Ignatius on becoming Christ's bread
“I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.”
Plain English
Ignatius writes while being taken to Rome for execution. He imagines his martyrdom as a final offering that unites him to Christ.
Why it matters
The line shows how early Christians could read suffering through the Eucharist and the passion of Christ.
About Ignatius
Ignatius turned the road to execution into seven letters the church never forgot. As he was being taken to Rome under Trajan, he wrote to churches about Christ's real flesh, the Eucharist, martyrdom, unity, and the bishop as the visible centre of a local church. He is the first writer to use 'Catholic' as a description of the universal church. If later Christians argue about bishops, sacraments, unity, or martyrdom, Ignatius is already in the room.
- Lifespan
- c. 35 – c. 108
- Era
- Apostolic Father
- See
- Antioch
- Region
- Syria
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