Posted by Luke J. Wilson on 13th March 2017 in Lent | Lent,great lent,fasting,early church fathers,devotional,daily reading,ignatius,ignatius to Polycarp,martyrdom
Day Eleven: St.
ignatius of Antioch: Letter to Polycarp (full text)
Who:
ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that
ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16
What: A letter addressed personally to Polycarp giving him advice and encouragement as a bishop, plus some instructions on marriage to the church, which are reminiscent of Paul’s epistles.
Why:
ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Colosseum around 108 AD.
Wh...