Why is Ignatius determined to die?

One reason seems to be that Ignatius saw his martyrdom as a sacrifice being offered to God, one that is in someway linked to the death of Christ on the cross. Therefore, he is able to refer to "be sacrificed to God whilst the altar is still being prepared". Hence, for his readers to intervene in his favour would actually deny him the opportunity to offer this sacrifice.

Another reason is that for Ignatius this was the final test that he had to face. His whole life had been spent facing challenges to his Christian faith, and martyrdom was the final one. In this way he is able to say "Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body." Again, he did not want his readers to deny him the chance to pass this final test and complete his life's mission.

A final explanation would be sociological. It is likely that as a persecuted and oppressed Christian Ignatius had less of a stake in his society and the life that he led, and hence the prospect of death was less frightening.

All these raise the major question. Is my disturbance at reading Ignatius' letter a sign of problems in his Christianity, or my one?

Or maybe a bit of both...

Ignatius writes to the Romans

This is, by Ignatius' own admission, a "brief" letter. What is striking in this letter, more than his clear reference to Jesus as God in the introduction, is his determination to face martyrdom. In fact, his main concern in this letter is to persuade his readers not to try to intervene to save his life, which I found disturbing, to say the least.