Early Church · 107

The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35-108 AD)

Seven letters written by Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, as he traveled under guard to his martyrdom in Rome around 107 AD. Each addresses a different congregation or person, urging unity with the bishop, refuting heresies that denied Christ truly suffered in the flesh, and expressing Ignatius's own longing to die for Christ. Written within two generations of the apostles, the letters contain the earliest known use of the phrase 'the Catholic Church' and remain the clearest early witness to episcopal structure as the norm of Christian life.