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Authorship, date, and setting
Ignatius, a bishop associated with the church in Syria, addresses Roman Christians while being taken there as a prisoner. At the end he places the writing in Smyrna and mentions Ephesian companions. The letter belongs to the group of seven attributed to Ignatius in the ancient collection known to Eusebius. The journey's exact date is debated; tradition places it early in the second century. His particular request is that the recipients refrain from intervening to prevent his death in the arena.
Structure of this edition's ten chapters
The greeting and chapters 1–3 join gratitude for a possible meeting to fear of Roman intervention. In 4–7 the prisoner develops the images of wheat ground by beasts, hardship on the journey, and longing to reach Christ. Chapters 8–10 repeat the request, ask for prayer for the church in Syria, and give the place of writing and final greetings. Other editions divide the letter into seven chapters; the numbers here follow the ten units in the site's file.
Themes and key passages
In 1–2, Roman affection might, in Ignatius's view, frustrate the end he desires. Chapter 3 distinguishes the name Christian from conduct that warrants it. The wheat image in 4 gives physical form to the expected martyrdom; his mention of Peter and Paul acknowledges that he does not speak with apostolic authority. The journey under guards, likened to beasts in 5, anticipates the actual beasts. In 7, food and thirst point toward Christ and life with the Father.
Summary by parts
1–3: Ignatius hopes to see the Roman community but asks it to remain silent about his sentence. He wants prayers for strength inside and out, so that his resolve is more than speech.
4–7: He pictures his body consumed by animals as wheat made into bread, describes mistreatment by his escort, and prefers death for Christ to the kingdoms of the world. Images of light, food, and living water express his desire for God.
8–10: The letter returns to the appeal that the Romans accept his choice. Ignatius commends the Syrian church to their prayers and closes from Smyrna, referring to the Ephesians who accompanied him.
Reception and transmission
Eusebius lists the letter to the Romans among seven letters of Ignatius known in the fourth century. Later transmission includes expanded and abbreviated forms of Ignatian letters; a reader must therefore check an edition's division and wording before comparing passages. The site's text has ten chapters, and this study does not impose the numbering of New Advent's seven-chapter translation upon it.
Sources
- Inácio de Antioquia; tradução de Roberts e Donaldson, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans (1885).
- John Francis Fenlon, St. Ignatius of Antioch (1910).