Commemoration of Ignatius of Antioch,
Pastor and Martyr
Wednesday, October
17, 2012
The Lord be with you
Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch
in Syria at the
beginning of the second century ad
and an early Christian martyr. Near the end of the reign of the Roman Emperor
Trajan (98-117 ad), Ignatius was
arrested, taken in chains to Rome,
and eventually thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. On the way to Rome,
he wrote letters to the Christians at Ephesus,
Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia,
and Smyrna, as well at to Polycarp,
bishop of Smyrna. In the letters,
which are beautifully pastoral in tone, Ignatius warned against certain
heresies (false teachings). He also repeatedly stressed the full humanity and
deity of Christ, the reality of Christ’s bodily presence in the Lord’s Supper,
the supreme authority of the bishop, and the unity of the Church found in her
bishops. Ignatius was the first to use the word catholic (which in English means “universal”) to describe the
universality of the Church. His Christ-centerdness, his courage in the face of
martyrdom, and his zeal for the truth over against false doctrine are a lasting
legacy to the Church.
Ignatius was apparently born in Syria
around 35 ad and was a convert
from paganism. He calls himself Theophoros, the God-bearer. Tradition
identifies him with the child Jesus held in his arms at Capernaum
(Mark 9:36), but this seems to be
based on a misunderstanding of Theophoros as the “God-borne.” His letters
provide us with a vital look at the church and its faith at a time when the
leadership was changing hands from the Apostles to the “Apostolic Fathers”
(those leaders who became Christians during the lifetime of the Apostles and
carried the Christian Faith beyond the death of the Apostles).
Collect for the Commemoration
of Ignatius of Antioch, Pastor and Martyr: Almighty God, we
praise Your name for Ignatius of Antioch, pastor and martyr. He offered himself
as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts so that he might present to
You the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept the willing tribute of all that we are
and all that we have, and give us a portion in the pure and unspotted offering
of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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