Michelle Johnson | June 11, 2020
The bookshelves in my office are filling, the piles of books on my desk and in my tablet are growing and my book wish list is bulging with newly added titles. None of this is overly unusual for a doctoral student. What is a bit unusual for my library, is the topic common to all of these resources – early church history. I have discovered a black hole in my knowledge of church history in general. Having grown up in the church, I wouldn’t have always said this was the case. If asked about church history I would have quickly taken my audience back to the very beginning – Genesis. I would have started with creation and the fall of man. Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David would have followed, along with the prophets before and during the exile. Then the incarnation – when God became flesh in the person of Jesus – as told in the Gospels. The essentials of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus would have been followed by a discussion of His ascension to Heaven and the mission trips of the Apostles as they spread the news of Jesus. I would have then taken you across the planet to America and told you that in the latter part of the 1800s two different churches were founded. It was in these two churches that I trace my family’s faith history.
Here in lies the black hole for me…what happened to the 1700+ years between the Apostles’ journeys as recorded in the New Testament and the far more recent history of the two churches through which I trace my lineage? There are a few possible explanations. First, it is entirely possible I wasn’t paying attention when this was taught. Second, it is possible it simply wasn’t taught. Third, maybe it was a combination of the two. Whatever the explanation, true church history starts with the birth of the church as recorded in the New Testament book of Acts, which means my account of history barely addressed any of it.
Does church history even matter? The answer is YES! It matters for a number of reasons. The years following the mission trips of Paul, Peter, Barnabas and the others are filled with debates, discussions, writings and church council decisions that have hammered out the nuances of our faith. Those that lived during these years stood against heresies, faced persecution and toiled at great length to protect, understand, explain and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, a black hole exists, where does one start to fill in the gaps? I would like to introduce you to Ignatius of Antioch, one of the early people in church history.
Ignatius of Antioch is frequently referred to as one of the Apostolic Church Fathers. The Apostolic Church Fathers were those who were thought to have had a personal connection with one of the Apostles of Jesus. One who would have been taught by one who learned from Jesus, Himself. In the case of Ignatius, it is thought possible he studied under the Apostle John. It is generally agreed upon that Ignatius lived from AD 30 – AD 106. Scholars differ slightly regarding the date of his death.
Ignatius was also known as the Bishop of Antioch, the leader of the church located there. The city of Antioch is mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts (Acts 11:19, 20, 22, 26) and is the first-place followers of Jesus were called “Christians”. Today, the ruins of Antioch are located near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey, inland from the Mediterranean Sea and north of Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
There are fifteen documents that in some way identify themselves with Ignatius. Scholars generally agree seven of those fifteen are genuine letters written by Ignatius, himself. These seven letters were penned by a church leader who had been condemned to death by the Roman government. While it is undocumented as to the exact charge against Ignatius that warranted a death sentence, some believe it was simply his confession to be a follower of Jesus that got him into trouble with the Emperor. Ignatius was taken from Antioch on a journey that ended in an arena facing hungry beasts.
Ignatius, leader and shepherd of the church in Antioch was forced to leave his city knowing his death was imminent. There were two stops along the way which offered an opportunity for Ignatius to write final words to churches in the area. While it is impossible to know what he was thinking, it seems reasonable to assume, he felt compelled to share the essentials with his audience. The encouragement, warnings and instructions that would outlast his earthly life.
Those who had taken Ignatius into custody had begun their travels west to Rome and Smyrna is the city from which Ignatius sent out his first four letters. Smyrna is modern day Izmir, Turkey – a city located on the east coast of the Aegean Sea. It was during this stop Ignatius wrote to the churches in Ephesus, Magnesia and Tralles – churches that were in relatively close proximity to Smyrna. He also penned a letter to send ahead to the church in Rome. The contents of the letters to Ephesus, Magnesia and Tralles are relatively similar. Ignatius is concerned to encourage these churches to live according to the Gospel. They should be gentle, humble and faithful to reflect the character of Jesus. He stresses the importance of unity among them and with their bishop. This unity is demonstrated through respect for the position of the bishop, awareness there were events that should not happen without the bishop present and an effort to be of one mind with the bishop who was leading the church.
Ignatius is consistent in warning the churches of the danger of Docetism and Judaizers. Docetism holds perspectives that were contrary to what scripture taught. Docetists claimed Jesus’ humanity was only imaginary. They believed God could not suffer, so if Jesus was really God then for Him to suffer was impossible, calling into question the humanity of Jesus. This is in distinct contradiction to what scripture teaches, Jesus is both a descendant of David and the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4). The Judaizers were Gentiles who preached a message that claimed one needed to follow Jewish customs such as food laws and circumcision. Ignatius warned the churches against both groups and their contortion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ignatius’ letter to the church at Rome was penned for a different purpose. Rome was Ignatius’ final destination. The location where he would meet his final moments at the jaws of beasts. The letter to Rome asks the believers there to pray for him. He pleads with them not to try to circumvent his martyrdom in any way. His desire is to imitate Jesus and many of the Apostle’s before him in death. He expresses an understanding in the letter to the Romans of life eternal with God following one’s earthly death. He asks for their prayers that he would be worthy of finishing well as a martyr for Jesus.
Ignatius and his captors travelled further north along the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea to the town of Troas. It is from Troas that Ignatius writes his final three letters. Two of these letters are sent to churches. The church of Philadelphia and the church back at Smyrna, from where he had sent the first four letters. The content of these letters is similar to the others. Ignatius is concerned to tell them about the importance of unity and warn them of the dangers of false teaching such as Docetism and that of the Judaizers. Upon arriving in Troas, it appears Ignatius has received word that persecution in his home city of Antioch has subsided. He asks these two churches to send representatives to rejoice and celebrate with them.
The final letter from Ignatius is written to the Bishop at Smyrna – Polycarp. This is a personal letter encouraging another in the ministry to keep going. Ignatius offers some counsel to pass along to church members at Smyrna. He also asks Polycarp to be in touch with Antioch as well. He closes this letter with word that the Emperor has determined they should resume their journey and he has not had the chance to write to all the churches he had wanted. Polycarp, will you take care of this for me? A final and last request from Ignatius as he closes his last letter.
While there is relatively little left from Ignatius’ own hand, what we do have is rich in information about the church in the first and early second century and one of its leaders. He lets the reader into what was important to him at the end of his earthly ministry. Ignatius’ letters generally circle around the topics of church unity, commitment to their leadership, and warnings of false teaching. We are afforded a glimpse into his heart as a disciple of Jesus to follow and imitate his Savior even unto death all the while standing on the promise of eternal life with God. It seems appropriate to classify the contents of his letters as ‘the essentials’. These were the essential things a church leader wanted to communicate to the churches around him as he was journeying toward his death. Ignatius is not the only Apostolic Church Father to be studied when trying to piece together early church history, but his letters provide a good first step to filling in some of the holes that might exist in one’s knowledge and understanding of church’s early days.
Sources and resources:
https://ccel.org/ccel/ignatius_antioch/epistles_of_ignatius/anf01.v.i.html
Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Carlisle, Cumbria, U.K: Baker Academic; Paternoster Press, 2001.
Ferguson, Everett. Church History: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context. Second edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
Quasten, Johannes. Patrology: The Beginnings of Patristic Literature. Westminster, Md: Christian Classics, 1992.
About the Author
Michelle Johnson earned her M.A. in Theological Studies and her M.Div. in Professional Ministries at Liberty University, where she is also working on her Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics. Michelle is also a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She and her husband Steve live in Mankato, Minnesota, where she also serves in women’s ministry. In addition to a love of theology, apologetics and church history, Michelle also has a passion for creationism studies. When she is not spending time reading or writing, Michelle can often be found dreaming of her next travel adventure or enjoying a great cup of coffee.
