What has given authority to Ignatius' letters is
his martyrdom. His letters, written in an abrupt and nervous style, overloaded with metaphors, incoherent, popular, and lacking every Hellenic grace, are yet endowed with such pathetic faith and such passionate joy in martyrdom, with such overwhelming love of Christ, that they are one of the finest expressions of the Christianity of the 2nd century.
6. Special points raised by the Epistle to the Romans. — Some special questions raised by the Letter to the Romans, whose authenticity we assume as bej^ond question, have been reserved for separate treatment.
Ignatius says that he has been most eager to see the 'godly countenances' of the Christians of Rome, and he hopes to salute them ' for wearing bonds in Christ Jesus' (Bom. i. 1). He implores them to do nothing to save him from martyrdom ; he dreads their very love ; for ' it is easy for them to do what they will' (vjuiv ydp evxepi^ icrnv, 6 O^Xere TroiTjffai, i. 2), i.e. the Romans were in a position to ensure Ignatius' liberation. As Harnack says (Dogmengesch.* i. 486; cf. Lightfoot, p. 196), ' Ignatius presupposes great influence on the part of the separate members of the community in the higher ruling circles.' The insistence with which Ignatius endeavours to dissuade the Romans from any possible intervention on his behalf would seem to indicate that the Romans had some definite plan in hand and that he had been informed of it.
Again, in the Letter to the Romans (iii. 1) we find : ' Ye never grudged any one ; ye were the instructors of others (dXXouj iSiSd^aTe). And my desire is that those lessons shall hold good which as teachers ye enjoin ' (^70; 5k OiXu iva KdKeiva /Se/Sata 5 & fjLadTjTevovTes ivriWeade). The word fiadriTeveiv means ' to make disciples,' as ixaBrirevea 6 ai means ' to be a disciple' (Eph. iii. 1). Thus the Romans gave instruction, made disciples, and laid down precepts. Ignatius is here probably thinking of such documents as 1 Clement, where the Church of Rome instructs other churches in their duty (so Duchesne, Eglises siparees, Paris, 1896, p. 129 ; Harnack, loc. cit. ; and Batiffol, Eglise naissante, Paris, 1909, p. 170), or he may have had in mind practical examples of martyrdom in the Church of Rome (in Eph. i. 2 he hopes to be able to follow the heroic example of these martp's [tVa etrnvxelv 8wr]du) /xa$T)Tr]s elvai ; cf. Magn. ix. 2, Rom. iv. 2, V. 3]). The second interpretation perhaps suits the context better (cf. Lightfoot, ii. 202).
In Rom. iv. 3 IgTiatius says : ' I do not enjoin you, as Peter and Paul did. They were Apostles, I am a convict.' The word /card/cpiros (condenmatus) is diflicult to explain ; but it may at any rate be taken as an expression of Ignatius' humility such as is found in Trail, iii. 3 : ' I did not think myself competent for this, that being a convict I should order you as though I were an apostle' (IVa ibv Kard- KpiTOi u)s dTT^cTToXoj xjuXv diaTdcTcrw/xai). The apostles were, after Jesus Christ, the authorities of most account. ' I do not command you, as though I were somewhat' (ov diaTd<T<70/x.ai vfjuv ws &v rts), writes Ignatius to the Ephesians (iii. 1 ; cf. 1 Co 7^^). In the quotation from Rom, iv. 3 given above Ignatius mentions St. Peter and St. Paul because they alone of all the disciples had any dealings with the Romans : ' they had been at Rome and had given commandments to the Roman Church' (Lightfoot, ii. 209). This allusion to St. Peter is generally taken as evidence of the fact that St. Peter went to Rome (cf. F. Sieflert, art. 'Petrus' in PRE^ xv. [1904] 200; F. H. Chase, art. 'Peter (Simon)' in EDB iii. [1900] 769).
While Ignatius is still in Asia, Christians of Antioch go directly before him from Syria to Rome ' unto the glory of God.' Ignatius is aware of this fact, and he writes to the Romans (x. 2) : ' they are
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all worthy of God and of you, and it becometh you to refresh them in all tilings.'
From this Ave may learn that there were great facilities for communication between Antioch or Ephesus (x. 1) and Rome. The Christians from Sj^ria were most heartily welcomed at Rome, and from that time onwards the Church of Rome was known for its hospitality and generosity. In the address of the Letter to the Romans, the Church of Rome is saluted in most emphatic terms. If M'e comi)are this with the addresses of the other letters we shall find that this emphasis is part of Ignatius' style (Polycarp, on the other hand, couches his address to the Philippians in the simplest terms) ; but, all the same, he salutes the Cliurch of Rome with more empliasis than the other churches, which shows the great consideration shown at this time by other churches (esp, the Church of Antioch) to the Church of Rome. As Harnack says : ' However much one tones down the exaggerated expressions in his Letter to the Romans, so much is clear — that Ignatius assigns to the Roman community a posi- tion of real superiority over the sister-communities . . . the effusiveness of the address shows that he values and salutes this community as the fore- most in all Christendom' (Harnack, loc. cit.).