Ignatius of Antioch to the Trallians IX

…….Do not listen, then, to any talk that ignores Jesus Christ,
who was of the race of David, of Mary;
who was really born, ate, and drank,
who was really persecuted under Pontius Pilate
and was really crucified and died in the sight of heaven and earth and the underworld.
He was really raised from the dead,
for his Father raised him,
just as his Father will also raise us, who believe in him,
through Christ Jesus, apart from whom we have no genuine life.

Ignatius of Antioch ( +110 A.D.) wrote this letter to the Trallians on his way to martyrdom in Rome. The words expressed in this part of the letter is a personal act of faith but also shows the “creed” of the early Christians in the then, ever growing Church. The seven letters, considered authentic by the majority of scholars, though short, are very rich in catholic teachings. They were written on the eve of his martyrdom and obviously present the enlightened, devout and charismatic figure of this early Church Bishop in Antioch.

Reflection
Jesus Christ is true God and true man. This was the Faith of the early Church. The insistence of the term “really” by the bishop of Antioch, just in only a few verses, shows the faith and the teachings of the early Christians on the Humanity and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Bishop of Antioch gave a place in the history of mankind to Jesus Christ and also taught the wonders of salvation in the resurrection of Christ. He was the first of the Apostolic Fathers to mention the Blessed Virgin Mary the mother of God (virginity and maternity of Mary). Ignatius points out the danger of the Docetic teachings that regarded the birth, death and resurrection of Christ as mere appearance. The teachings on Jesus Christ were later decreed in the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea (+325 AD) and the councils that had followed.

The Creed: “………We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures……” (the Nicene-Constantinople Creed)

Prayer: Anima Christi
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life ! ( Jn. 14:6)
Soul of Christ, make me holy. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, fill me with love. Water from Christ’s side, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. Good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds, hide me. Never let me be parted from you. From the evil enemy, protect me. At the hour of my death, call me, and tell me to come to you so that with your saints I may praise you through all eternity. Amen.

fr. sandro