This Apostolic saint need not detain us long. He is alleged to have
been the identical babe taken up in the arms of Jesus as an example of
innocence and humility to his none too innocent or humble disciples.
But in truth his history is as untrustworthy and fabulous as that of the
other heroes of the early Christian Church. St. Chrysostom tells us
that Ignatius never saw the Lord Jesus Christ, and he might have added
neither did any of the other early Christian writers, with the possible
exception of the author of the Revelation; unless, like Paul, they saw
him in a trance. He is said to have been a Syrian Bishop of Antioch,
but, like the Galilean fishermen, to have written in Greek. Fifteen
epistles are ascribed to him, but of these eight are universally
admitted to be spurious, and the other seven are exceeding doubtful,
three only being found in the Syrian manuscript. Calvin said: "Nothing
can be more disgusting than those silly trifles which are edited in the
name of Ignatius." The reason for the Presbyterian's condemnation lay
in the stress which these epistles place upon Episcopacy. The writer
declares himself to have been inspired by the Spirit saying on this
wise: "Do nothing without the bishops (Phil. vii., p. 233). He says
bishops are to be looked on even as the Lord himself (ad. Ephes. vi., p.
152). Again, let all reverence deacons as Jesus Christ, of whose place
they are the keepers" (ad. "Trail.," chap, iii., p. 191), and "He who
honors the bishop has been honored by God; he who does anything without
the knowledge of the bishop does [in reality] serve the devil" (ad.
"Smyrn," chap, ix., p. 249).
Dr. Donaldson ("Apostolic Fathers," p. 102) says: "The writings now
ascribed to him present a problem which has not yet been solved"--"in
whatever form they be examined, they will be found to contain opinions
and exhibit modes of thought entirely unknown to any of the Ep-Apostolic
writings."
Ignatius, who was surnamed Theophorus, is said to have been martyred,
but the year in which his death occurred is among the obscurities of
early Christian chronology. It is alleged that he voluntarily courted
death by giving himself up as a Christian to Trajan when that emperor
was at Antioch, and that he was sent by a circuitous route all the way
to-Rome in order to be devoured by wild beasts there, or, apparently,
rather in order to write his epistles while a prisoner on his journey.
But no reference to this legend is to be traced during the first six
centuries of the Christian era. This absurd story is now generally
discredited. The life and writings of Ignatius must be classed in the
vast catalogue of Christian myths and fabrications.