Epistle to the Romans

Letter from Ignatius to the Romans

Ignatius, also says Theophore, to the Church who received mercy through the magnificence of the Most High Father and of Jesus Christ her only Son, the Church beloved and enlightened by the will of him who willed all that exists, according to faith and love for Jesus Christ our God; the Church who presides in the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy to be called blessed, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of purity, who presides over charity, who bears the law of Christ, who bears the name of the Father; I greet her in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of the Father; to the brothers who, in flesh and spirit, are united to all his commandments, unshakably filled with the grace of God, purified of all foreign coloring, I wish them in Jesus Christ our God all blameless joy.

I, 1. By my prayers I obtained from God to see your holy faces, for I had insisted on receiving this favor; for, chained in Christ Jesus, I hope to greet you, if at least it is the will of God that I be found worthy to go to the end. 2. For the beginning is easy; if at least I obtain the grace of receiving without hindrance the part reserved for me. But I fear your charity will do me harm. Because for you it is easy to do what you want, but for me it is difficult to reach God, if you do not spare me.

II, 1. For I do not want you to please men, but you to please God, as, in fact, you please Him. For me, I will never have such an opportunity to reach God, and you, if you keep silent, you cannot subscribe to a better work. If you keep silent about me, I will belong to God; but if you like my flesh, I will have to run again. 2. Give me nothing more than to be offered as a libation to God, while the altar is still ready, so that, united in chorus in charity, you may sing to the Father in Christ Jesus, because God has deigned to cause the Bishop of Syria to be found in him, having sent for him from sunrise to sunset. It is good to lie down to God far from the world, to rise up in him.

III, 1. You have never envied anyone, you have taught others. I want what you command others through your lessons to keep its strength. 2. Ask for me only the inner and outer strength, so that not only I speak, but that I want, so that not only one says to me Christian, but that I am found in fact. If I am in fact, I will be able to call myself such, and be a true believer, when I will no longer be visible to the world. 3. Nothing that is visible is good. For our God, Jesus Christ, being in his Father, makes himself seen more. For Christianity is not a work of persuasion, but a work of power, when it is hated by the world.

IV, 1. I write to all the Churches, and I tell everyone that it is with a good heart that I am going to die for God, if at least you do not prevent yourself from me. I beg you, do not show an untimely kindness to me. Let me be the food of the beasts, by which it will be possible for me to find God. I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of beasts, to be found pure bread of Christ. 2. Rather flatter the beasts, so that they are my tomb, and that they leave nothing of my body, so that, in my last sleep, I am not dependent on anyone. It is then that I will be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world will no longer even see my body. Implore Christ for me, so that, through the instrument of the beasts, I may be a victim offered to God. I do not give you orders like Peter and Paul: they were free, and I until now a slave. But if I suffer, I will be freed from Jesus Christ and I will be reborn in him, free. Now in chains, I am learning not to desire anything.

V, 1. From Syria to Rome, I fight against beasts, on land and sea, night and day, chained to ten leopards, that is to say to a detachment of soldiers; when we do them good, they become worse. But, by their mistreatment, I become more of a disciple, but "I am not therefore justified". 2. May I enjoy the beasts that are prepared for me. I wish they were prompt for me. And I will flatter them, so that they devour me promptly, not like some of whom they were afraid, and which they did not touch. And, if through ill will they refuse, I will force them. 3. Forgive me; what I need, I know it. It is now that I begin to be a disciple. May nothing, visible and invisible beings, prevent me by jealousy, from finding Christ. Fire and cross, herds of beasts, lacerations, tearing, dislocation of bones, mutilation of limbs, grinding of the whole body, may the worst plagues of the devil fall on me, provided only that I find Jesus Christ.

VI, 1. Nothing will be useful to me of the charms of the world nor of the kingdoms of this century. It is good for me to die to unite with Christ Jesus, more than to reign over the ends of the earth. He's the one I'm looking for, who died for us; he whom I want, who rose for us. My childbirth is approaching, 2. Forgive me, brothers; don't stop me from living, don't want me to die. Whoever wants to belong to God, do not hand him over to the world, do not seduce him with matter. Let me receive the pure light; when I get there, I'll be a man. 3. Allow me to be an imitator of my God's passion. If anyone has God in them, let them understand what I want, and have compassion on me, knowing what is hugging me.

VII, 1. The prince of this world wants to tear me away, and corrupt the feelings I have for God. Let no one therefore among you who are there help him; rather be for me, that is to say for God. Don't go talk about Jesus Christ and want the world. 2. Let jealousy not dwell in you. And if, when I am near you, I implore you, do not believe me. Rather believe what I am writing to you. It is very much alive that I am writing to you, wishing to die. My earthly desire was crucified, and there is no longer any fire in me to love matter, but in me a "living water" which murmurs and which says within me: "Come to the Father". 3. I no longer enjoy corrupt food or the pleasures of this life; it is the bread of God that I want, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, of the offspring of David, and for drink I want his blood, which is incorruptible love.

VIII, 1. I no longer want to live according to men. It will be, if you will. Please, so that you too will obtain the goodwill of God. 2. I ask you in a few words: believe me, Jesus Christ will show you that I am telling the truth, he is the mouth without lies through which the Father has spoken in truth. 3. Ask for me to get it. It is not according to the flesh that I am writing to you, but according to the mind of God. If I suffer, you will have shown me kindness; if I'm sidelined, hate.

IX, 1. Remember in your prayers the Church of Syria, which, in my place, has God as its pastor. Only Jesus Christ will be her bishop, and your charity. 2. For myself, I blush to be numbered among them, for I am not worthy, being the last of them, and a runt. But I got the mercy of being somebody, if I get God. 3. My spirit greets you, and the charity of the Churches who received me, in the name of Jesus Christ, not as a simple passerby. And the very ones that were not on my path according to the flesh were going to meet me from town to town.

X, 1. I am writing this to you from Smyrna through Ephesians worthy of being called blessed. There is also with me, along with many others, Crocus, whose name is so dear to me. 2. As for those who came before me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe you know them now: let them know that I am near. All are worthy of God and of you, and you should give them relief in all things. 3. I am writing this to you on the ninth before the calends of September. Be well until the end while waiting for Jesus Christ.