Greeting to the Christians in Rome
1 Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the church that has found mercy in the generosity of the Father Most High and of Jesus Christ His only Son; to the church that is loved and enlightened through the will of Him who willed all things that exist, by faith and love toward Jesus Christ our God; to the church that presides in the country of the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in purity, and presiding over love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing the Father's name; which church I also greet in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the Father; to those who in flesh and spirit are united to His every commandment, filled with the grace of God without wavering, and filtered clean of every foreign stain: abundant greetings in Jesus Christ our God, in blamelessness. In answer to my prayer to God I have been granted to see your godly faces, so that I have received even more than I asked; for in chains in Christ Jesus I hope to greet you, if it is God's will that I be counted worthy to reach the end; 2 for the beginning is well ordered, if I reach the goal, so that I may receive my inheritance without hindrance. For I fear your very love, in case it does me harm; for it is easy for you to do what you want, but it is difficult for me to attain to God, unless you spare me.
Ignatius Asks the Romans Not to Intervene
1 For I do not want you to be people-pleasers but to please God, as indeed you do please Him. For I myself will never again have an opportunity like this to attain to God, nor, if you keep silent, can you be credited with any nobler work. For if you keep silent and leave me alone, I am a word of God; but if you desire my flesh, then I will again be a mere cry. 2 [No,] grant me nothing more than to be poured out as a drink offering to God while there is still an altar ready, so that, forming yourselves into a choir in love, you may sing to the Father in Jesus Christ, because God has granted that the bishop from Syria should be found in the West, having summoned him from the East. It is good to set from the world toward God, so that I may rise to Him.
Being Found a Christian
1 You have never envied anyone; you have taught others. And I want the lessons you give as teachers to hold true in my case. 2 Only pray that I may have strength within and without, so that I may not only say it but also want it; that I may not only be called a Christian, but also be found to be one. For if I am found to be one, then I can also be called one, and be faithful then, when I am no longer visible to the world. 3 Nothing visible is good. For our God Jesus Christ, being in the Father, is all the more plainly visible. The Work is not a matter of persuasion, but Christianity is a thing of power, whenever it is hated by the world.
Ignatius Asks to Be Given to the Beasts
1 I am writing to all the churches, and I want everyone to know that I die for God of my own free will, unless you hinder me. I urge you, do not show me a kindness at the wrong time. Let me be given to the wild beasts, for through them I can attain to God. I am God's wheat, and I am being ground by the teeth of wild beasts so that I may be found pure bread [of Christ]. 2 Rather, entice the wild beasts so that they may become my tomb and leave no part of my body behind, so that when I have fallen asleep I may not be a burden to anyone. Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world does not even see my body. Pray to the Lord for me, so that through these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. 3 I do not give you orders, as Peter and Paul did. They were Apostles; I am a convict. They were free, but I am a slave to this very hour. Yet if I suffer, then I am a freed slave of Jesus Christ, and I will rise free in Him. Now I am learning in my chains to put away every desire.
Chained to Ten Leopards on the Road to Rome
1 From Syria all the way to Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, chained among ten leopards, that is, a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are treated kindly. Through their wrongdoing I become more completely a disciple; but I am not justified by this. 2 May I enjoy the beasts that have been prepared for me; and I pray that I may find them ready. In fact, I will entice them to devour me quickly, not as they have done with some, refusing to touch them out of fear. And even if they are unwilling on their own while I am ready, I myself will force them to it. 3 Bear with me. I know what is best for me. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May nothing visible or invisible envy me, so that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Come fire and cross and struggles with wild beasts, [cuttings and manglings,] wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushing of my whole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to attack me. Only let me attain to Jesus Christ.
Ignatius Longs to Imitate the Passion of God
1 The farthest ends of the universe will be of no use to me, nor the kingdoms of this world. It is better for me to die for Jesus Christ than to reign over the farthest ends of the earth. I seek Him who died for us; I desire Him who rose again [for our sake]. The pains of a new birth are upon me. 2 Bear with me, brothers. Do not prevent me from living; do not wish for my death. Do not give the world one who wants to belong to God, or tempt him with material things. Let me receive the pure light. When I have arrived there, then I will be a man. 3 Let me be an imitator of the passion of my God. If anyone has Him within himself, let him understand what I desire, and let him sympathize with me, for he knows the things that hem me in.
The Bread of God
1 The prince of this world wants to tear me to pieces and corrupt my mind toward God. So let none of you who are nearby help him. Rather, stand on my side, that is, on God's side. Do not speak of Jesus Christ and at the same time desire the world. 2 Do not let envy live among you. Even if I myself, when I am with you, should beg you, do not obey me; but rather believe these things that I am writing to you. [For] I write to you while still alive, yet longing for death. My desire has been crucified, and there is no fire of material longing in me, but only water, living and speaking in me, saying within me, Come to the Father. 3 I take no pleasure in perishable food or in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Christ who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is imperishable love.
Ignatius Asks the Romans to Believe Him
1 I no longer want to live in a merely human way; and this will happen if you want it. Want it, so that you yourselves may also be wanted. 2 I am asking you in a short letter; believe me. And Jesus Christ will make these things clear to you, that I speak the truth, Jesus Christ, the unerring mouth through whom the Father has spoken [truly]. 3 Pray for me, that I may attain [through the Holy Spirit]. I do not write to you according to the flesh, but according to the mind of God. If I suffer, it was your wish; if I am rejected, it was your hatred.
Prayer for the Community in Syria
1 Remember in your prayers the church in Syria, which has God as its shepherd in my place. Jesus Christ alone will be its bishop, He and your love. 2 But for my part I am ashamed to be called one of them; for I am not worthy, being the very last of them and an untimely birth. But I have found mercy to be someone, if I attain to God. 3 My spirit greets you, and so does the love of the churches that received me in the name of Jesus Christ, not as a mere passerby; for even those churches that did not lie on my route according to the flesh went ahead of me from city to city.
Final Greetings from Smyrna
1 I am writing these things to you from Smyrna by the hand of the Ephesians, who are worthy of all blessing. And Crocus, a name very dear to me, is also with me, along with many others. 2 As for those who went ahead of me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe you have received instructions about them; let them also know that I am near; for they are all worthy of God and of you, and it is right for you to refresh them in every way. 3 I am writing these things to you on the ninth day before the Kalends of September. Farewell to the end, in patient waiting for Jesus Christ.
Connections in Epistle to the Romans
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Chapter 7 1 connections
No connections match.