07 — Martyrdom and Discipleship
Ignatius’s theology of martyrdom — the “wheat of God” ground by the beasts into the pure bread of Christ, and the longing to be “an imitator of the passion of my God.” For Ignatius martyrdom is not defeat but the completion of discipleship: only in dying for Christ does one become truly His disciple and “attain unto God.”
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Apostolic Father)
No theme in the letters is more startling than Ignatius’s plea to the Roman Christians not to rescue him from death. “I am God’s wheat,” he writes, “and I am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ” (Romans 4). This section sets out his martyr-theology and his conviction that conformity to the Passion — “let me be an imitator of the passion of my God” (Romans 6.3) — is the goal of the Christian life, while presenting even-handedly the modern unease about his eagerness for death.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| Wheat of God | “I am God’s wheat… ground by the teeth of the wild beasts” (Rom. 4.1); the plea not to be rescued (Rom. 4–5); “now I begin to be a disciple” (Rom. 5.3); “attaining to God” as the goal; the eucharistic resonance; the modern debate over Ignatius’s “enthusiasm” for death, presented even-handedly. |
| Imitation of the Passion | “Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God” (Rom. 6.3) and the theopaschite phrase “the passion of my God”; discipleship completed in martyrdom (Rom. 4.2); “my love has been crucified” (Rom. 7.2) and the disputed reading; “I am a convict” (Rom. 4); martyrdom as the icon of theosis-through-the-Cross. |
See Also
- The Letter to the Romans — the letter that carries the martyrdom theology
- Eucharistic Realism — the wheat-bread-flesh imagery shared with the Eucharist
- Against Docetism — why a real Passion makes the martyr’s death meaningful
- Theosis — deification through conformity to the Cross
References
- Lightfoot, J. B. The Apostolic Fathers, Part II: S. Ignatius, S. Polycarp. 2 vols. London: Macmillan, 1885.
- Schoedel, William R. Ignatius of Antioch: A Commentary on the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch. Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.
- Moss, Candida R. The Other Christs: Imitating Jesus in Ancient Christian Ideologies of Martyrdom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.