St. Ignatius of Antioch on Obeying the Bishop, by Regis Martin

By Regis Martin, Crisis Magazine, Oct. 14, 2023

Regis Martin is Professor of Theology and Faculty Associate with the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He earned a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. …

[Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a multi-part series on St. Ignatius of Antioch]

St. Ignatius of Antioch sounds the great theme of unity, especially around the person of the bishop, the visible sign of God’s presence and power in this world.

There is one very striking feature about the letters of St. Ignatius, which, like a thread running through the entire correspondence, stitches everything together. And that is the sense of solidarity, both profound and heartfelt, expressed by those who, at no little risk to themselves, have come to see him along the way, whether to offer comfort and encouragement to a condemned prisoner, or to receive counsel and instruction from a holy and prophetic man of God.

This is certainly the case with the Letter to the Ephesians, the first of four sent from Smyrna, a city on the coast of Asia Minor, to which a number of delegates have come to see him. Among these are two important figures, one of whom is the bishop himself, a shy and retiring fellow (we are told) called Onesimus, who is there to represent the Church of Ephesus in its unity and love. The other is a deacon named Burrhus, who will later accompany Ignatius as far as Troas, acting along the way as his secretary. …

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