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Farewell in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, our common hope, in the Holy Spirit. Farewell. Amen. Grace.

TO THE MAGNESIANS. Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the one blessed in the grace of God the Father in Christ

Jesus our Savior, in whom I greet the church which is in Magnesia on the Maeander, and I pray in God the Father and in Christ Jesus our Lord; in whom may you have abundant joy. Having learned of the great order of your love according to God, I rejoiced and determined to address you in the faith of Jesus Christ. For having been counted worthy of a most divine and longed-for name, in the bonds which I carry about I sing of the churches, in which I pray for a union of the flesh and spirit of Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of all men, but especially of believers, by whose blood you were redeemed, through whom you have known God, or rather have been known by him; in whom, if you endure, you will escape all the insolence of this age. For he is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. Since, therefore, I was counted worthy to see you through Damas your most worthy bishop, and the worthy presbyters of God, Bassus and Apollonius, and my fellow-servant the deacon Zotion, of whom may I have joy, because he is subject to the bishop and the presbytery, by the grace of God in the law of Jesus Christ.

And it is fitting for you not to despise the age of the bishop, but according to the mind of God the Father to show him all reverence, as I know that the holy presbyters also do, not looking to his apparent youthfulness, but to his prudence in God; since it is not the long-lived who are wise, nor the aged who understand discernment, but there is a spirit in mortals. For Daniel the wise, at twelve years of age, became possessed of the divine spirit and convicted the elders, who bore their gray hairs in vain, of being false accusers and lusting after another's beauty. And Samuel, being a small child, rebuked the ninety-year-old Eli for having honored his own sons more than God. Likewise also Jeremiah hears from God: Do not say, 'I am a youth'. And Solomon and Josiah, the one at twelve years of age became king and made that terrible and hard to interpret judgment concerning the women because of the children, and the other at eight years of age began to rule and cast down the altars and the precincts and burned the groves (for they were dedicated to demons, and not to God) and slaughters the false priests as corruptors and deceivers of men, and not as worshippers of divinity. Therefore, youth is not to be despised when it is dedicated to God, but a wicked mind is, even if it has grown old in evil days. The Christ-bearer Timothy was young; but hear what his teacher writes to him: Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct. It is fitting, therefore, for you also to obey your bishop and in no way to oppose him; for it is a fearful thing to oppose such a one, for one does not deceive this one who is seen, but deludes the one who is unseen, who cannot be deluded by anyone. And such a matter has reference not to man, but to God. For to Samuel God says: They have not deluded you, but me. And Moses says: For the murmuring is not against us, but against the Lord God. No one has remained unpunished, having risen up against his betters; for Dathan and Abiram did not oppose the law, but Moses; and they were brought down alive into Hades. And Korah and the two hundred and fifty who agreed with him against Aaron were consumed by fire. Absalom, having become a parricide, was hung on a plant and his evil-counselling heart was pierced with darts. Abeddadan likewise is deprived of his head for a similar reason. Uzziah is struck with leprosy, having presumed against the priests

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ἔρρωσθε ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῇ κοινῇ ἐλπίδι ἡμῶν, ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. ἔρρωσθε. ἀμήν. ἡ χάρις.

ΠΡOΣ MAΓNHΣIOΥΣ. Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, τῇ εὐλογημένῃ ἐν χάριτι θεοῦ πατρὸς ἐν Χριστῷ

Ἰησοῦ τῷ σωτῆρι, ἐν ᾧ ἀσπάζομαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν Mαγνησίᾳ τῇ πρὸς Mαιάνδρῳ, καὶ εὔχομαι ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν· ἐν ᾧ πλεῖστα χαίρειν ὑμᾶς εἴη. Γνοὺς ὑμῶν τὸ πολυεύτακτον τῆς κατὰ θεὸν ἀγάπης, ἀγαλλιώμενος προειλάμην ἐν πίστει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ προσλαλῆσαι ὑμῖν. ἀξιωθεὶς γὰρ ὀνόματος θείου καὶ ποθεινοῦ, ἐν οἷς περιφέρω δεσμοῖς ᾄδω τὰς ἐκκλησίας, ἐν αἷς ἕνωσιν εὔχομαι σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα δὲ πιστῶν, οὗ τῷ αἵματι ἐλυτρώθητε, δι' οὗ ἔγνωτε θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐγνώσθητε· ἐν ᾧ ὑπομένοντες τὴν πᾶσαν ἐπήρειαν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου διαφεύξεσθε. πιστὸς γάρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἠξιώθην ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς διὰ ∆αμᾶ τοῦ ἀξιοθέου ὑμῶν ἐπισκόπου καὶ πρεσβυτέρων θεοῦ ἀξίων Bάσσου καὶ Ἀπολλωνίου καὶ τοῦ συμβιωτοῦ μου διακόνου Zωτίωνος, οὗ ἐγὼ ὀναίμην, ὅτι ὑποτάσσεται τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ, χάριτι θεοῦ ἐν νόμῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Kαὶ ὑμῖν δὲ πρέπει μὴ καταφρονεῖν τῆς ἡλικίας τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ἀλλὰ κατὰ γνώμην θεοῦ πατρὸς πᾶσαν ἐντροπὴν αὐτῷ ἀπονέμειν, καθὼς ἔγνων καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους πρεσβυτέρους οὐ πρὸς τὴν φαινομένην ἀφορῶντας νεότητα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐν θεῷ φρόνησιν· ἐπείπερ οὐχ οἱ πολυχρόνιοί εἰσι σοφοί, οὐδὲ οἱ γέροντες ἐπίστανται σύνεσιν, ἀλλὰ πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν βροτοῖς. ∆ανιὴλ μὲν γὰρ ὁ σοφὸς δωδεκαετὴς γέγονε κάτοχος τῷ θείῳ πνεύματι καὶ τοὺς μάτην τὴν πολιὰν φέροντας πρεσβύτας συκοφάντας καὶ ἐπιθυμητὰς ἀλλοτρίου κάλλους ἀπήλεγξε. Σαμουὴλ δέ, παιδάριον ὢν μικρόν, τὸν ἐνενηκονταετῆ Ἡλεὶ διελέγχει τοῦ θεοῦ προτετιμηκότα τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας. ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἱερεμίας ἀκούει πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ· Mὴ λέγε, ὅτι νεώτερός εἰμι. Σολομὼν δὲ καὶ Ἰωσίας, ὁ μὲν δωδεκαετὴς βασιλεύσας τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην καὶ δυσερμήνευτον ἐπὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶν κρίσιν ἕνεκα τῶν παιδίων ἐποιήσατο, ὁ δὲ ὀκταετὴς ἄρξας τοὺς βωμοὺς καὶ τὰ τεμένη κατερρίπου καὶ τὰ ἄλση κατεπίμπρα (δαίμοσι γὰρ ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐ θεῷ ἀνακείμενα) καὶ τοὺς ψευδιερεῖς κατασφάττει ὡσὰν φθορέας καὶ ἀπατεῶνας ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' οὐ θειότητος λατρευτάς. τοιγαροῦν οὐ τὸ νέον εὐκαταφρόνητον, ὅταν θεῷ ἀνακείμενον ᾖ, ἀλλὰ τὸ τὴν γνώμην μοχθηρόν, κἂν πεπαλαιωμένον ᾖ ἡμερῶν κακῶν. νέος ἦν ὁ χριστοφόρος Tιμόθεος· ἀλλ' ἀκούσατε, οἷα γράφει αὐτῷ ὁ διδάσκαλος· Mηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ τύπος γίνου τῶν πιστῶν ἐν λόγῳ, ἐν ἀναστροφῇ. πρέπον οὖν ἐστιν καὶ ὑμᾶς ὑπακούειν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ὑμῶν καὶ κατὰ μηδὲν αὐτῷ ἀντιλέγειν· φοβερὸν γάρ ἐστι τῷ τοιούτῳ ἀντιλέγειν, οὐ γὰρ τουτονὶ τὸν βλεπόμενον πλανᾷ τις, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀόρατον παραλογίζεται τὸν μὴ δυνάμενον παρά τινος παραλογισθῆναι. τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτο οὐ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς θεὸν ἔχει τὴν ἀναφοράν. τῷ γὰρ Σαμουὴλ λέγει ὁ θεός· Oὐ σὲ παρελογίσαντο, ἀλλ' ἐμέ. καὶ ὁ Mωσῆς φησιν· Oὐ γὰρ καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ γογγυσμός, ἀλλὰ κατὰ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐδεὶς ἔμεινεν ἀτιμώρητος, ἐπαρθεὶς κατὰ τῶν κρειττόνων· οὔτε γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν ἀντεῖπαν, ἀλλὰ Mωσεῖ· καὶ ζῶντες εἰς ᾅδου κατηνέχθησαν. Kορὲ δὲ καὶ οἱ συμφρονήσαντες αὐτῷ κατὰ Ἀαρὼν διακόσιοι πεντήκοντα πυρίφλεκτοι γεγόνασιν. Ἀβεσσαλὼμ πατραλοίας γενόμενος, ἐκκρεμὴς ἐν φυτῷ γέγονεν καὶ ἀκῖσιν ἐβλήθη τὴν κακόβουλον καρδίαν. Ἀβεδδαδὰν ὡσαύτως τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀφαιρεῖται δι' ὁμοίαν αἰτίαν. Ὀζίας λεπροῦται, κατατολμήσας ἱερέων