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that the church in Syria may be refreshed through your church. The Ephesians from Smyrna greet you, from where I also write to you, being present for the glory of God, just as you are, who have refreshed me in every way, along with Polycarp, bishop of the Smyrnaeans. And the other churches in honor of Jesus Christ greet you. Farewell in the concord of God, possessing an undivided spirit, which is Jesus Christ.

TO THE TRALLIANS, IGNATIUS

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the holy church in Tralles of Asia, beloved by God, the Father of Jesus Christ, elect and worthy of God, enjoying peace in flesh and spirit through the passion of Jesus Christ, our hope in the resurrection unto him; which I also greet in the fullness in the apostolic manner and wish abundant joy. I have known that you have a blameless and undivided mind in patience, not by use, but by nature, as was made clear to me by Polybius, your bishop, who came by the will of God and Jesus Christ to Smyrna and so congratulated me, a prisoner in Christ Jesus, that in him I beheld your whole multitude. Having received, therefore, your godly goodwill through him, I gave glory, finding you to be, as I knew, imitators of God. For when you are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, you seem to me to live not according to man, but according to Jesus Christ who died for us, so that by believing in his death you may escape dying.

It is necessary, therefore, as you do, to do nothing without the bishop, but to be subject also to the presbytery, as to the apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope, in whom living we shall be found. It is necessary also for the deacons, being of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, to be pleasing to all in every way. For they are not deacons of food and drink, but servants of the church of God. Therefore, they must guard against accusations as against fire. Likewise, let all respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, as also the bishop who is a type of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God and as the college of apostles; without these, it is not called a church.Concerning which I am persuaded that you so hold.For I have received the sample of your love, and have it with me in your bishop, whose very demeanor is a great lesson, and his meekness is power; whom I reckon even the godless respect. Loving you I spare you, though I could write more sternly on this matter. I did not think myself competent for this, that being a convict I should command you as an apostle. I have many thoughts in God, but I measure myself, lest I perish in boasting. For now I must be more afraid and not pay attention to those who puff me up.

For those who speak to me scourge me. For I love to suffer, but I do not know if I am worthy. For zeal is not apparent to many, but it wars against me the more. I need meekness, therefore, by which the prince of this age is brought to nothing. Am I not able to write to you of heavenly things? But I fear lest I should cause harm to you, being babes; and forgive me, lest not being able to receive them you should be choked. For even I, not because I am in bonds and can understand heavenly things and the angelic locations and the arrangements of the principalities, 'things visible and invisible', am I on that account already a disciple. For many things are lacking to us, that we may not be lacking of God. I exhort you therefore, not I, but the love of Jesus Christ: use only Christian food, and abstain from foreign pasture, which is heresy. They who artfully mix Jesus Christ with themselves, while gaining credit, like those who give a deadly drug with honeyed wine, which he who is ignorant gladly takes, in an evil pleasure to his death. Beware, therefore, of such men. And this will be for you if you are not puffed up and are

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τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐκκλησίαν διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑμῶν δροσισθῆναι. Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς Ἐφέσιοι ἀπὸ Σμύρνης, ὅθεν καὶ γράφω ὑμῖν, παρόντες εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ὥσπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἳ κατὰ πάντα με ἀνέπαυσαν ἅμα Πολυκάρπῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Σμυρναίων. Kαὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ δὲ ἐκκλησίαι ἐν τιμῇ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς. Ἔρρωσθε ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ θεοῦ κεκτημένοι ἀδιάκριτον πνεῦμα, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός.

TΡAΛΛIANOIΣ IΓNATIOΣ

Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, ἠγαπημένῃ θεῷ, πατρὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐκκλησίᾳ ἁγίᾳ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Tράλλεσιν τῆς Ἀσίας, ἐκλεκτῇ καὶ ἀξιοθέῳ, εἰρηνευούσῃ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ πνεύματι τῷ πάθει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναστάσει· ἣν καὶ ἀσπάζομαι ἐν τῷ πληρώματι ἐν ἀποστολικῷ χαρακτῆρι καὶ εὔχομαι πλεῖστα χαίρειν. Ἄμωμον διάνοιαν καὶ ἀδιάκριτον ἐν ὑπομονῇ ἔγνων ὑμᾶς ἔχοντας οὐ κατὰ χρῆσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν, καθὼς ἐδήλωσέν μοι Πολύβιος, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὑμῶν, ὃς παρεγένετο θελήματι θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν Σμύρνῃ καὶ οὕτως μοι συνεχάρη δεδεμένῳ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὥστε με τὸ πᾶν πλῆθος ὑμῶν ἐν αὐτῷ θεωρεῖσθαι. Ἀποδεξάμενος οὖν τὴν κατὰ θεὸν εὔνοιαν δι' αὐτοῦ ἐδόξασα, εὑρὼν ὑμᾶς, ὡς ἔγνων, μιμητὰς ὄντας θεοῦ. Ὅταν γὰρ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ὑποτάσσησθε ὡς Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, φαίνεσθέ μοι οὐ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ζῶντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀποθανόντα, ἵνα πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ἐκφύγητε.

Ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἐστίν, ὥσπερ ποιεῖτε, ἄνευ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν πράσσειν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὑποτάσσεσθαι καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾧ διάγοντες εὑρεθησόμεθα. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς διακόνους ὄντας μυστηρίων Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον πᾶσιν ἀρέσκειν. Oὐ γὰρ βρωμάτων καὶ ποτῶν εἰσιν διάκονοι, ἀλλ' ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ ὑπηρέται. ∆έον οὖν αὐτοὺς φυλάσσεσθαι τὰ ἐγκλήματα ὡς πῦρ. Ὁμοίως πάντες ἐντρεπέσθωσαν τοὺς διακόνους ὡς Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ὄντα τύπον τοῦ πατρός, τοὺς δὲ πρεσβυτέρους ὡς συνέδριον θεοῦ καὶ ὡς σύνδεσμον ἀποστόλων· χωρὶς τούτων ἐκκλησία οὐ καλεῖται.Περὶ ὧν πέπεισμαι ὑμᾶς οὕτως ἔχειν.Tὸ γὰρ ἐξεμπλάριον τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν ἔλαβον καὶ ἔχω μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ὑμῶν, οὗ αὐτὸ τὸ κατάστημα μεγάλη μαθητεία, ἡ δὲ πραότης αὐτοῦ δύναμις· ὃν λογίζομαι καὶ τοὺς ἀθέους ἐντρέπεσθαι. Ἀγαπῶν ὑμᾶς φείδομαι, συντονώτερον δυνάμενος γράφειν ὑπὲρ τούτου. Oὐκ εἰς τοῦτο ᾠήθην, ἵνα ὢν κατάκριτος ὡς ἀπόστολος ὑμῖν διατάσσωμαι. Πολλὰ φρονῶ ἐν θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτὸν μετρῶ, ἵνα μὴ ἐν καυχήσει ἀπόλωμαι. Nῦν γάρ με δεῖ πλέον φοβεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ προσέχειν τοῖς φυσιοῦσίν με.

Oἱ γὰρ λέγοντές μοι μαστιγοῦσίν με. Ἀγαπῶ μὲν γὰρ τὸ παθεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδα εἰ ἄξιός εἰμι. Tὸ γὰρ ζῆλος πολλοῖς μὲν οὐ φαίνεται, ἐμὲ δὲ πλέον πολεμεῖ. Χρῄζω οὖν πραότητος, ἐν ᾗ καταλύεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Mὴ οὐ δύναμαι ὑμῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια γράψαι; Ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι μὴ νηπίοις οὖσιν ὑμῖν βλάβην παραθῶ· καὶ συγγνωμονεῖτέ μοι, μήποτε οὐ δυνηθέντες χωρῆσαι στραγγαλωθῆτε· Kαὶ γὰρ ἐγώ, οὐ καθότι δέδεμαι καὶ δύναμαι νοεῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ τὰς τοποθεσίας τὰς ἀγγελικὰς καὶ τὰς συστάσεις τὰς ἀρχοντικάς, «ὁρατά τε καὶ ἀόρατα», παρὰ τοῦτο ἤδη καὶ μαθητής εἰμι. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν λείπει, ἵνα θεοῦ μὴ λειπώμεθα. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, οὐκ ἐγώ, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀγάπη Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· μόνῃ τῇ χριστιανῇ τροφῇ χρῆσθε, ἀλλοτρίας δὲ βοτάνης ἀπέχεσθε, ἥτις ἐστὶν αἵρεσις. Oἳ ἑαυτοῖς παρεμπλέκουσιν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καταξιοπιστευόμενοι, ὥσπερ θανάσιμον φάρμακον διδόντες μετὰ οἰνομέλιτος, ὅπερ ὁ ἀγνοῶν ἡδέως λαμβάνει ἐν ἡδονῇ κακῇ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν. Φυλάττεσθε οὖν τοὺς τοιούτους. Tοῦτο δὲ ἔσται ὑμῖν μὴ φυσιουμένοις καὶ οὖσιν