Ignatius of Antioch (d. ca. 107)
Bp. of Antioch, martyred in Rome. His Letters ( CPG 1025), written in Greek, survive in Syriac in three forms: 1. a short recension, consisting of ‘Letters to the Ephesians, the Romans, and Polycarp bishop of Smyrna’. This is known only in Syriac translation (ed. W. Cureton 1845, 1859; and W. Wright in J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2.3 [1889], 75–92); the Letter to the Romans was already quoted by Yoḥannan Iḥidaya (ed. Rignell, Briefe [1941], 90). The Syriac was later translated into Armenian and Arabic; 2. the middle recension, consisting of four further Letters (to the Christians of Magnesia, Tralles, Philadelphia, and Smyrna); all seven are generally thought to be genuine; and 3. a long recension with some further letters, as well as interpolations in the seven genuine ones.
The account of Ignatius’s martyrdom ( CPG 1036) was also translated into Syriac (ed. Wright, in Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2.3, 103–24; and ed. Bedjan, Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum, vol. 3, 199–214).
His commemoration is on 17 Oct.
Sources
- CPG 1025–1036.
- A. Brent, Ignatius of Antioch (2007). (for the wider background)
- F. von Lilienfeld, ‘Zur syrischen Kurzrezension der Ignatianen’, Studia Patristica 7 (= TU 92; 1966), 233–47. (repr. in her Spiritualität... [1983], 30–47)
- J. Obeid, ‘Ignace d’Antioche: Lettre aux Romains, versions syriaque et arabe’, ParOr 21 (1996), 65–109.
How to Cite This Entry
Footnote Style Citation with Date:
Sebastian P. Brock , “Ignatius of Antioch,” in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, edited by Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay (Gorgias Press, 2011; online ed. Beth Mardutho, 2018), https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Ignatius-of-Antioch.
Bibliography Entry Citation:
Brock, Sebastian P. “Ignatius of Antioch.” In Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Edited by Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay. Digital edition prepared by David Michelson, Ute Possekel, and Daniel L. Schwartz. Gorgias Press, 2011; online ed. Beth Mardutho, 2018. https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Ignatius-of-Antioch.
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