The Divine Lamp

These brief notes on Chapter 1 of the letter originally appeared on another site of mine

Greeting:

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestined before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ and his undefiled grace.

Theophorus means “one who bears God.” The saint elsewhere uses the term to denote faithful Christians.

According to Acts 19:10 St Paul spent two years in Ephesus, which was in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). A letter to that church is found in the Pauline corpus, but the ancient manuscripts suggest that his letter was not addressed to Ephesus or to any one church but was more “encyclical” in nature. Some of the language in the greeting of Ignatius possibly reflects the letter of Paul.
Chapter 1: In Praise of the Ephesians.

I have become acquainted with your name, much beloved in God, which ye have acquired by the habit of righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring yourselves up by the blood of God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work the work which was beseeming to you. For, on hearing that I came bound form Syria for the common name and hope, through your prayers to be permitted to fight the beasts at Rome, that so by martyrdom I may indeed become the disciple of Him “who gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, (Eph 5:2) ye hastened to see me. I received, therefore, your whole multitude in the name of God, through Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love, and your bishop in the flesh, whom I pray you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be like him. And blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop.

Theophorus: A name the saint may have taken for himself upon his baptism. Given the fact that he says “who is called Theophorus” it is more likely that others gave him this name. The name can be understood either in an active or a passive sense. If the former, it means “one who carries God about;” If the latter, it means, “one who is carried by God.” In as much as Ignatius was a bishop whose task it was to bring God to the world, I tend to think that the first, active designation is correct. Also, St Ignatius saw the Bishops as sent by God through Christ and therefore, ultimately, representing God to the Church and the world. Consider this passage from latter in the letter:

For a fact, if I in a short time became so warmly attached to your
bishop–an attachment based not on human grounds but on spiritual–how much
more do I count you happy who are as closely knit to him as the Church is
to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father! As a result, the
symphony of unity is perfect. Let no one deceive himself: unless a man is
within the sanctuary, he has to go without the Bread of God. Assuredly, if
the prayer of one or two has such efficacy, how much more that of the
bishop and the entire Church! It follows, then: he who absents himself from
the common meeting, by that very fact shows pride and becomes a sectarian;
for the Scripture says: God resists the proud. Let us take care, therefore,
not to oppose the bishop, that we may be submissive to God.
Furthermore: the more anyone observes that a bishop is discreetly
silent, the more he should stand in fear of him. Obviously, anyone whom the
Master of the household puts in charge of His domestic affairs, ought to be
received by us in the same spirit as He who has charged him with this duty.
Plainly, then, one should look upon the bishop as upon the Lord Himself.

Ephesus: The Christians of Ephesus were closely associated with St Paul and St John.

deservedly most happy: What follows gives the reasons why they are so deserving of happiness; 1) they ave been blessed in the fulness and greatness of God the father; 2)predestined before the beginning of time; 3) that they should abide for and enduring and unchanging glory; 4) and be united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God.

Fulness: Refers to the abundant blessings of God’s salvific bounty which come through Jesus Christ (see John 1:16; Eph 1:22-23)

Predestined: Neither in the NT or in Ignatius is this word ever used of individuals in a Calvinist sense. The word refers to the eternal, salvific plan of God, the purpose of which is that those who accept the faith should, as St Ignatius puts it “abide for an enduring and unchageable glory.”

being united and elected through the true passion: unity and the truth of the passion are strongly emphasized by the saint in opposition to heretics and schismatic; we will see this repeatedly as we work our way through his letters.

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