From a letter to the Church of Smyrna by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
| Christ has called us to his kingdom and glory |
|---|
From
Ignatius, known as Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father and of
Jesus Christ, his beloved, at Smyrna in Asia, wishing you all joy in an
immaculate spirit and the Word of God. By his mercy you have won every
gift and lack none, filled as you are with faith and love, beloved of
God and fruitful in sanctity.
I celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ as God, because
he is responsible for your wisdom, well aware as I am of the perfection
of your unshakeable faith. You are like men who have been nailed body
and soul to the cross of Jesus Christ, confirmed in love by his blood.
In regard to the Lord, you firmly believe that he was of the race of David according to the flesh, but God’s son by the will and power of God; truly born of the Virgin and baptized by John, that all justice might be fulfilled;
truly nailed to a cross in the flesh for our sake under Pontius Pilate
and the Tetrarch Herod, and of his most blessed passion we are the
fruit. And thus, by his resurrection he raised up a standard over his
saints and faithful ones for all time (both Jews and Gentiles alike) in
the one body of his Church. For he endured all this for us, for our
salvation; and he really suffered, and just as truly rose from the dead.
As for myself, I am convinced that he was united with
his body even after the resurrection. When he visited Peter and his
companions, he said to them: Take hold of me, touch me and see that I am not a spirit without a body.
Immediately they touched him and believed, clutching at his body and
his very spirit. And for this reason they despised death and conquered
it. In addition, after his resurrection, the Lord ate and drank with
them like a real human being, even though in spirit he was united with
his Father.
And so I am giving you serious instruction on these
things, dearly beloved, even though I am aware that you believe them to
be so.
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