Martyrdom of St Ignatius Theophorus

Commentary: When Trajan became Emperor of Rome, St Ignatius was Bishop of the Church of Antioch. St Ignatius was not only called God-Bearer (Theophorus) but he really was God-Bearer. This holy man is known to be the person whom, when an infant, our Lord Jesus showed to the Apostles as a pattern. One day, the parents of this child were standing in the crowd around Jesus and listening to His words. They had their child with them. The Lord looked at them and called the little child to Him. He set him in the midst of them, embraced him, took him in His arms and said:

Jesus: “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Commentary: Certainly Saint Ignatius was called Theophorus because God Incarnate bore him in His arms. But also because he carried God in his heart. Ignatius, along with his friend St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, were disciples of John the Apostle. Ignatius the God-Bearer was a good shepherd for forty years. He took care of his flock by fasting and prayer, with unceasing zeal in teaching and in the power of the Spirit received from God. He guarded the sheep lest at the time of persecution any of the fainthearted or inexperienced should be broken. When the persecution faded for a time, the holy Bishop had only one concern – he was afraid that he was not yet filled with the true love of Christ because, being a disciple of Christ, he had so far not sealed his faith with martyrdom. But the time came when the most ardent desire of his heart was fulfilled – to lay down his life for Christ! Emperor Trajan learned that Christians not only refused to make sacrifices to pagan gods but they even ridiculed them and exposed their falseness. Therefore, he issued an order that Christians in all the land who refused to obey his regulations had to be killed. The Emperor started severe persecution. The Church of Christ has never enjoyed permanent peace. Even today, persecution is the most reliable sign of where there is really the true Church and where is just tasteless salt.

 

When Trajan went to war against Persia, he passed through Antioch. There slander about St Ignatius the God-Bearer came to his ears. Hearing that all, he called the holy man to appear before him. He sat down in the judgment seat with all his counsellors and said:

Trajan: Is that you who are called Theophorus? Is that you who defy our regulations, lead astray all Antioch and persuade people to follow your Christ?

 

Commentary: Saint Ignatius, who was fearless before the rulers of this world, confessed the name of his Lord and Saviour, and replied:

Ignatius: It is I.

 

Trajan: And what is the meaning of your surname – Theophorus?

Ignatius: He who carries Christ in his heart!

 

Trajan: And do not we seem to you to bear the gods in our hearts, whom we have assisting us against our enemies?

Ignatius: You err in calling idols gods. There is only one true God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, whose kingdom will have no end. To Him are directed all my desires!

 

Trajan: Do you carry about your Christ within you?

Ignatius: Yes, for it is written: “I will dwell in them and walk among them.” If you knew Him too, your scarlet robe and crown and throne would have real power.

 

Trajan: Ignatius, stop it! You’d better hear my words. If you want to please me and if you want to be counted among my friends, join us and make sacrifice to gods, and soon you will become the high priest of Zeus and we will appoint you father of the senate.

Ignatius: Why should I be the high priest of Zeus if I am Archbishop of Christ? To Him I offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving every day, and I desire to offer myself to Him too as a sacrifice.

 

Trajan: To whom do you want to offer yourself as a sacrifice? To him who was crucified under Pontius Pilate?

Ignatius: Yes, to Him I desire to offer myself as a sacrifice. To Him who by His death crucified sin and the originator of sin – the devil. The cross of Christ destroyed all power of the devil.

 

Trajan: It seems to me, Ignatius, that you have lost common sense. Have you not been seduced by Christian writings? Otherwise, you would understand what bliss it is to submit to the emperor’s orders and to make offerings to gods like all other people.

 

Commentary: Ignatius the God-Bearer, filled with the Spirit of fearlessness, said:

Ignatius: If you should throw me to the beasts to be devoured, if you should crucify me on the cross, if you should deliver me to the sword or give me to the fire, I will never make a sacrifice to demons! Neither do I fear death! I am not seeking earthly blessings, but I long for eternal ones! I am doing my best to come to Christ, my God, who willingly died for me.

 

Commentary: Then, one of the members of the senate, supposing that he would catch Ignatius in his words, said:

Senator1: Have you not said that your God is dead?

Senator2: How can he who is dead help anyone?

Senator3: Our gods are immortal, and that is why they are called so.

 

Ignatius: My Lord and God, Jesus Christ, became man for our sake, and for our salvation He willingly accepted the cross, death and burial. On the third day He rose from the dead, and overcame all the power of the enemy forever! He ascended into heaven, raised us up from corruption and brings us back to paradise from which we were expelled. He gave us more blessings than we had enjoyed before the fall. And what about the gods you worship? None of them has done anything like this. On the contrary, when you remove the veil of illusion, it will be revealed that they are lost in eternal death and drag many into perdition.

 

Commentary: When Saint Ignatius said this, the Emperor and the senate feared lest his next words should bring shame on their gods. So they ordered him to be taken to prison. The Emperor could not sleep all night. He thought about how to do away with Ignatius. Finally, he decided to condemn him to be given to wild beasts. This kind of death seemed to him the cruellest one. In the morning, he presented his decision to the senate and all agreed that Saint Ignatius should be given to the beasts to be devoured, but not in Antioch lest he should be venerated all the more by the believers because of his martyrdom and lest those who would see him should be strengthened in the faith.

 

Senator1: Let him be bound and taken to Rome and there let him be given to the beasts.

Senator2: Indeed, exhausted from the long journey, he will receive a heavier punishment.

Senator3: Among the Romans, where nobody knows him, he will die as one of thieves. There will be no trace of him left.

 

Commentary: The Emperor liked the advice. He sentenced Saint Ignatius to death in Rome. He was to be given to the beasts to be devoured in the arena in front of spectators on the feast day. On hearing the verdict, Ignatius the God-Bearer cried in a loud voice:

Ignatius: I thank You, O Lord, for vouchsafing to honour me with this token of perfect love for You. Now I desire nothing else than to be torn to pieces without delay by the wild beasts!

 

Commentary: Saint Ignatius put on the chains and kissed them as most precious jewels. The Emperor went to war with the army, and the holy martyr, clad in heavy chains, was hurried away by ten merciless, cruel soldiers to be conveyed to Rome. As he was leaving Antioch, he earnestly prayed for the Church and recommended his flock to God. The faithful wept and lamented bitterly. Others accompanied him on his way, tied to him by a bond of deep love. On their arrival at Seleucia, they boarded a ship and landed in Smyrna. There Ignatius met with Saint Polycarp, the divine apostle, his fellow disciple. During their God-pleasing conversation, he was filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, enjoying felicity in his fetters. What could be a more beautiful adornment than these chains for the sake of his Lord? This journey was to him like a solemn march. All the way the faithful flocked around Ignatius. He taught them, strengthened them and begged them to persevere in the faith without fear. But the more they approached Rome, the more St Ignatius feared lest the believers in Rome should somehow obtain of God his deliverance from death. Thus, to prevent them from closing the door to his martyrdom, he wrote to them:

Ignatius: Ignatius called Theophorus, Bishop of the Church of God in Antioch, to the Church in Rome: I fear your charity lest it prejudice me. For it is easy for you to do what you please, but it will be difficult for me to attain unto God if you spare me. I write to the Churches and signify to them all, that I am willing to die for Christ, unless you hinder me.

 

I am even yet a slave. But if I suffer I shall then become the freeman of Jesus Christ, and shall arise a freeman in Him. Now I begin to be a true disciple of Christ, so that I have no desire after anything visible or invisible, that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire, or the cross, or the concourse of wild beasts, let cutting or tearing of the flesh, let breaking of bones and cutting off limbs, let the shattering in pieces of my whole body, and all the wicked torments come upon me, so that I may but attain to Jesus Christ. It is better for me to die for the sake of Jesus Christ than to rule unto the ends of the earth. Him I seek who died for us, Him I desire who rose again for us, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the true God and Father. The prince of this world endeavours to snatch me away, and to change the desire with which I burn of being united to God. My love is crucified. The fire that is within me does not crave any water, but springing within like a heavenly flame, says: “Come to the Father!” I thirst for the drink of God, His Blood shed for me, which is incorruptible charity and eternal life. I desire no longer to live according to men. I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. I entreat you in this short letter, brethren: do not hinder me, but believe me that I love Jesus who died for me. What can I offer the Lord for all He has done for me? Brethren, persevere in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Commentary: He sent this letter ahead of him to Rome. Soon, the martyr himself, led by the soldiers, arrived in the city. Some brethren of the Church of Rome set out to steal Ignatius Theophorus from the arena to spare him from horrible torture and cruel death. But the Holy Spirit revealed their intentions to the saint. And when they came out to meet him, the saint approached them and spoke kindly:

Ignatius: My dear children! Do not thwart the will of Providence, and my fervent desire!

 

Commentary: The martyr spoke convincing words to the hearts of his brethren until they withdrew from their intention. Then kneeling with all the brethren, Ignatius prayed to the Son of God in a loud voice:

Ignatius: O Lord Jesus Christ, protect Your flock! O Jesus, give peace to the Churches of God! O Jesus, to Your mercy I commend my brethren who are persecuted in all places. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus....

 

Commentary: The saint had not yet finished his prayer when the soldiers hurried him into the amphitheatre. The whole city gathered for the spectacle. The roar of lions was heard from the cages. The wild beasts had been deliberately left a long time without food to become even fiercer. When they led the holy martyr to the centre of the amphitheatre, he constantly called upon the name of Jesus Christ.

 

The wicked asked him:

Soldier: Why do you always repeat this name?

 

Commentary: The saint replied:

Ignatius: Because I have the name of Jesus Christ written in my heart! With my mouth I confess Him Whom I always carry in my heart.

 

Commentary: The martyr stood in the middle of the arena. He turned to the people and, brave-hearted and with a radiant face, he exclaimed in a loud voice:

Ignatius: You men of Rome, who are watching my heroic feat, let it be known to you all that it is not for a crime that I am sentenced to this death but for my only God, Jesus Christ! I have embraced Him with pure love; He is my heart’s burning desire. I am the wheat of God, and I am to be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.

 

Commentary: When the holy martyr said these words, two fierce lions were set upon him and instantly devoured him, leaving nothing of his body but the larger bones: thus the martyr’s prayer was heard that the beasts become his sepulchre. It happened on 20 December in the year 107 A.D.

 

By the will of God, his heart remained whole. When the wicked found it, they remembered the martyr’s words and cut the heart into two halves. They wanted to see if it was true what he had said. On both sides inside the heart they found the inscription in golden letters: JESUS CHRIST. Saint Ignatius was Theophorus not only by his name but also by his whole life, because he always carried Jesus Christ – his God in his heart.

 

When the crowd dispersed, the believers who were in Rome, and some of those who had come with him, collected the remains of the martyr and wept inconsolably. They begged God on their knees to let them know if they had acted rightly when they had not spared Saint Ignatius. At night, the saint appeared to some of them and embraced them gratefully, comforting them in their grief. Others saw the martyr standing and praying for the city. He was in a sweat, as if he were working hard, and then he approached the throne of God with joy. The believers understood that God regarded with favour the sacrifice of the saint who thus received the crown of eternal life. Such was the end of Saint Ignatius Theophorus! Such his heroism! Such his love of God! Pray for us, O Holy Martyr Ignatius, that Christ may also dwell in our hearts through faith, that our hearts be set aflame with the love of Him who loved us first and gave Himself for us. May the holy, invincible and glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glorified in our life and death too!

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