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Lent: Day 11 - ignatius to Polycarp

Day Eleven: St. ignatius of Antioch: Letter to Polycarp (full text) Who: ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: A letter addressed personally to Polycarp giving him advice and encouragement as a bishop, plus some instructions on marriage to the church, which are reminiscent of Paul’s epistles. Why: ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Colosseum around 108 AD. Wh...

Before The Pumpkins: The Road To The Lions

The sound of chains echoed through the streets as ignatius of Antioch was led from Syria to Rome. The old bishop’s body was frail, but his heart burned with the strength of Christ. Each clinking step brought him closer to the arena — and to the wild beasts that would tear him apart — yet his letters brimmed with joy and passion, and a sense of urgency inspiring others to unity, obedience, and unwavering faith. For ignatius, death was not defeat; it was the completion of discipleship, crossing the finish line of faith… the moment when imitation of Christ became complete. ignatius of Antioch is one of my favourite Early Church Fathers mainly for h...

An Examination of Conditional Immortality (Part One)

...tics.info/ignatius-of-antioch-intro.html https://patristics.info/ignatius-of-antioch-letter-to-the-ephesians.html#Chapter_XVI_The_fate_of_false_teachers https://patristics.info/ignatius-of-antioch-letter-to-the-magnesians.html#Chapter_X_Beware_of_Judaizing https://patristics.info/the-epistle-of-barnabas.html https://patristics.info/diognetus.html#Chapter_X_The_blessings_that_will_flow_from_faith https://patristics.info/clement-of-rome-1-clement.html#Chapter_XXXIX_There_is_no_reason_for_selfconceit https://www.theopedia.com/gehenna https://www.theopedia.com/hades https://www.theopedia.com/sheol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades https://www.theopedia.c...

Lent: Day 6 - ignatius to the Magnesians

...Day Six: St. ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Magnesians (full text) Who: ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: ignatius urges the church to continue in unity, to honour their leadership and to avoid Judaizers who may try to bring false teaching. This letter also gives some valuable insight to early church hierarchy. Why: ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Col...

The Early Concept of the Trinity: Tracing the Roots

...The doctrine of the Trinity, which asserts the co-equality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has deep roots in the early Christian writings of the first three centuries. While the full articulation of the Trinity developed over time, culminating at the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century, references to the equality of these three persons can be traced back to influential documents and the teachings of early Church Fathers in the centuries leading up to this pivotal moment in Church History. Early Church Beliefs and Teachings One of the earliest Christian documents, the Didache, believed to have been written in the late first or early second century, pro...

Lent: Day 10 - ignatius to the Smyrnaeans

...Day Ten: St. ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Smyrnaeans (full text) Who: ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: A defence against the heresy of Docetism and an intriguing insight into the possible origins of evil spirits! Why: ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Colosseum around 108 AD. When: Around 107-108 AD The opening chapters of this letter pulls no punc...