IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, bishop, martyr, St. (?-ca. 115). The second or third bishop of Antioch, Ignatius is venerated for his martyrdom at Rome (qq.v.). On the way from Antioch to his martyrdom, he left a corpus of seven letters written to churches in Asia Minor (q.v.), to Philippi in Greece, and to Rome. These epistles constitute one of the most important witnesses to post-apostolic Christianity, and follow the genre of seven epistles to seven churches, found in Rev and elsewhere. Ignatius stresses the importance of the bishop, the centrality of the Eucharist, and a Christology (qq.v.) that insists on the reality of the eternal Word come in the flesh. The three items are linked and their point of intersection is the sacrament (q.v.). Christ on the altar in the bread and wine is truly present, and this presence confirms both the reality of his flesh and blood and, indirectly, the importance of the bishop who presides at the altar.