Ignatius' concluding theology...

Ignatius ends his letter with another rant at false teachers, who will end up in everlasting fire, (chapter 17) and their false doctrine which is described as a false odour (chapter 18). In comparison to this we have Jesus Christ, who is presented as the knowledge of God.

As is suitable for such an admirer of Paul, Ignatius then proceeds to glory in the cross of Christ, which is a source of salvation and eternal life. His brief summary of the life of Jesus ends with the enigmatic statement that Jesus, through his passion, purified the waters of his baptism.

Chapter 20 then lists 3 mysteries which Ignatius believes were hidden from Satan but now revealed: the virginity of Mary, her son, and the cross of Christ.

Ignatius exhorts

In chapter 10 Ignatius exhorts his readers to pray for all men, especially those who hate them. For those with interest in spiritual warfare it is worth pointing out that he sees this as an important step in breaking the work of the evil one.

Whilst in chapter 11 he exhorts towards fear of God in the light of living in the last days, in chapter 12 Ignatius, seeing himself as someone condemned, praises the Ephesians and expresses his admiration for Paul.

Chapter 13 returns to the theme of spiritual warfare, with an emphasis on peace, unity and worship in the church being means whereby "the powers of Satan are destroyed." Chapter 14 takes the theme of unity further, emphasising the importance of faith and love for "no man making a profession of faith sinneth, nor does he who possesses love hate anyone."

Chapter 16 stresses the value of silence, and the importance of teachers acting and not just speaking.

Warning on false teachers

In chapters 7-9 Ignatius proceeds to warn his readers of the danger of false teachers. In fact, Ignatius praises the church in Ephesus for its strength in matters of doctrine, and for the way it has already not suffered false teachers. Ignatius actually goes as far as to say that he feels himself to be inferior to the church in Ephesus.

There is little indication, yet, of what the nature of the false teaching Ignatius is concerned with is. However, through his stress on the human and the divine natures of Christ one senses that his concern is Christological.

Unity under a bishop

In chapters 3-6 we see Ignatius stressing the unity of the church. What is significant is that he links the unity of the church under the leadership of its bishop to the union of the church with Jesus and the union of Jesus with the Father. Thus to break the unity of the church becomes a serious offence, for one is in essence breaking oneself away from the unity that the church has with Jesus.

Ignatius: Epistle to the Ephesians

In the first letter I am reading, Ignatius begins by praising the Ephesians for their sympathy towards Ignatius as he faces martyrdom. Special praise is reserved for the bishop, Onesimus, and for a deacon, Burrhus.

What is interesting is the way in which Ig. sees his imminent death as in someway being linked to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.