St.
Ignatius the God-bearer is of particular importance to us, for he was close to
the Apostles, heard the teachings of Christianity from them directly, and was an
eyewitness to the spread and development of the first Christian communities. In
his seven Epistles, he provided us with an impression of the Apostolic era.
St. Ignatius was born in Syria, toward the end of the
Savior's earthly life. We learn from
the account of St. Ignatius' life that he had been that youth whom the Lord took
into his arms and said "Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
He is known as «God-bearer» because, with his profound love for the Lord,
it was as if he was carrying Him in his heart.
St. Ignatius was a disciple of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the
Theologian. From St. Ignatius'
Epistle to the Smyrnians, it is evident that he was particularly close to the
Holy Apostle Peter, accompanying him on a number of his apostolic journeys.
Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 72 AD, Evod, one
of the 70 Apostles of Christ, reposed, and Ignatius took his place as bishop of
Antioch, the capital city of Syria.
St. Ignatius administered the Church of Antioch for 40
years (67-107 AD). In a vision, he
was made worthy to witness Divine Services in Heaven, and to hear Angelic chant.
Following the example he had witnessed in the Angelic world, he
introduced into the Divine Services antiphonal chant, in which two choirs sing
in turn, as if calling to one another.
From Syria, this type of chant quickly spread throughout the early
Church.
In the year 107, during a campaign against the Armenians,
Emperor Trajan was passing through Antioch.
He was told that Holy Hierarch St. Ignatius was of the Christian
confession, that he taught disdain for wealth, observance of celibacy, and not
offering sacrifice to the Roman gods.
The Emperor summoned the Holy Hierarch and demanded that he cease to
preach about Christ. When the Elder
refused, he was sent in shackles to Rome, where he was sent to the Coliseum to
be torn apart by wild beasts for the amusement of the crowd. On the way to Rome,
he wrote the seven Epistles that have survived to our days.
In his Epistle [to the Romans], St. Ignatius asks Christians not to try
to save him from death. «I entreat
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. » Upon hearing of the Holy Hierarch's courage, Trajan put an
end to persecuting Christians. St.
Ignatius' relics were translated to Antioch, but later were returned to Rome and
placed in the Church of Hieromartyr St. Clement, Pope of Rome.
In his Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Ignatius writes, "...they who profess to be Christ’s shall be apparent by their deeds...." He states, «...hold fast perfectly your faith and love in Jesus Christ, for these are the beginning and the end of life. The beginning is faith, the end is love. And the two blending in unity are God, and all else follows on these, ending in perfect goodness. No man who professes faith lives in sin, nor if he possesses love, does he live in hatred. »