That the Spirit stands in opposition to the flesh we have already gathered from many examples. This was a familiar article of faith to Ignatius : the flesh is man, the Spirit is a princijile which comes from God and acts in man (rb irvev/xa . . . dwb 6eov 6v) searching out his closest secrets (Philad. vii. 1). The prophets were the disciples of the Spirit (Magn. ix. 2). The Spirit inspires the spiritual man, and Ignatius is conscious of being so inspired: 'It was the preaching of the Spirit who spoke on this wise' [by my mouth] (rb irvev/xa iKTipva-crev Xiyov rdde, Philad. vii. 2). On this point Swete shrewdly observes : ' It is interesting to observe that Ignatius can combine a claim to pro- phetic inspiration with a passionate zeal for a regular and fully organized ministry' (The Holy Sjiirit in the Ancient Church, London, 1912, p. 14). The believers are the ' building of God the Fatlier' (olKodofiTiv OeoO irarpSs), ' lioisted up to tlie heiglits through the engine of Jesus Christ {/xrjxavrjs 'Trjaou XptcTTov), which is the Cross, and using lor a rope the Holy Spirit' (a-xoivlip xpi^M^^o' Ti^ irvevixarL rip dyl(i), Eph. ix. 1). Ignatius adjures the Mag- nesians to remain united in flesh and spirit (crapKl Kai TTveiiiaTi.), hy faith and love, in the Son, the Father, and the Spirit (iv vli} Kal irarpl Kal iv irvev- fiari, Magn. xiii. 1). The Spirit is named along with the Logos (iv i/j.(Jbficp wverj/jLari Kal X6y(p deov, Smyrn. inscr.). The apostles were obedient np Xpicrrip Kal rip irarpl Kal ru irveufxan (Magn. xiii. 2 ; it is difficult not to regard this as an example of
iGiS'ATlUb
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the trinitarian baptismal formula [Harnack, Dug- mengesch.'^ i. 175]).
The Fathei" is plenitude [ir\T]pwfj.a, Eph. inscr. ). The Son is the Logos of God [Magn. viii. 2), the thought of God [yvu/j.^ deov, Eph. iii. 2), and the knowledge of God {yuQcns deov, xvii. 2). The Spirit is the x'^P'-'^P-'^ of Christ [rb xttp'C^a 8 ireTro/J.(p€v dXrjduis 6 KvpLos, lb.), and in this sense the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ {Fhilad. inscr.), althougli one cannot identify Christ and the Holy Spirit in any way, as Harnack would have us do (Dogmen- gesch.* i. 214), basing his argument on Magn. xv., ■where aSiaKpirov irvevixa is a synonym of 6/j.6voia and not of dyLov irvevixa. The Word and the Spirit are not known except by their missions in time.
Christianity, in opposition to Judaism, is the life of Christ in us ('ItjctoDs Xpio-rij rb d\ridtvbv rjfiQv ^rju, Smyrn. iv. 1 ; cf. Eph. iii. 2, xi. 1, Magn. i. 2, ix. 2), which is manifested through faith and love (Eph. xiv. 1 ; cf. Smyrn. vi. 1, Philad. ix. 2). This life is the fruit of the Spirit ; it is the Spirit in contrast with the flesh. ' The capKiKoi cannot do TO. TTvevfiaTLKd, neither can the vvev/xaTiKoi do rd ffapKiKa' {Eph. viii. 2), and Ignatius even goes the length of saying, ' No man professing faith sinnetli ' [ovoels Tviariv iirayyeWo/ievoi a/xaprdvei, Eph. xiv. 2).
As Christ is joined to the Father so the Church is joined to Christ (Eph. v. 1), for Christ is in every believer ( XV. 3). He 'breathes incorruption upon the Church' (xvii. 1). He is the High Priest to whom is committed the lioly of holies ; to Him alone the secrets of God are conlided. He is the door of the Father through whicli Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Church enter in (Philad. i. 9).
Tlietime of the end is at hand ('These are the last times,' idxo-Toi. Kaipoi, Eph. xi. 1). All those who be- lieve in Christ will rise again (Trail, ix. 2). The believers are members of Clirist through His Cross and Passion, and the Head cannot exist apart from the members, so that in the end there will be unity, God Himself being Unity (toO deov evua-iv iirayyeX- XoijAvov, fls i(XTiv airrbs, Trail, xi. 2). AVe find no trace of millennarianism and no apocalyptical imagery. The things of heaven (rk iwovpavia) are mentioned only in the abstract (Trail, v. 2), and with them the angelical orders (rdj ToirodeffLas, rds dyyeXiKd^, rds avcTTdaeLS, rd^ dpxovrtKds : terms which seem to foreshadow Gnosticism). Cf. Polyc. ii. 2: ' And as for the invisible things, pray thou that they may be revealed unto thee ' (rd 8i dbpara atrei 'iva (701 (pavepud-j).
This short analysis of the theologoumena of Ignatius will have shown the justice of F. Loofs' verdict (Leitfaden zum Studium der Doginenge- fichichte*, Halle, 1906, p. 102) that ' Johannine and Pauline thoughts ring through the theology of Ignatius'; but it is not correct to say that his theology is 'a theology of Asia Minor' distinct from ' ordinary Gentile Christianity ' (cf. Harnack, Dogmengesch.* i. 168). It is rather the theology of the presbyters quoted by Irenteus; his theology, as Harnack says (op. cit. i. 241) is of the same nature as that of Melito and Irenaeus, ' whose pre- decessor he is ' ; it is the tutiorist theology of tradition which afterwards triumphantly withstood the Gnostic crisis ; it was not brought' into being by that crisis, but must certainly have existed prior to it although later than the monarchical episcopate. Ignatius has no creative genius, but, as Sanday aptlj' says, ' the striking thing about him is the way in which he seems to anticipate the spirit of the later theology ; the way in which he singles out as central the points which it made central, and the just balance and proportion which he observes between them' {Christologies, p. 10 f.).