Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the church of God the Most High Father and of his beloved Son Jesus Christ, having obtained mercy in every gift, filled with faith and love, lacking in no gift, most worthy of God and bearing holiness, which is at Smyrna in Asia: abundant greetings in a blameless spirit and in the word of God.
I glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through him has made you so wise; for I perceived that you are established in an unshakable faith, as though nailed to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ in both flesh and spirit, and firmly grounded in love in the blood of Christ—fully assured as to the truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the firstborn of all creation, God the Word, the only-begotten Son, who according to the flesh is of the lineage of David, from Mary the virgin, baptized by John, that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him.
He lived a holy life without sin, and under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch was truly nailed for us in the flesh—of whose fruit we are, by his divinely-blessed passion—that he might set up a banner for the ages, through the resurrection, for his holy and faithful ones, whether among Jews or among the nations, in the one body of his church.
For he suffered all these things for our sake; and he truly suffered, and not in mere appearance, even as he truly rose again. It is not as some of the unbelievers say, who, being ashamed of the fashioning of man, of the cross, and of death itself, declare that he took up the body from the virgin only in appearance and not in truth, and that he suffered only in appearance—forgetting him who said, "The Word became flesh," and, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," and, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself."
Therefore the Word dwelt in flesh; for "Wisdom built herself a house." The Word raised up his own temple—destroyed by the Jews who fought against Christ—on the third day. The Word, when his flesh was lifted up after the manner of the bronze serpent in the wilderness, drew all men to himself unto eternal salvation.
And when he came to those around Peter, he said to them, "Take hold, handle me and see, that I am not a bodiless demon; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you behold me having."
And to Thomas he says, "Put your finger into the print of the nails, and bring your hand and place it into my side." And immediately they believed that he was the Christ. Wherefore Thomas also says to him, "My Lord and my God."
And not only so, but even after he had shown himself to them that he was truly risen and not merely in appearance, he ate and drank with them for forty whole days; and thus, while they looked on, he was taken up with the flesh to him who had sent him, and with that same flesh he will come again with glory and power. For the oracles say, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you beheld him going into heaven."
But if they say that he comes without a body at the consummation of the age, how shall those who pierced him also see him, and recognizing him, mourn over themselves? For of bodiless beings there is neither form nor character, nor any likeness of a creature having a shape, because of the simplicity of their nature.
These things I exhort you to, beloved, knowing that you also are so minded. But I guard you in advance against the beasts in human form, whom you must not only turn away from, but even flee; and only pray for them, if perchance they may repent.
For if it was only in appearance that the Lord was in the body and only in appearance that he was crucified, then I too am bound only in appearance. And why have I given myself over to death—to fire, to the sword, to the beasts? But not in appearance; rather, in reality I endure all things for Christ's sake, that I may suffer together with him, since he himself empowers me; for of myself I have not so great strength.
Some, in their ignorance, have denied him and side with falsehood rather than with the truth; whom neither the prophecies nor the law of Moses have persuaded, nor even until now the Gospel, nor even our own individual sufferings.
For they think the same concerning us. For what does it profit, if someone praises me but blasphemes my Lord, not confessing him to be God bearing flesh? He who does not say this has utterly denied him, being a corpse-bearer.
But their names, being those of unbelievers, it has not seemed good to me to write down for now; nor may it ever be mine to remember them, until they repent.
Let no one be deceived: unless one believes that Christ Jesus lived in the flesh, and confesses his cross and his passion and the blood which he poured out for the salvation of the world, that person shall not attain eternal life—whether he be king or priest, whether ruler or commoner, whether master or slave, whether man or woman. Let him who can receive it, receive it; let him who has ears to hear, hear.
Let position and rank and wealth puff up no one; let dishonor and poverty humble no one. For the whole matter is faith toward God and hope in Christ, the enjoyment of the good things we await, and love toward God and toward our kind. "For you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." And the Lord says, "This is eternal life, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent," and, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another." On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets.
Take note, then, of those who hold heterodox opinions—how they lay it down as a teaching that the Father of Christ is unknowable, how they have faithless enmity with one another. They care nothing for love, they have no regard for the things we await, they reckon present things as though they were permanent, they disregard the commandments, they neglect the widow and the orphan, they spurn the afflicted, they mock the prisoner.
They are ashamed of the cross, they scoff at the passion, they make a comedy of the resurrection. They are offspring of that author-of-evil spirit—the one who through the woman thrust Adam out of the commandment, who slew Abel through Cain, who waged war against Job, who accused Jesus the son of Josedech, who asked that the faith of the apostles be sifted, who stirred up the multitude of the Jews against the Lord, and who even now works in the sons of disobedience—from whom may the Lord Jesus Christ deliver us, he who prayed that the faith of the apostles might not fail, not as though he were unable to keep it himself, but rejoicing in the preeminence of the Father.
It is fitting, therefore, to keep away from such people, and neither to speak of them in private nor in public, but to give heed to the law and the prophets and to those who have preached to you the word of salvation. But flee the ill-named heresies and those who cause schisms, as the beginning of evils.
Follow all of you the bishop, as Christ Jesus follows the Father, and the presbytery as the apostles; and respect the deacons as God's commandment. Let no one do anything pertaining to the church without the bishop. Let that be regarded as a valid Eucharist which is held under the bishop, or under one to whom he himself has entrusted it.
Wherever the bishop appears, there let the congregation be, just as where Christ is. The whole heavenly host stands by as before the commander-in-chief of the power of the Lord and the dispenser of all spiritual nature. It is not permitted, apart from the bishop, either to baptize, or to offer, or to present a sacrifice, or to hold a love-feast; but whatever he approves according to the good pleasure of God, that all may be sure and certain whatever is done.
It is reasonable, therefore, that we should come to our senses, while we still have time to repent unto God. For in Hades there is no one who can make confession. "For behold, a man, and his work is before his face."
"Honor," it says, "my son, God and the king." But I say: honor God indeed as the cause of all things and as Lord, and the bishop as high priest, bearing the image of God—of God in respect of ruling, and of Christ in respect of priesthood. And after him one must honor also the king; for there is no one mightier than God, nor any equal to him among all that exists, nor in the church any greater than the bishop, who is consecrated to God for the salvation of the whole world, nor among rulers any comparable to the king, who dispenses peace and good order to those he governs.
He who honors the bishop shall be honored by God, just as he who dishonors him shall be punished by God. For if he who rises up against kings deservedly becomes worthy of punishment, as one who breaks up the common good order, how much worse a penalty do you think will be deserved by one who chooses to do anything without the bishop, who tears apart concord and confounds good order? For the priesthood is the highest of all good things among men; he who rages against it dishonors not a man, but God and Christ Jesus, the firstborn and the only one who is by nature the high priest of the Father.
Let all things, therefore, be accomplished among you with good order in Christ. Let the laity be subject to the deacons, the deacons to the presbyters, the presbyters to the bishop, the bishop to Christ, as he himself is to the Father.
As you have refreshed me, brethren, so may Jesus the Christ refresh you. You loved me both when absent and when present; God will requite you, for whose sake you showed these things to his prisoner. For even if I am not worthy, yet the greatness of your eagerness is great. For he who honors a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; clearly, then, he who honors a prisoner of Jesus Christ shall receive a martyr's reward.
Philo and Gaius and Agathopus, who followed after me for the sake of the word of God, being deacons of Christ—you did well in receiving them as deacons of Christ; they also exceedingly give thanks to the Lord on your behalf, because you refreshed them in every way.
Let my spirit be a ransom on your behalf, and my bonds, which you did not despise nor were ashamed of; therefore neither shall the perfect hope, Jesus Christ, be ashamed of you.
Your prayers have reached the church of the Antiochenes, and it is at peace; from where, being a prisoner, I greet all. I am not worthy to belong there, being the least of them; yet by God's will I was counted worthy—not from my own conscience, but from the grace of God, which I pray may be given to me in full, that through your prayers I may attain to God.
Therefore, that your work may be perfected both on earth and in heaven, it is fitting, to the honor of God, that your church should ordain an ambassador of God, that having come to Syria they may rejoice together with them, because they are at peace and have recovered their own greatness, and their own body has been restored to them.
What has seemed worthy to me is this: that you send one of your own with a letter, that he may join in glorifying the calm which has come to them according to God, and that I have attained a good harbor of refuge—Christ—through your prayers. Being perfect, be also perfectly minded; for to those who wish to do well, God too is ready to provide.
The love of your brethren who are in Troas greets you, from where I am also writing to you by Burrhus, whom you sent along with me together with the Ephesians, your fellow-brethren, who in every way refreshed me. And would that all imitated him, being a pattern of the ministry of God. The grace of the Lord will requite him in every way.
I greet your bishop, worthy of God, Polycarp, and the godly presbytery, and the Christ-bearing deacons, my fellow-servants, and all of you, both individually and in common, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in his flesh and blood, in his passion and resurrection, both fleshly and spiritual, in the unity of God and of you. Grace to you, mercy, peace, and endurance through everything in Christ.
I greet the households of my brethren, with their wives and children, and the ever-virgins, and the widows. Be strong for me in the power of the Spirit. Philo, my fellow-deacon, who is with me, greets you.
I greet the household of Gavia, whom I pray may be firmly grounded in faith and love, both fleshly and spiritual. I greet Alce, a name dear to me, and the incomparable Daphnus, and Eutecnus, and all by name. Farewell in the grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit and with divine and holy wisdom.