Ignatius was bishop of Antioch in Syria in the late first century. His writings were very close to the thoughts of the New Testament writers. He wrote seven letters while being taken to Rome as a prisoner. He was going there to die for his faith (probably AD 107).
He wrote letters to churches in cities through which he passed, Philadelphia and Smyrna. He wrote letters to churches that sent representatives to visit him during this final journey—namely, Ephesus, Tralles, and Magnesia. He sent a letter to the church in Rome before he arrived. He asked them not to try to stop the Roman leaders from killing him for his faith. He also wrote a letter to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna.
These letters are similar to the New Testament letters. They reveal a strong commitment to Christ and to the physical facts of his birth, death, and resurrection. The letters of Ignatius parallel the gospels in several places and appropriate language from a number of the Pauline letters.
The letters of Ignatius are evidence of the rapid development of the episcopal structure in the early church of Asia Minor and Syria. In the New Testament, the local church was governed by a body of equal officers called elders or bishops. In these letters, there is a reference to a single ruling bishop in each city except Rome. Ignatius is the first writer to use the term “catholic” (meaning “universal“) to describe the church. His use of the term showed that churches were connected. They believed the same things about Jesus and worked together. When one church had problems or ideas, they would send people to talk with other churches.
Ignatius opposed the Ebionite heresy. This heresy demanded the keeping of the Jewish regulations as the way of salvation. According to Ignatius, to affirm Christ the believer must reject Jewish practices. The Christian must worship on the Lord’s Day, the day of his resurrection, rather than observe the Jewish sabbaths. Yet he did view the church as the continuation of the Old Testament people of God and the prophets as disciples who looked forward to Christ.
Ignatius also attacked Docetism. This view held that Christ only appeared to have real birth, death, and resurrection. In reciting the facts of Christ’s life, Ignatius was the first one outside the New Testament writers to speak of the virgin birth of Jesus. Ignatius also emphasized the fact that the apostles touched the body of their risen Lord. Ignatius said it was the real suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross and his physical resurrection that made it possible for him to face martyrdom.