F. W. WOKSLEY.
IGNATIUS.— 1. Life. — From the date of the Apostolic Decree (Ac 15^^'^^) onwards, i.e. from about A.D. 50, there is absolutely no evidence as to the history of the Church of Antioch. In the time of Origen and Julius Africanus, Ignatius was considered as the second of the Antiochene bishops. Between him and Theophilus (t c. 185) three bishops were usually placed — Hero, Cornelius, and Eros, of whom nothing was known but their names. Euodius was regarded as Ignatius' prede- cessor (Harnack, Chronologie, i., Leipzig, 1897, p. 210). But as a matter of fact, as Liglitfoot (Apos- tolic Fathers^, pt. ii. vol. ii., London, 1889, p. 471) says : ' The dates of the first century, the accession of Euodius A.D. 42, and the accession of Ignatius A.D. 69, deserve no credit.' The information to be gleaned from the Apost. Constit. vil. xlvi. 4 (ed. Funk, Paderborn, 1905), such as that Euodius was ordained bishop by St. Peter and Ignatius by St. Paul, does not seem to be of any greater value than the foregoing. St. John Chrysostom, in the panegyric which he pronounces at Antioch on St. Ignatius, supposes that Ignatius knew the apostles and received the laying on of hands from them (in S. Martyrem Ignatium, 1 and 2 [Migne, Patrologia Graeca, 1. 587 f.]). The Apost. Constit. and St. John Chrysostom represent the same legend in for- mation. The extent of Eusebius' information (HE III. xxxvi. 2) was that St. Peter was the lirst bishop of Antioch and that Ignatius was his second successor, Euodius being the first. He depends for his knowledge on Origen (Horn, in Lucam, 6), and is in turn followed by Jerome (de Vir. illustr. 16).
Apart from the fact that he was bishop of Antioch and the details furnished by his authentic letters, the history of Ignatius is absolutely un- known. Some critics have tried, with more zeal than discretion, to fill up the gaps in the history with conjectures, but these are quite wortliless. For example, E. Bruston (Ignace d'Antiochc, Paris, 1897, p. 112f.) advances tiie theory that Ignatius was neither Greek nor Syrian, but Roman, his proof being that Ignatius' name is a Latin one (cf. Forcellini-De-Vit., Onomnsticon, s.v. 'Ignatius = Egnatius'), and that he has all the characteristics of the Roman mind, which is essentially practical ! Von Dolischiitz (Christian Life in the Prindtive Church, Eng. tr., 1904, p. 235 f.) says, with equal justification: 'Ignatius is a genuine Syrian. His diction, which, for Greek, is almost intolerably affected, everywhere reveals the fiery rhythm of Syriac poetry with its wonderful richness of colour- ing and imagination.'
In the signature of each of his seven letters, Ignatius calls himself 'lyvdrLo^ 6 /cai Q€o<p6pos. On
the analogy of expressions like SaOXos 6 nal IlaDXoj (Ac 13^), we may suppose that Geo^opos is not an epithet but a proper name (Lightfoot, p. 22). Zahn (p. 3) compares it with OMttios 'E-jrdyados in Eusebius, HE V. i. 9. As to when and why Ignatius took the name of Qeo^Spos, we have to confess complete ignorance.
The author of the Passion of Ignatius, entitled the Martyriurn Colbertinum (Funk, ii. 276), calls him a ' disciple of the Apostle John ' and ' a thoroughly apostolic man,' but he gives no evidence for the truth of his statements. In his Letter to Polycarp (i. 1) Ignatius seems to say that he has just met Polycarp for the first time (Funk, Kirchengeschichtl. Abhandiungcn, ii. [Paderborn, 1899] 340). As Polycarp was an Asiatic disciple of St. John, this would be a proof that Ignatius was not a co- disciple of his. Besides, Ignatius is absolutely silent on the subject of the Apostle John, which, had Ignatius known him, would be very puzzling, considering that Ignatius wrote a long letter to the Ephesians.
An attempt has been made to find in Romans, iv. 3, an indication that Ignatius was a slave. But the text has probably a spiritual and not a literal meaning (cf. Philadclphians, viii. 1 ; Lightfoot, p. 210). It is inconceivable that a slave should ever have been put at the head of a Christian com- munity.
Ignatius was not a Roman citizen, since he was condemned to be thrown to the beasts. The modest expressions that Ignatius uses in speaking of himself suggest that he was not a Christian by birth, but became one later on. His previous life may have had some analogy with that of the Apostle Paul before his conversion. ' But for my- self I am ashamed to be called one of them {i.e. the Antiochene Christians] ; for neither am I worthy, being the very last of them and an un- timely birth' (Romans, ix. 2).* There are similar protestations of humility in Eph. xxi. 2, Trail. xiii. 1, and Smyrn. xi. 1.
Eusebius places the martyrdom of Ignatius in the time of Trajan (A.D. 98-117) — a wide choice of date to which no objection can be raised (Light- foot, p. 469 f. ). There seems good reason, however, for deciding on the last years of Trajan's reign as the most likely date (Harnack, Chronologie, i. 406). According to the Martyriurn Colbertinum, ii. 1-2 (Funk, ii. 276), Ignatius appeared before Trajan in the 9th year of his reign (26 Jan. 106- 26 Jan. 107), when the latter was passing through Antioch on a march against the Parthians (the war against the Parthians, however, only Ijegan in 112). He was condemned by the Emperor and sent to Rome, where he died on 20 Dec. 107, in the consulate of Sura and Senecio (vii. 1, p. 284). This date is debatable, for the oldest known reference to the ' natale ' of Ignatius, found in the Syriac Martyrology published by Wright, fixes the anniversary as 17 Oct. (Bolland, AS, Nov. i. 1 [1894], p. Ixii. [text restored by Duchesne] : Koi li;', lyvdrios iwicrKoiros 'Avrioxeias iK tCiv apxaiuv jxapripuv). Tlie place of the martyrdom is not mentioned. Wright's Martyrology is certainly not later than the middle of the 4th cent., and appears to have been compiled in Antioch. This date (17 Oct.) is confirmed by St. John Chrysostom and other writers and documents (H. Quentin, Les Martyrologes historiqnes, Paris, 1908, p. 548). Lightfoot says (p. 434) : ' The only anniversary, which has any claims to consideration as the true day of the martyrdom, is October 17.' If, then, the date of 20 Dec. for the martyrdom of Ignatius is not correct, no reliance can be placed on the date of the consulate of Sura and Senecio. The main part of the Martyriurn Colber-