Ignatius of Antioch (35 - 107 A.D.) was one of the earliest prominent Christians recorded in Christian literature outside of the Bible. He was Bishop of Antioch at the beginning of the 2nd Century. On his way to execution in Rome, he wrote seven letters to the churches and a personal letter to Polycarp of Smyrna urging unity in the church under the bishops and stressing both the humanity and the deity of Christ. He also talks about the Eucharist and expresses his lack of fear in being martyred. Origen records that he was indeed, martyred.
His letters were quoted extensively by the early Church Fathers. Later efforts to question their authenticity was introduced, but due to the scholarly work of James Ussher and J.B. Lightfoot, they are now accepted as genuine.[1]
References
- ↑ Who’s Who in Christianity, Lavinia Coh-Sherbok, 1998