Glimpses of Christian History Presents More Stories: Ignatius Faces His Doom (Excerpt from Backhouse) © 2007

ut now Trajan himself was to be brought face to face with the Christians. Shortly after his correspondence with Pliny, the Emperor came to Antioch. This city, the capital of Syria, was one of the largest in the empire, and the disciples, who there first received the name of Christians, were very numerous.

Their bishop was the aged Ignatius, a disciple of the Apostle John. The Emperor, elated with his recent victories (so the ancient document recording the martyrdom of Ignatius informs us), considered his triumph incomplete so long as the Christians refused to worship the gods, and he threatened them with death if they persisted in their refusal. The venerable bishop, in the hope of averting the storm from his people, was at his own desire brought into the presence of the Emperor. When he was set before him, Trajan asked: Who art thou, who, possessed with an impious spirit, art so eager to transgress our commands, and persuadest others to do the like, to their own destruction?

Ignatius replied: Theophorus [that, is, he who carries God within him] ought not to be called impious, for evil spirits are departed from the servants of God. But if thou callest me impious because I am against evil spirits, I own the charge, for I destroy all their wiles through Christ my heavenly King.

Trajan. Who is Theophorus?

Ignatius. He who has Christ within his breast.

Trajan. And dost not thou think we too have the gods within us, who assist us in fighting against our enemies ?

Ignatius. Thou art mistaken in calling the demons of the nations by the name of gods; for there is only one God, who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that is therein, and one Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, whose kingdom be my portion!

Trajan. Dost thou mean Him who was crucified under Pontius Pilate ?

Ignatius. Yes; I mean Him who crucified my sin, and who has cast all the deceit and malice of the devil under the feet of those who carry Him in their hearts.

Trajan. Dost thou then carry within thee Him who was crucified ?

Ignatius. I do; for it is written, I will dwell in them and walk in them.

At the end of the examination Trajan pronounced this sentence: We command that Ignatius, who affirms that he carries within him him who was crucified, be put in chains and taken by soldiers to great Rome, there to be devoured by the beasts for the gratification of the people." When he heard the sentence Ignatius cried out with joy, "I thank thee, 0 Lord, that thou hast vouchsafed to honour me with a perfect love towards thee, and hast made me to be bound with iron chains like thy Apostle Paul." Being placed under a guard of ten soldiers, he was taken to Seleucia, and thence by ship to Smyrna, where he was allowed to see his friend Polycarp, bishop of the church in that place, who also had been one of the Apostle John's disciples. Thither also came deputies from the surrounding churches, bishops, presbyters and deacons, to greet him and receive his blessing. From Smyrna he was taken along the coast to. Troas, and thence to Neapolis, and across Macedonia on foot to the Adriatic coast, whence they sailed round Italy to the port of Rome.

When Ignatius was come into the city and had saluted the brethren, who rejoiced to see him, but sorrowed because, one so venerated was about to be put to death, he knelt down in the midst of them and prayed to the Son of God that the persecution might be stayed, and that mutual love might continue among the brethren. He was then hurried away to the Flavian amphitheatre, for the games were just about to close. This immense building, now so well known as the Coliseum, contained seats for 80,000 spectators, and would probably be crowded to the utmost, when the venerable chief of the Asiatic Christians was to be brought out like Samson to make sport. Alone in the midst of that vast multitude, tier above tier, women and men, slaves and senators, he met the death his ardent spirit panted for; the savage beasts were his grave. How great a translation-from the stained arena, and the lions' jaws, and myriads of cruel eyes strained to catch sight of his blood--to the Gaxden of Paradise and the holy presence of God! The few bones which remained were gathered up by the brethren and carried to Antioch, where they were wrapped in linen and reverently buried.

While on his journey to Rome, Ignatius wrote Epistles to several of the churches and to Polyearp. In that written to the Romans he exhibits his burning desire for martyrdom. Ye cannot," he says, "give me anything more precious than this--that I should be sacrificed to God while the altar is ready. It is good that I should set from the world in God, that I may rise in Him to life. Only pray for strength to be given to me from within and from without, that I may not only speak, but also may be willing, and that I may not merely be called a Christian, but also may be found to be one. . . Leave me to become the prey of the beasts, that by their means I may be accounted worthy of God. I am the wheat of God, and by the teeth of the beasts I shall be ground, that I may be found the pure bread of God. Provoke ye greatly the wild beasts, that they may be for me a grave, and may leave nothing of my body, in order that when I have fallen asleep I may not be a burden upon any one. Then shall I be in truth a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world sees not even my body. . From Syria, and even unto Rome, I am cast among wild beasts, by sea and by land, by night and by day, being bound between ten leopards, which are the band of soldiers, who even when I do good to them, all the more do evil to me. .My love is crucified, and there is no fire in me for another love. I seek the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, and I seek his blood, a drink which is love incorruptible."

The following choice sentences are from the Epistles to Polycarp and to the Ephesians. To the former he writes: "Be studious of unity, than which nothing is more precious. Bear with all men, even as our Lord beareth with, thee. Draw out thy spirit to all men in love, as indeed thou doest. Be constant in prayer. Ask for more understanding than thou already hast. Be watchful as possessing a spirit which sleeps not. Speak with every man according to the will of God. If thou lovest the good disciples only, thou hast no grace; seek to overcome those that are evil by gentleness. All wounds are not healed by the same medicine. Mitigate the pain of cutting by tenderness. We ought to bear everything for the sake of God, that He also may bear us. Be discerning of the times. Look for Him who is above the times, who is invisible, who for our sakes became visible, Him who endured everything in every form for our sakes. . . Let there be frequent (or regular) assemblies; ask every man to them by name. Despise not men-slaves nor women-slaves; but neither let these be contemptuous, but serve more diligently as for the glory of God, that they may be counted worthy of a more precious freedom which is of God."

To the Ephesians he says: "Ye are prepared for the building of God the Father; ye are raised tip on high by the instrument of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, and ye are drawn by the rope, which is the Holy Spirit; your pulley is your faith, and your love is the way which leads up to God. Pray for all men, for there is hope of repentance that they may be counted worthy of God. Especially let them be convinced by your works. Conciliate their harsh words by meekness and gentleness; give yourselves to prayer against their blasphemies, and be armed with faith against their error."

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Article by Edward Backhouse. Early Church History, 1885.