The
Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus,
to the Church blessed in the grace of God the Father, in Jesus Christ our
Saviour, in whom I salute the Church which is at Magnesia, near the Moeander,
and wish it abundance of happiness in God the father, and in Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER I.--REASON OF
WRITING THE EPISTLE.
Having been informed of your godly love,
so well-ordered, I rejoiced greatly, and determined to commune with you in the
faith of Jesus Christ. For as one who has been thought worthy of the most
honourable of all names, in those bonds which I bear about, I commend the
Churches, in which I pray for a union both of the flesh and spirit of Jesus
Christ, the constant source of our life, and of faith and love, to which nothing
is to be preferred, but especially of Jesus and the Father, in whom, if we
endure all the assaults of the prince of this world, and escape them, we shall
enjoy God.
CHAPTER II.--I REJOICE
IN YOUR MESSENGERS.
Since, then, I have had the privilege of
seeing you, through Damas your most worthy bishop, and through your worthy
presbyters Bassus and Apollonius, and through my fellow-servant the deacon Sotio,
whose friendship may I ever enjoy, inasmuch as he is subject to the bishop as to
the grace of God, and to the presbytery as to the law of Jesus Christ, I now
write to you.
CHAPTER III.--HONOUR
YOUR YOUTHFUL BISHOP.
Now it becomes you also not to treat your
bishop too familiarly on account of his youth, but to yield him all reverence,
having respect to the power of God the Father, as I have known even holy
presbyters do, not judging rashly, from the manifest youthful appearance of
their bishop, but as being themselves prudent in God, submitting to him, or
rather not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, the bishop of us all. It
is therefore fitting that you should, after no hypocritical fashion, obey your
bishop, in honour of Him who has wired us so to do, since he that does not so
deceives not by such conduct the bishop that is visible, but seeks to mock Him
that is invisible. And all such conduct has reference not to man, but to God,
who knows all secrets.
CHAPTER IV.--SOME
WICKEDLY ACT INDEPENDENTLY OF THE BISHOP.
It is fitting, then, not only to be
called Christians, but to be so in reality: as some indeed give one the title of
bishop, but do all things without him. Now such persons seem to me to be not
possessed of a good conscience, seeing they are not steadfastly gathered
together according to the commandment.
CHAPTER V.--DEATH IS
THE FATE OF ALL SUCH.
Seeing, then, all things have an end,
these two things are simultaneously set before us--death and life; and every one
shall go unto his own place. For as there are two kinds of coins, the one of
God, the other of the world, and each of these has its special character stamped
upon it,so is it also here. The unbelieving are of this world; but the believing
have, in love, the character of God the Father by Jesus Christ, by whom, if we
are not in readiness to die into His passion, His life is not in us.
CHAPTER VI.--PRESERVE
HARMONY.
Since therefore I have, in the persons
before mentioned, beheld the whole multitude of you in faith and love, I exhort
you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides
in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the
apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, and are entrusted
with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning
of time, and in the end was revealed. Do ye all then, imitating the same divine
conduct, pay respect to one another, and let no one look upon his neighbour
after the flesh, but do ye continually love each other in Jesus Christ. Let
nothing exist among you that may divide you ; but be ye united with your bishop,
and those that preside over you, as a type and evidence of your immortality.
CHAPTER VII.--DO
NOTHING WITHOUT THE BISHOP AND PRESBYTERS.
As therefore the Lord did nothing without
the Father, being united to Him, neither by Himself nor by the apostles, so
neither do ye anything without the bishop and presbyters. Neither endeavour that
anything appear reasonable and proper to yourselves apart; but being come
together into the same place, let there be one prayer, one supplication, one
mind, one hope, in love and in joy undefiled. There is one Jesus Christ, than
whom nothing is more excellent. Do ye therefore all run together as into one
temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one
Father, and is with and has gone to one.
CHAPTER VIII.--CAUTION
AGAINST FALSE DOCTRINES.
Be not deceived with strange doctrines,
nor with old fables, which are unprofitable. For if we still live according to
the Jewish law, we acknowledge that we have not received grace. For the divinest
prophets lived according to Christ Jesus. On this account also they were
persecuted, being inspired by His grace to fully convince the unbelieving that
there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His Son, who is His
eternal Word, not proceeding forth from silence, and who in all things pleased
Him that sent Him.
CHAPTER IX.--LET US
LIVE WITH CHRIST.
If, therefore, those who were brought up
in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no
longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on
which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death--whom some deny,
by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be
found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master--how shall we be able to
live apart from Him, whose disciples the prophets themselves in the Spirit did
wait for Him as their Teacher? And therefore He whom they rightly waited for,
being come, raised them from the dead.
CHAPTER X.--BEWARE OF
JUDAIZING.
Let us not, therefore, be insensible to
His kindness. For were He to reward us according to our works, we should cease
to be. Therefore, having become His disciples, let us learn to live according to
the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name
besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour
leaven, and be ye changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be ye
salted in Him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour
ye shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For
Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every
tongue which believeth might be gathered together to God.
CHAPTER XI.--I WRITE
THESE THINGS TO WARN YOU.
These things I address to you, my
beloved, not that I know any of you to be in such a state; but, as less than any
of you, I desire to guard you beforehand, that ye fall not upon the hooks of
vain doctrine, but that ye attain to full assurance in regard to the birth, and
passion, and resurrection which took place in the time of the government of
Pontius Pilate, being truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is
our hope, from which may no one of you ever be turned aside.
CHAPTER XII.--YE ARE
SUPERIOR TO ME.
May I enjoy you in all respects, if
indeed I be worthy! For though I am bound, I am not worthy to be compared to any
of you that are at liberty. I know that ye are not puffed up, for ye have Jesus
Christ in yourselves. And all the more when I commend you, I know that ye
cherish modesty of spirit; as it is written, "The righteous man is his own
accuser."
CHAPTER XIII.--BE
ESTABLISHED IN FAITH AND UNITY.
Study, therefore, to be established in
the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles, that so all things, whatsoever ye
do, may prosper both in the flesh and spirit; in faith and love; in the Son, and
in the Father, and in the Spirit; in the beginning and in the end; with your
most admirable bishop, and the well-compacted spiritual crown of your
presbytery, and the deacons who are according to God. 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.
CHAPTER XIV.--YOUR
PRAYERS REQUESTED.
Knowing as I do that ye are full of God,
I have but briefly exhorted you. Be mindful of me in your prayers, that I may
attain to God; and of the Church which is in Syria, whence I am not worthy to
derive my name: for I stand in need of your united prayer in God, and your love,
that the Church which is in Syria may be "deemed worthy of being refreshed
by your Church.
CHAPTER
XV.--SALUTATIONS.
The Ephesians from Smyrna (whence I also
write to you), who are here for the glory of God, as ye also are, who have in
all things refreshed me, salute you, along with Polycarp, the bishop of the
Smyrnaeans. The rest of the Churches, in honour of Jesus Christ, also salute
you. Fare ye well in the harmony of God, ye who have obtained the inseparable
Spirit, who is Jesus Christ.
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