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Martyrdom of Ignatius

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Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Unknown

Chapter VI.—Ignatius is devoured by the beasts at Rome.

They pushed forth therefore from the place which is called Portus; and

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

(

the

fame

of

all

relating

to

the

holy

martyr

being

already

spread

abroad

)

we

met

the

brethren

full

of

fear

and

joy

;

rejoicing

indeed

because

they

were

thought

worthy

to

meet

with

Theophorus

,

but

struck

with

fear

because

so

eminent

a

man

was

being

led

to

death

.

Now

he

enjoined

some

to

keep

silence

who

,

in

their

fervent

zeal

,

were

saying

that

they

would

appease

the

people

,

so

that

they

should

not

demand

the

destruction

of

this

just

one

.

He

being

immediately

aware

of

this

through

the

Spirit

,

and

having

saluted

them

all

,

and

begged

of

them

to

show

a

true

affection

towards

him

,

and

having

dwelt

[

on

this

point

]

at

greater

length

than

in

his

Epistle

,

and

having

persuaded

them

not

to

envy

him

hastening

to

the

Lord

,

he

then

,

after

he

had

,

with

all

the

brethren

kneeling

[

beside

him

]

,

entreated

the

Son

of

God

in

behalf

of

the

Churches

,

that

a

stop

might

be

put

to

the

persecution

,

and

that

mutual

love

might

continue

among

the

brethren

,

was

led

with

all

haste

into

the

amphitheatre

.

Then

,

being

immediately

thrown

in

,

according

to

the

command

of

Cæsar

given

some

time

ago

,

the

public

spectacles

being

just

about

to

close

(

for

it

was

then

a

solemn

day

,

as

they

deemed

it

,

being

that

which

is

called

the

thirteenth

in

the

Roman

tongue

,

on

which

the

people

were

wont

to

assemble

in

more

than

ordinary

numbers

)

,

he

was

thus

cast

to

the

wild

beasts

close

beside

the

temple

,

that

so

by

them

the

desire

of

the

holy

martyr

Ignatius

should

be

fulfilled

,

according

to

that

which

is

written

,

“

The

desire

of

the

righteous

is

acceptable

[

to

God

]

,

”

to

the

effect

that

he

might

not

be

troublesome

to

any

of

the

brethren

by

the

gathering

of

his

remains

,

even

as

he

had

in

his

Epistle

expressed

a

wish

beforehand

that

so

his

end

might

be

.

For

only

the

harder

portions

of

his

holy

remains

were

left

,

which

were

conveyed

to

Antioch

and

wrapped

in

linen

,

as

an

inestimable

treasure

left

to

the

holy

Church

by

the

grace

which

was

in

the

martyr

.

Notes

27
[Of which we shall learn more when we come to Hippolytus. Trajan had just improved the work of Claudius at this haven, near Ostia.]
28
Literally, “for the.”
29
Literally, “boiling and saying.”
30
Or, “in spirit.”
31
i.e., in his Epistle to the Romans.
32
The Saturnalia were then celebrated.
33
Literally, “they came together zealously.”
34
The amphitheatre itself was sacred to several of the gods. [But (παρὰ τῷ ναῷ) the original indicates the cella or shrine, in the centre of the amphitheatre where the image of Pluto was exhibited. A plain cross, until the late excavations, marked the very spot.]
35
Prov. x. 24.
36
Or, “deposited.”