Ignatius • ‘Bishop’ of Syria/Antioch – writing to various churches on way to martyrdom in Rome • Lightfoot-Zahn middle rescension (recently argued by A. Brent) • Cause of arrest o External persecution? o Harrison: internal strife flowing from attempt to impose 3-fold order ▪ Peace = unity restored under orthodox bishop o Eager for martyrdom – only way out would be apostasy • Heretics o Proto-Gnostic influences o Molland: docetists claiming OT support (hence Judaisers) o Marshall: soft Judaising to avoid persecution • Source of Episcopal office o Brent: secular political background to ‘concord’ (homonoia) o Bauer: desperate struggle against heterodox majority -> authoritarian bishop o Clement of Rome: John from Patmos, organising churches, setting up bishops o So Ignatius seeks to normalise + maximise bishop’s role beyond NT • Qualifications compared to later developments o Ministry still collegial o No use of apostolic succession (unlike Clement of Rome) o No comparison with OT priesthood o Bishop’s authenticity: chosen by God (not laying on of hands) o Not primacy of Rome ▪ ‘Presiding over love’ – flatters them to stop them preventing his martyrdom o Minister of word and sacraments, and pastor of local congregation ▪ Polycarp: exhortation to salvation, constant prayer, firm against error, preaching on pertinent moral issues o Authority resides in gospel (even more than OT Scriptures) and God • Typology o Respect bishop – God the Father; deacons – Jesus; presbyters – council of God, band of apostles (preaching office) o Obedience: laity to bishop and presbyters; never tells presbyters to obey bishop • Church unity: submission to bishop (& presbyters) o Flows from obedience to God = submission to bishop in everything o Participation in unity is prerequisite for salvation o Repentance – coming under rule of bishop o Meeting frequently (powers of Satan broken) o Jesus is model of unity: he did nothing without the Father o Bishop’s role almost mediatorial – danger of OT priesthood o Represents congregation to others o Bishop has fundamental role in defining church: unity, extent and character • Catholic church (first use of this term) o Wherever Jesus is o Focus on local congregations linked not by structures but by bonds of friendship • Christology o Knows Matt, 1 Cor and perhaps Eph, John, as well as Gospel of Peter (non-canonical) o Pre-existence ▪ He is God and Lord (Smyr 1), but perhaps adopted? ▪ ‘by’ (para) the Father before the ages Magn 6 cf Prov 8:30 ▪ Distinguished from Spirit (Magn 13), but inseparable (Magn 15) ▪ Does not cite OT theophanies as proof of Christ’s pre-incarnate ministry • Therefore pre-dates Marcion ▪ ‘Archives’ of Christ’s teaching are accounts of his life (little use of OT) o “Son of man and Son of God” (Eph 20:2) ▪ Truly born of a virgin as a man (Smyr 1 cf Matthew), contra Docetists ▪ Therefore had suffered in the flesh – example for martyrdom ▪ Also truly resurrected (Smyr 2), not in appearance only o Eph 7 ‘creed’: one-ness/unity of Christ ▪ Both flesh and spirit ▪ Born and unborn ▪ “God in man” (Greek text, Holmes) • Can be read as adoptionist in the Latin: “in flesh having come to be god” • Perhaps Jesus and Logos only fully united on/after the cross ▪ True life in death ▪ From Mary and from God ▪ First subject to suffering, then beyond it (first passible, then impassible) • Smyr 1 – son of God by will (John 1:13 sons by the will of God) ▪ Jesus Christ our Lord o Soteriology ▪ Died so we might be saved (Smyr 2) ▪ Fulfilled all
