] with a nobler deed.  For if you keep silent and spare me, I am a word of God, but if you crave for my flesh, I shall again be a mere voice.[4] [Nay] give me nothing 

[1] Christianity had already found its way into the higher ranks of Roman society. In the reign of Domitian (95 A.D.) the consul, Flavius Clemens, a cousin of the Emperor, had been executed, and his wife banished on a charge which has been proved to have arisen from their profession of Christianity. Ignatius is afraid that influence in high quarters will result in his respite. Lucian the heathen satirist, who wrote about 165 A.D., describes the efforts made by the Christians to procure the release of their imprisoned brethren (De morte Peregrini, c. 12).
[2] Cf. 1 Thess. ii. 4. 
[3] 'Be credited,' literally, 'have your name attached to.' An allusion probably, as Zahn suggests, to the practice of craftsmen, who inscribe their names on the work they have completed. The idea of Ignatius is that his martyrdom will be a great achievement, in which they will have their part by restraining their desire to intercede for him.
[4] There is a distinction here between λογος, 'a word,' expressing the intelligible utterance of a rational being, and φονη, which henotes a mere irrational cry. Both words occur in the opening chapter of St. John's Gospel, λογος, 'the Word,' being used of the Eternal Son of God, as Revealer of the Father, while St. John the Baptist describes himself as φονη, 'a mere voice of one crying," i. e. a mere impersonal instrument. See John i. I, 14, 23. Thus the thought of Ignatius is, 'My death will render my life intelligible as a living message to man from God, whereas, if I am spared, my life will be as destitute of meaning as the cry of an irrational animal.' The text of the passage, however, shows considerable variation, probably due to alteration through failure to see the above distinction. The Greek text and the Armenian version read instead of φονη the word τρεχον, which Lightfoot understands to mean that Ignatius 'would be put back again to run the race.' Similarly the word λογος has been changed to γενησομαι ('I shall belong to

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III. You have never grudged [4] any man. Others you have instructed.[5] But I would that those lessons, which you enjoin in your teaching, may endure.[6] Only ask that I may find power within and without, that I may not only say it, but may desire it, that I may not only

God,' instead of, 'I shall be a word of God' probably because of the seeming irreverence in attributing the title, 'word of God,' to any one but our Lord.
[1] The 'libation,' the 'altar,' and the 'choir,' are suggested by the ritual of a heathen sacrifice. For a similar metaphor cf. Eph. 9. 
[2] The genitive Συριας is probably here equivalent to little more than an adjective, 'the Syrian bishop,' or ' the bishop from Syria.'  It must not be understood to imply jurisdiction over the whole of Syria, as though it were the equivalent of της εν Συριας εκκλησιας, 'bishop of the church which is in Syria.' The organization of large dioceses was of later growth, and followed the lines of Roman imperial administration. The bishop of the second and third centuries resembled, so far as the extent of his administration went, the rector of a town parish in modern times. See Introd. p. 34 note.
[3] Ignatius plays on the words δυσις, 'West,' lit. 'setting of the sun," and ανατολη, 'East,' lit. 'rising of the sun.'
[4] εβασκανατε, lit. 'envied.' The word is found in Gal. iii. I, and means literally 'to bewitch,' with special reference to the power of the evil eye. The derived notion of 'envy' follows from this use. Ignatius means 'You have never grudged any one the honor of martyrdom.'
[5] Probably a reference to the encouragement and exhortations given to previous martyrs by the Roman Christians. The particular form, however, of the following sentence rather favors the view that Ignatius is referring to some definite, written charge upon the subject, such as is found in the letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, which contains exhortations to follow the example of the martyrs.
[6] Ignatius expresses the hope that they will not depart, in his own case, from the principles of the teaching which they have given, to others on the subject of martyrdom.

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IV. I write unto all the churches, and charge them all to know that I die willingly for God, if you hinder not. I intreat you, do not unseasonably befriend me. Suffer me to belong to the wild beasts, through whom I may attain unto God. I am God's grain, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread.4 Rather entice the wild beasts to become my tomb, and to leave naught of my body, that I may not, when I have fallen asleep, prove a burden to any man.[5]

[1] 'Visible,' e.g. material and transient. Cf. 2 Cor. iv. 18. Ignatius is speaking of the material world as it exists apart from God. On his general view of the relations of 'spirit' and 'matter,' see Introd. § 4.
[2] A paradox. Christ's true power, manifested in the life of the Church, is more clearly seen now that He has passed out of the sight of human eyes, than it was when in His earthly life He was subject to the malice and misunderstanding of men.
[3] Cf. Eph. 14. 'The Work' is the Gospel. Christianity is not a matter of words but of deeds. Cf. the old motto 'taire et faire.'
[4] Some MSS. add, after 'bread,' the words 'of Christ,' while others have 'of God,' and others omit both. The figure in this passage is suggested by the sacrificial loaves which were offered both among Jews and Gentiles. Lightfoot would see a more definite reference to the Pentecostal loaves (Lev. xxiii. 17). The 'pure' bread is that which was made of the finest flour. Ignatius is the grain which is ground by the teeth of the beasts and fitted for an offering to God.
[6] He is thinking of the difficulties likely to attend his burial. The spurious Acts of the martyrdom vary in their account of the treatment of his reliques. The Antiochene Acts narrate (c. 6) that only the tougher parts of his reliques were left, and that these were carried back to Antioch and laid in a sarcophagus. The Roman 

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Then shall I truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not see even my body. Intreat the Lord for me, that by these instruments[l] I may be found a sacrifice unto God. I do not enjoin you in the manner of Peter and Paul.[2] They were Apostles, I am a condemned man. They were free, I, until this moment, am a slave. But if I suffer, I am Jesus Christ's freedman,[3] and in Him I shall arise free. Now in my bonds I am learning to give up all desires. 

V. From Syria unto Rome I am fighting with wild beasts 4 by land and sea, by night and day, bound to

Acts state that the beasts only crushed him to death, without touching his flesh, 'that his reliques might be a protection to the great city of the Romans' (c. 10). On the later history of his reliques see Introd. § 3.
[1] That is, the wild beasts.
[2] Both these Apostles had been connected with the Roman Church. Their names also appear in conjunction in the letter written by Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, c. 5. St. Peter's residence at Rome, with his martyrdom there, rests on too strong evidence to be rejected. It is explicitly mentioned by a succession of Christian writers in the latter half of the second century, i.e. by Dionysius of Corinth, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria. The 'Church in Babylon' in 1 Pet. v. 13 is now generally understood to refer to Rome. Finally, the Roman presbyter Gaius tells us that in his day (circa 200 A.D.) the tombs of the two Apostles were to be seen on the Vatican and Ostian Ways. On the other hand the evidence for their martyrdom at the same time is slender, being derived from the statement of Dionysius of Corinth, who wrote in the second half of the second century (c. 175 A.D.), and was not intimately connected with the Roman Church. Accordingly some recent scholars have rejected his statement and incline to the view that St. Peter was the survivor of St. Paul. This would help to account for the greater prominence of his name in later days in the memory of the Roman Church. See Ramsay, (Ch. in R. E., p. 279 ff.; Sanday, Expositor, IV. vii. p. 411 f.; Swete, St. Mark, p. xvii f.
[3] 1 Cor. vii. 22.. 
[4]θηριομαχω. Based on 1 Cor. xv. 32, where it is used metaphorically of human opponents. Here the usage is similar, but also looks forward to the literal fulfilment of the words in his coming death.

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ten leopards,[1] that is, a company of soldiers,[2] whose usage grows still harsher when they are liberally treated.[3] Yet through their unjust doings I am more truly learning discipleship. Yet am I not hereby justified[4] May I have joy of the beasts that are prepared for me. I pray too that they may prove expeditious with me. I will even entice them to devour me expeditiously, and not to refrain, as they have refrained from some,[5] through fear. And even though they are not willing without constraint,[6] I will compel them. Pardon me. I know what is expedient for me. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May naught of things visible or invisible seek to allure[7] me; that I may attain unto Jesus Christ.

[1] It has been urged that the use of this word is an anachronism and a proof that this letter is not genuine, the word not being found in any writer of the second century. Lightfoot, however, refers to its use in a rescript of the Emperors Marcus and Commodus (A.D. 177—180), and a still earlier use by Galen about half a century after the time of Ignatius. The word is probably of Roman origin, and Lightfoot shows that it was already in process of formation in the time of Pliny some thirty or forty years before this time. Syrian leopards are mentioned by Vopiscus as having been exhibited by the Emperor Probus. See Lightfoot in loco.
[2] His escort consisted of ten soldiers, who relieved one another in turn. Like St. Paul (Acts xxviii. 16, 20), Ignatius was attached by a 'coupling-chain' to a guard by night and day.
[3] This probably refers to the sums of money given to the soldiers by friends of Ignatius to procure for him better treatment. This common Christian practice is alluded to in Lucian's famous satire on the Christians, De Morte Peregrini, c. 12.
[4] 1 Cor. iv. 4.
[5] Cf. Euseb. H. E. viii. 7, where similar instances are cited in the case of the Egyptian martyrs. Similar incidents are recorded of the martyrs of Vienne in 177 A.D. (Euseb. H. E. v. i). In the present passage Ramsay, following Zahn, thinks that there is a reference to the story of Thecla as contained in a first-century document on which be supposes the Acts of Paul and Thecla to be based (Ch. in R. Emp. pp. 381, 404).
[6] Lightfoot, however, translates 'to devour me, though I am ready.'
[7] ζηλωσας. Cf. Gal. iv. 17 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2. In both those passages, and probably in the present passage, there is the idea of assiduous attention. Lightfoot, however, understands the word to mean 'envy.'

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Come fire and cross and conflicts with wild beasts.[1] wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of the whole body; come grievous torments of the devil upon me,—only may they aid me in attaining unto Jesus Christ. 

VI. The furthest bounds of the universe, and the kingdoms of this world shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die for the sake of Jesus Christ than to reign over the boundaries of the earth. Him I seek Who died for us. Him I desire, Who rose [for our sakes]. My travail-pains are upon me.[2 ]Forgive me, brethren. Hinder me not from entering into life: desire not my death. Bestow not upon the world him who desires to be God's; nor tempt me with the things of this life. Suffer me to receive pure light. When I come thither then shall I be a man indeed. Suffer me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If any man has Him dwelling in him, let him understand what I desire, and have fellow-feeling with me, knowing what constrains me. 

VII. The prince of this world[3] desires to make me his spoil[4] and corrupt my purpose towards God. Let none of you then who are at hand assist him. Rather be on my side, that is, belong to God. Use not the words 'Jesus Christ' and yet desire the world. Let not envy make its dwelling within you. Even though I should come and intreat you, hearken not even to me, but rather trust these words which I write unto you. For I write unto you in the midst of life, enamoured 

[1] The Greek text and the Armenian Version in the Martyrology add here 'gashes and rendings.'
[2] Ignatius represents both mother and child. The pains are the agonies of martyrdom, which result in the birth of the new Ignatius, born into the higher life.
[3] Cf. Eph. 17 note.
[4] Cf. Mark iii. 27

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of death. My Love[1] has been crucified, and there is not within me any fire of earthly desire,[2] but only water that lives[3] and speaks in me,[4] and says from within me, ' Come hither to the Father.' I have no pleasure in the food of corruption nor in the pleasures of this material life. I desire God's bread,[5] which is the flesh of Christ, Who is of the seed of David,[6] and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible.[7] 

[1] ερος. This word has been understood in two widely different senses—
(a) Zahn and Lightfoot understand it to mean Move' in the lower sense of 'lust,' 'passion.' According to this view Ignatius declares that he has crucified the carnal passions of his nature. In the only two passages of the LXX where the word occurs, it bears this sense. See Prov. vii. 18, xxx. 16. It does not occur in the N. T., which uses αγαπη to denote 'love.'
(b) An interpretation which has been current since the time of Origen's Commentary on the Song of Songs, refers ερος objectively to Christ. 'My Love has been crucified.' And so the words were commonly understood by later writers. This interpretation is rejected by Zahn and Lightfoot, but it has found a fresh defender in Dr. C. Bigg (Bampton Lectures, p. viii f.). He shows fairly conclusively that ερος and its cognates may be used in a higher sense, and also that ερος may be used of the object of love. This sense agrees too with the context. Ignatius is 'in love" with death, 'because Christ, his Beloved, is crucified, and perfect union with Him will be attained by death.' His love for Christ draws him away from material things. On the whole this interpretation, perhaps, suits best the highly imaginative fervour of the passage.
[2] Reading with Zahn and Lightfoot φιλουλον — ' loving matter,' 'carnal.'
[3] The phrase 'living water' recalls John iv. 10, II. For its use in connection with the Spirit, see John vii. 38-39.
[4] The words και λαλουν ('water . . . that speaks') are probably corrupt. If retained they must be held to refer to the prophetic power said to be imparted by certain springs to those who drank them. Lightfoot thinks that the longer Greek recension has here preserved the true text, αλλομενον for και λαλουν. This would present a further parallel to St. John's Gospel (iv. 14), and the passage would run, 'water that lives and springs up.'
[5] Cf. John vi. 33, and the section John vi. 48-59.
[6] Cf. Eph. 18. Ignatius may have the Docetic teachers in mind. Only if Christ has become truly incarnate, is it possible for our manhood to be united with God.
[7] See note on Trall. 8. The parallelism of that passage suggests

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VIII. I desire no longer to live the common life of men. And this will be granted, if it is your desire. Desire it, that you too may be desired. In a short letter I entreat you. Believe me, Jesus Christ shall make this clear to you, that I speak truly—even He Who is the Mouth which cannot speak falsely, whereby the Father spake [truly]. Intreat for me, that I may attain in the Holy Spirit. I write not unto you after the flesh, but after the mind of God. If I suffer, it is because you desired it. If I be rejected, it is because of your hatred.

IX. Remember in your prayer [1] the Church in Syria, since it hath God as its shepherd[2] in my room. Jesus Christ alone shall be its bishop[3]—together with your love. But as for me, I am ashamed to be spoken of as one of them. Nor indeed am I worthy, since I am the last of them and one born out of due time;[4] but I have received mercy that I should be some one, if haply I may attain unto God. My spirit salutes you, as also does the love of the churches which received me in the name of Jesus Christ, not as one that merely passed by, for even the churches which lay not[5] naturally near to my route went before me from city to city.[6]

X. I write this unto you from Smyrna by the hand of the Ephesians[7] who are worthy of congratulation.

that the clause 'which is love incorruptible' refers to 'His Blood.'  Then love is regarded as the means of union with the incarnate Christ, or, better still, as the fruit and issue of that union. Zahn, however, refers the words to the whole preceding sentence. 'The participation in the flesh and blood of Christ is love incorruptible.' He sees in it a reference to the Agape or Love-Feast.
[1] Cf. Eph. 21.
[2] Cf. 1 Pet. ii. 25, v. 2.
[3] Cf. Polyc. inscr.
[4] Suggested by 1Cor. xv. 8 sq. See Introd. § 3.
[5] The shorter Syriac version omits the negative.
[6] That is, to prepare his welcome.
[7] So Lightfoot. But it is possible that here, as in Philad. II, Smyrn. 12, the preposition used (δια) refers to the bearer rather

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There is with me also, along with many others, Crocus, a name dear to me. Concerning those who went before me from Syria to Rome unto the glory of God I belive that you have received full tidings. Inform them also of my approach. For they are all worthy of God and of you, and it is fitting that you should m every way refresh them. I am writing this to you on the 9th day before the Kalends of September. Farewell unto the end in patient abiding for Jesus Christ.

than to the scribe of the epistle. Cf. Polycarp, Phil 14, and 1 Pet. v. 12 in the former of which the bearer seems referred to.