Epistles of St. Ignatius

Epistles of Ignatius present a series of letters written by Ignatius of Antioch on his journey to Rome. Instead of being executed in his home town of Antioch, Ignatius was escorted to Rome by a company of ten Roman soldiers. During the journey, the soldiers allowed Ignatius to meet with entire congregations of Christians while in chains and numerous Christian visitors and messengers were allowed to meet with him. These messengers allowed Ignatius to send six letters to nearby churches, and one to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. Ignatius's letters bear signs of being written in great haste and without a proper plan, such as run-on sentences and an unsystematic succession of thought. Ignatius modeled his writings after those allegedly written by Paul, Peter, and John, and even quoted or paraphrased biblical entries by these apostles' works freely. Seven original epistles: The Epistle to the Ephesians The Epistle to the Magnesians The Epistle to the Trallians The Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Philadelphians The Epistle to the Smyrnaeans The Epistle to Polycarp, a bishop of Smyrna

Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD) was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of a later collection of works known to be authored by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered to be one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops.