9

accuser, and: Declare your sins first, that you may be justified, and: When you have done all that was commanded you, say, "We are unworthy servants;" for that which is exalted among men is an abomination before God; for "God," he says, "be merciful to me a sinner." For this reason those great men Abraham and Job called themselves earth and ashes before God. And David: Who am I before you, Lord, that you have glorified me to this extent? And Moses, the meekest of all men, says to God: I am of a feeble voice and a slow tongue. Therefore, be of a humble mind, you also, that you may be exalted; for he who humbles himself will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled. Be eager, therefore, to be confirmed in the doctrines of the Lord and of the apostles, so that all things, whatsoever you do, may prosper in flesh and in spirit, in faith and in love, with your most worthy bishop and the worthily woven and spiritual crown of your presbytery and the deacons who are according to God. Be subject to the bishop and to one another, as Christ to the Father, that there may be a unity according to God among you. Knowing that you are full of all goodness, I have briefly exhorted you in the love of Jesus Christ. Remember me in your prayers, that I may attain to God, and the church in Syria, of which I am not worthy to be called bishop. For I have need of your united prayer and love in God, that the church in Syria may be deemed worthy through your good order to be shepherded in Christ. 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 all things along with Polycarp. And the other churches in honor of Jesus Christ also greet you. Farewell in harmony, possessing an undivided spirit in Christ Jesus through the will of God.

TO THE TRALLIANS. Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the holy church beloved by God the Father and Jesus

Christ, which is in Tralles, elect and worthy of God, having peace in the flesh and spirit of Jesus Christ, our hope, in the passion through the cross and death and resurrection, which I also greet in the fullness in the apostolic character and wish abundant joy.I have known that you have a blameless and unfeigned mind in patience, not by use, but by possession, as Polybius, your bishop, has declared to me, who came by the will of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ His Son with the cooperation of the Spirit to Smyrna and so congratulated me, a prisoner in Christ Jesus, that I beheld the whole multitude of you in him. Having received, therefore, your godly goodwill through him, I gave glory, finding you to be imitators of Jesus Christ the Savior. Be subject to the bishop as to the Lord; for he watches over your souls as one who will give an account to God. Wherefore also you appear to me to be living not according to man, but according to Jesus Christ who died for us, that by believing in His death you might, through baptism, become partakers of His resurrection. It is therefore necessary that, as you do, you should do nothing without the bishop, but be subject also to the presbytery as to the apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope, in whom if we live we shall be found in Him. And the deacons, being ministers of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, must be pleasing in every way; for they are not deacons of food and drink, but servants of the church of God; it is necessary, therefore, for them to guard against accusations as against a burning fire. Therefore, let them be such men.

And you, revere them as Christ Jesus, whose place they guard; just as the bishop is a type of the Father of all, and the presbyters as

9

κατήγορος, καί· Λέγε σὺ πρῶτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς, καί· Ὅταν ποιήσητε πάντα τὰ διατεταγμένα ὑμῖν, λέγετε, ὅτι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν ἀχρεῖοι· ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν βδέλυγμα παρὰ θεῷ· ὁ θεὸς γάρ, φησίν, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μεγάλοι ἐκεῖνοι Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰὼβ γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ ἑαυτοὺς ἴσον ὠνόμαζον. καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· Tίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ἐναντίον σοῦ, κύριε, ὅτι ἐδόξασάς με ἕως τούτου; καὶ Mωσῆς, ὁ παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους πραότατος, λέγει πρὸς θεόν· Ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ βραδύγλωσσός εἰμι ἐγώ. ταπεινοφρονεῖτε οὖν καὶ αὐτοί, ἵνα ὑψωθῆτε· ὁ ταπεινῶν γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται. Σπουδάσατε οὖν βεβαιωθῆναι ἐν τοῖς δόγμασιν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἵνα πάντα, ὅσα ποιεῖτε, κατευοδωθήσεται σαρκί τε καὶ πνεύματι, πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ, μετὰ τοῦ ἀξιοπρεπεστάτου ἐπισκόπου ὑμῶν καὶ ἀξιοπλόκου καὶ πνευματικοῦ στεφάνου τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν κατὰ θεὸν διακόνων. ὑποτάγητε τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ ἀλλήλοις, ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς τῷ πατρί, ἵνα ἕνωσις ᾖ κατὰ θεὸν ἐν ὑμῖν. Eἰδὼς ὑμᾶς πεπληρωμένους παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, συντόμως παρεκάλεσα ὑμᾶς ἐν ἀγάπῃ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. μνημονεύετέ μου ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὑμῶν, ἵνα θεοῦ ἐπιτύχω, καὶ τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐκκλησίας, ἧς οὐκ ἄξιός εἰμι καλεῖσθαι ἐπίσκοπος. ἐπιδέομαι γὰρ τῆς ἡνωμένης ὑμῶν ἐν θεῷ προσευχῆς καὶ ἀγάπης, εἰς τὸ ἀξιωθῆναι τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐκκλησίαν διὰ τῆς εὐταξίας ὑμῶν ποιμανθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς Ἐφέσιοι ἀπὸ Σμύρνης, ὅθεν καὶ γράφω ὑμῖν, παρόντες εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ὥσπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἳ κατὰ πάντα με ἀνεπαύσατε ἅμα Πολυκάρπῳ. καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ δὲ ἐκκλησίαι ἐν τιμῇ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς. ἔρρωσθε ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ, πνεῦμα κεκτημένοι ἀδιάκριτον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ.

ΠΡOΣ TΡAΛΛIANOΥΣ. Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, τῇ ἠγαπημένῃ παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Ἰησοῦ

Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἁγίᾳ, τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Tράλλεσιν, ἐκλεκτῇ καὶ ἀξιοθέῳ, εἰρηνευούσῃ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ πνεύματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν, ἐν πάθει τῷ διὰ σταυροῦ καὶ θανάτου καὶ ἀναστάσει, ἣν καὶ ἀσπάζομαι ἐν τῷ πληρώματι ἐν ἀποστολικῷ χαρακτῆρι καὶ εὔχομαι πλεῖστα χαίρειν.Ἄμωμον διάνοιαν καὶ ἀνυπόκριτον ἐν ὑπομονῇ ἔγνων ὑμᾶς ἔχοντας, οὐ κατὰ χρῆσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ κτῆσιν, καθὼς ἐδήλωσέν μοι Πολύβιος, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὑμῶν, ὃς παρεγένετο θελήματι θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ συνεργείᾳ πνεύματος ἐν Σμύρνῃ καὶ οὕτως μοι συνεχάρη δεδεμένῳ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὥστε με τὸ πᾶν πλῆθος ὑμῶν ἐν αὐτῷ θεωρῆσαι. ἀποδεξάμενος οὖν τὴν κατὰ θεὸν ὑμῶν εὔνοιαν δι' αὐτοῦ ἔδοξα, εὑρὼν ὑμᾶς μιμητὰς ὄντας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος. Tῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ὑποτάσσεσθε ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀγρυπνεῖ ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσων θεῷ. διὸ καὶ φαίνεσθέ μοι οὐ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ζῶντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀποθανόντα, ἵνα πιστεύοντες εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος κοινωνοὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ γένησθε. ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἐστιν, ὅσαπερ ποιεῖτε, ἄνευ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν πράττειν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὑποτάσσεσθαι καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ὡς ἀποστόλοις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾧ διάγοντες ἐν αὐτῷ εὑρεθησόμεθα. δεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς διακόνους ὄντας μυστηρίων Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀρέσκειν· οὐ γὰρ βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν εἰσι διάκονοι, ἀλλ' ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ ὑπηρέται· δέον οὖν αὐτοὺς τὰ ἐγκλήματα φυλάττεσθαι ὡς πῦρ φλέγον. αὐτοὶ μὲν οὖν ἔστωσαν τοιοῦτοι.

Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐντρέπεσθε αὐτοὺς ὡς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, οὗ φύλακές εἰσιν τοῦ τόπου· ὡς καὶ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων τύπος ὑπάρχει, οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι ὡς