9.1 from elsewhere have passed your way Or from there have passed by. • temple, prepared beforehand An editor’s emendation. Some ancient authorities read temple of the Father, prepared. 9.2 carrying . . . things Here Ignatius applies to the Ephesians the image of a pagan religious procession, in which the participants carry with them their gods, idols, shrines, etc. • in human life, only God An editor’s emendation. The ancient authorities may be translated in your new way of life except God.
Response to Maltreatment
10 Pray continually for the rest of humankind as well, that they may find God, for there is in them hope for repentance. Therefore allow them to be instructed by you, at least by your deeds. 2 In response to their anger, be gentle; in response to their boasts, be humble; in response to their slander, offer prayers; in response to their errors, be steadfast in the faith; in response to their cruelty, be civilized; do not be eager to imitate them. 3 Let us show by our forbearance that we are their brothers and sisters, and let us be eager to be imitators of the Lord, to see who can be the more wronged, who the more cheated, who the more rejected, in order that no weed of the devil may be found among you, but that with complete purity and self-control you may abide in Christ Jesus physically and spiritually.
10.2 steadfast in the faith Cf. Col. 1:23. 10.3 brothers and sisters Gk adelphoi. • cheated Cf. 1 Cor. 6:7.
The Last Times: Both Cosmic and Personal
11 These are the last times. Therefore let us be reverent; let us fear the patience of God, lest it become a judgment against us. For let us either fear the wrath to come or love the grace that is present, one of the two; only let us be found in Christ Jesus, which leads to true life. 2 Let nothing appeal to you apart from him, in whom I carry around these chains (my spiritual pearls!), by which I hope, through your prayers, to rise again. May I always share in them, in order that I may be found in the company of the Christians of Ephesus, who have always been in agreement with the apostles by the power of Jesus Christ.
12 I know who I am and to whom I am writing. I am a convict; you have received mercy. I am in danger; you are secure. 2 You are the highway of those who are being killed for God’s sake; you are fellow initiates of Paul, who was sanctified, who was approved, who is deservedly blessed—may I be found in his footsteps when I reach God!—who in every letter remembers you in Christ Jesus.
12.2 highway Ephesus was on the route by which prisoners from the East would be taken to Rome; Ignatius seems to suggest that their spiritual position corresponds to their geographical location.
Frequent and Harmonious Meetings
13 Therefore make every effort to come together more frequently to give thanks and glory to God. For when you meet together frequently, the powers of Satan are overthrown and his destructiveness is nullified by the unanimity of your faith. 2 There is nothing better than peace, by which all warfare among those in heaven and those on earth is abolished.
13.1 to give thanks and glory to God Or possibly for the Eucharist and glory of God.
Words versus Actions
14 None of these things escapes your notice, if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ. For these are the beginning and the end of life: faith is the beginning and love is the end, and the two, when they exist in unity, are God. Everything else that contributes to excellence follows from them. 2 No one professing faith sins, nor does anyone possessing love hate. The tree is known by its fruit; thus those who profess to be Christ’s will be recognized by their actions. For the work is a matter not of what one promises now, but of persevering to the end in the power of faith.
14.2 The tree . . . fruit Cf. Matt. 12:33. • the work I.e., Christianity; cf. Rom. 3.3.
15 It is better to be silent and be real than to talk and not be real. It is good to teach, if one does what one says. Now there is one teacher, who spoke and it happened; indeed, even the things that he has done in silence are worthy of the Father. 2 The one who truly possesses the word of Jesus is also able to hear his silence, so that he may be perfect, so that he may act through what he says and be known through his silence. 3 Nothing is hidden from the Lord; even our secrets are close to him. Therefore let us do everything with the knowledge that he dwells in us, in order that we may be his temples, and he may be in us as our God—as, in fact, he really is, as will be made clear in our sight by the love that we justly have for him.
15.1 spoke and it happened Ps. 33(LXX 32):9. • as our God Some ancient authorities omit our.
The Stench of Evil Teaching
16 Do not be misled, my brothers and sisters: those who adulterously corrupt households will not inherit the kingdom of God. 2 Now if those who do such things physically are put to death, how much more if by evil teaching someone corrupts faith in God, for which Jesus Christ was crucified! Such a person, having polluted himself, will go to the unquenchable fire, as will also the one who listens to him.
16.1 brothers and sisters Gk adelphoi. • will not inherit . . . God Cf. 1 Cor. 6:9–10.
17 The Lord accepted the ointment upon his head for this reason: that he might breathe incorruptibility upon the church. Do not be anointed with the stench of the teaching of the ruler of this age, lest he take you captive and rob you of the life set before you. 2 Why do we not all become wise by receiving God’s knowledge, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we foolishly perish, ignoring the gracious gift that the Lord has truly sent?
17.1 The Lord . . . head Cf. Matt. 26:6–13.
The Mystery of Jesus’ Death
18 My spirit is a humble sacrifice for the cross, which is a stumbling block to unbelievers but salvation and eternal life to us. Where is the wise? Where is the debater? Where is the boasting of those who are thought to be intelligent? 2 For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to God’s plan, both from the seed of David and of the Holy Spirit. He was born and was baptized in order that by his suffering he might cleanse the water.
18.1 a stumbling block to unbelievers Cf. 1 Cor. 1:23. • Where is the wise . . . debater Cf. 1 Cor. 1:20. 18.2 God’s One ancient authority omits this word. • water I.e., the water of baptism.
19 Now the virginity of Mary and her giving birth were hidden from the ruler of this age, as was also the death of the Lord—three mysteries to be loudly proclaimed, yet which were accomplished in the silence of God. 2 How, then, were they revealed to the ages? A star shone forth in heaven brighter than all the stars; its light was indescribable and its strangeness caused amazement. All the rest of the constellations, together with the sun and moon, formed a chorus around the star, yet the star itself far outshone them all, and there was perplexity about the origin of this strange phenomenon, which was so unlike the others. 3 Consequently all magic and every kind of spell were dissolved, the ignorance so characteristic of wickedness vanished, and the ancient kingdom was abolished when God appeared in human form to bring the newness of eternal life; and what had been prepared by God began to take effect. As a result, all things were thrown into ferment, because the abolition of death was being carried out.
19.3 magic . . . abolished Other ancient authorities read magic was dissolved and every wicked spell vanished; ignorance was abolished and the ancient kingdom was destroyed.
Promise of a Second Letter
20 If Jesus Christ, in response to your prayer, should reckon me worthy, and if it is his will, in a second letter that I intend to write to you I will further explain to you the subject about which I have begun to speak, namely, the divine plan with respect to the new man Jesus Christ, involving faith in him and love for him, his suffering and resurrection, 2 especially if the Lord reveals anything to me. All of you, individually and collectively, gather together in grace, by name, in one faith and one Jesus Christ, who physically was a descendant of David, who is Son of Man and Son of God, in order that you may obey the bishop and the council of presbyters with an undisturbed mind, breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Jes
us Christ.
20.1 faith . . . for him Or his faith and his love. 20.2 reveals . . . gather An editor’s emendation; the ancient authorities read reveals to me that all of you, individually and collectively, continue to gather. • one Other ancient authorities read in.
Personal Greetings and Parting Requests
21 I am devoted to you and to those whom for the honor of God you sent to Smyrna, from where I am writing to you, with thanksgiving to the Lord and love for Polycarp as well as for you. Remember me, as Jesus Christ remembers you. 2 Pray for the church in Syria, from where I am being led to Rome in chains, as I—the very least of the faithful there—have been judged worthy of serving the glory of God. Farewell in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, our shared hope.
THE LETTER OF IGNATIUS TO THE MAGNESIANS
Salutation
Ignatius the Image-bearer to the church at Magnesia on the Maeander, which has been blessed through the grace of God the Father in Christ Jesus our Savior, in whom I greet her and wish her heartiest greetings in God the Father and in Jesus Christ.
Chains and Worthiness
1 When I learned how well ordered your love toward God is, I rejoiced and resolved to address you in the faith of Jesus Christ. 2 For inasmuch as I have been judged worthy to bear a most godly name, in these chains that I bear I sing the praises of the churches, and I pray that in them there may be a union of flesh and spirit that comes from Jesus Christ, our never-failing life, and of faith and love, to which nothing is preferable, and—what is more important—of Jesus and the Father. In him we will reach God, if we patiently endure all the abuse of the ruler of this age and escape.
Obedience to the Bishop
2 Inasmuch as I was found worthy to see you in the persons of Damas, your godly bishop, and your worthy presbyters Bassus and Apollonius, and my fellow servant, the deacon Zotion—may I enjoy his company, because he is subject to the bishop as to the grace of God, and to the council of presbyters as to the law of Jesus Christ.
Salutation the Image-bearer See note at Ign. Eph. Salutation. 1.2 never-failing Or everlasting or constant.
3 Indeed, it is right for you also not to take advantage of the youthfulness of your bishop but to give him all the respect due him in accordance with the power of God the Father, just as I know that the holy presbyters likewise have not taken advantage of his youthful appearance but defer to him as one who is wise in God; yet not really to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, the bishop of all. 2 For the honor, therefore, of the one who loved you it is right to be obedient without any hypocrisy, for it is not so much a matter of deceiving this bishop who is seen but of cheating the one who is unseen. In such a case he must reckon not with the flesh but with God, who knows our secrets.
3.1 one who is wise Other ancient authorities read ones who are wise. 3.2 you Some ancient authorities read us. 6.1 the bishop . . . council Other ancient authorities read the bishop presiding after the model of God and the presbyters after the model of the council.
4 It is right, therefore, that we not just be called Christians, but that we actually be Christians, unlike some who call a man bishop but do everything without regard for him. Such people do not appear to me to act in good conscience, inasmuch as they do not validly meet together in accordance with the commandment.
Two Ways
5 Seeing then that all things have an end, two things together lie before us, death and life, and everyone will go to his own place. 2 For just as there are two coinages, the one of God and the other of the world, and each of them has its own stamp impressed upon it, so the unbelievers bear the stamp of this world, but the faithful in love bear the stamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ, whose life is not in us unless we voluntarily choose to die into his suffering.
Further Comments about Obedience to the Bishop
6 Since, therefore, in the persons mentioned above I have by faith seen and loved the whole congregation, I have this advice: Be eager to do everything in godly harmony, the bishop presiding in the place of God and the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles and the deacons, who are especially dear to me, since they have been entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who before the ages was with the Father and appeared at the end of time. 2 Let all, therefore, accept the same attitude as God and respect one another, and let no one regard his neighbor in merely human terms, but in Jesus Christ love one another always. Let there be nothing among you that is capable of dividing you, but be united with the bishop and with those who lead, as an example and lesson of incorruptibility.
7 Therefore as the Lord did nothing without the Father, either by himself or through the apostles (for he was united with him), so you must not do anything without the bishop and the presbyters. Do not attempt to convince yourselves that anything done apart from the others is right, but, gathering together, let there be one prayer, one petition, one mind, one hope, with love and blameless joy, which is Jesus Christ, than whom nothing is better. 2 Let all of you run together as to one temple of God, as to one altar, to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one Father and remained with the One and returned to the One.
7.2 who came forth . . . to the One Cf. John 16:28.
Judaism and Christianity
8 Do not be deceived by strange doctrines or antiquated myths, since they are worthless. For if we continue to live in accordance with Judaism, we admit that we have not received grace. 2 For the most godly prophets lived in accordance with Christ Jesus. This is why they were persecuted, being inspired as they were by his grace in order that those who are disobedient might be fully convinced that there is one God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ his Son, who is his Word that came forth from silence, who in every respect pleased the one who sent him.
8.2 from Other ancient authorities read not from.
9 If, then, those who had lived according to ancient practices came to the newness of hope, no longer keeping the sabbath but living in accordance with the Lord’s day, on which our life also arose through him and his death (which some deny), the mystery through which we came to believe, and because of which we patiently endure, in order that we may be found to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher, 2 how can we possibly live without him, whom even the prophets, who were his disciples in the Spirit, were expecting as their teacher? This is why the one for whom they rightly waited raised them from the dead when he came.
10 Therefore let us not be unaware of his goodness. For if he were to imitate the way we act, we are lost. Therefore, having become his disciples, let us learn to live in accordance with Christianity. For whoever is called by any other name than this one does not belong to God. 2 Throw out, therefore, the bad yeast, which has become stale and sour, and reach for the new yeast, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted with him, so that none of you become rotten, for by your odor you will be convicted. 3 It is utterly absurd to profess Jesus Christ and to practice Judaism. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity, in which every tongue believed and was brought together to God.
10.3 every tongue . . . together Cf. Isa. 66:18. 12 Prov. 18:17 LXX.
The Reality of Jesus’ Human Experiences
11 Now I write these things, my dear friends, not because I have learned that any of you are actually like that, but, as one who is less than you, I want to forewarn you not to get snagged on the hooks of worthless opinions but instead to be fully convinced about the birth and the suffering and the resurrection that took place during the time of the governorship of Pontius Pilate. These things were truly and most assuredly done by Jesus Christ, our hope, from which may none of you ever be turned aside.
Obedience to the Bishop
12 May I have joy in you in every respect—if, that is, I am worthy. For even though I am in chains, I cannot be compared to one of you who are at liberty. I know that you are not conceited, for you have Jesus Christ within you. Moreover, I know that when I praise you, you feel ashamed, as it is written: “The righteous one is his own accuse
r.”
13 Be eager, therefore, to be firmly grounded in the precepts of the Lord and the apostles, in order that in whatever you do, you may prosper, physically and spiritually, in faith and love, in the Son and the Father and in the Spirit, in the beginning and at the end, together with your most distinguished bishop and that beautifully woven spiritual crown which is your council of presbyters and the godly deacons. 2 Be subject to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ in the flesh was to the Father, and as the apostles were to Christ and to the Father, that there may be unity, both physical and spiritual.
13.1 in whatever . . . prosper Ps. 1:3. 13.2 in the flesh Some ancient authorities omit this phrase. • and to the Father Some ancient authorities add and to the Spirit. 14 the dew . . . prayers An editor’s emendation. Some ancient authorities read with dew by means of your church.
Personal Greetings and Parting Requests
14 Knowing as I do that you are full of God, I have only briefly exhorted you. Remember me in your prayers, in order that I may reach God; remember also the church in Syria, of which I am not worthy to be called a member. For I need your united prayer and love in God, that the church in Syria may be judged worthy of being refreshed by the dew of your fervent prayers.
15 The Ephesians greet you from Smyrna, from where I am writing you. They, like you, are here for the glory of God, and have refreshed me in every respect, together with Polycarp, the bishop of the Smyrnaeans. All the other churches also greet you in honor of Jesus Christ. Farewell in godly harmony to you who possess an undivided spirit, which is Jesus Christ.
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