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The kingdoms of this age are nothing to me, nor are the kingdoms of this world. It is good for me to die for Christ Jesus, than to reign over the ends of the earth. Him I seek, who died for us; Him I desire, who rose for us. My birth is at hand. Bear with me, brethren; do not hinder me from living, do not wish me to die. Do not grant him who wishes to be of God to the world, nor deceive him with matter. Permit me to receive pure light; when I arrive there, I shall be a man. Allow me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If anyone has Him in himself, let him understand what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, knowing what constrains me. The prince of this age wishes to snatch me away and to corrupt my purpose which is toward God. Therefore let none of you who are present help him; rather be on my side, that is, on God's. Do not speak of Jesus Christ, and yet desire the world. Let not envy dwell in you. Not even if I, when I am with you, exhort you, should you obey me; but rather obey these things which I write to you. For I am writing to you while I am alive, yet longing to die. My love has been crucified, and there is not in me a fire that loves matter; but a living water speaking in me, saying from within me: Come to the Father. I take no pleasure in the food of corruption nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, "of the seed of David," and for drink I desire His blood, which is incorruptible love. I no longer wish to live according to men. And this will be, if you are willing. Be willing, that you also may be found willing. In a few words I ask you; believe me. But Jesus Christ will make these things plain to you, that I speak truly; the unerring mouth, in which the Father has spoken truly. Ask concerning me, that I may attain. I have not written to you according to the flesh, but according to the mind of God. If I suffer, you have wished it; if I am rejected, you have hated me. Remember in your prayer the church in Syria, which has God for its shepherd in my place. Jesus Christ alone will be its bishop, and your love. But I am ashamed to be counted among them; for I am not worthy, being the last of them and an untimely birth, but I have been granted mercy to be someone, if I attain to God. My spirit greets you, and the love of the churches that received me in the name of Jesus Christ, not as a passer-by. For even those that were not on my road according to the flesh, went before me from city to city. I write these things to you from Smyrna through the most blessed Ephesians. There is also with me, along with many others, Crocus, a name dear to me. Concerning those who have gone before me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe you have information; tell them also that I am near. For they are all worthy of God and of you; whom it is fitting for you to refresh in all things. I have written these things to you on the ninth day before the Kalends of September. Farewell to the end in the patience of Jesus Christ.

IGNATIUS TO THE PHILADELPHIANS

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the church of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ which is in Philadelphia of Asia, which has found mercy and is established in the concord of God and rejoices in the passion of our Lord without wavering and is fully assured in His resurrection in all mercy: which I greet in the blood of Jesus Christ, which is eternal and abiding joy, especially if they are at one with the bishop and the presbyters and deacons with him, appointed in the mind of Jesus Christ, whom according to His own will He has established in security by His Holy Spirit. Which bishop I have come to know has not obtained the ministry which pertains to the common good from himself nor through men, nor out of vainglory, but in the love of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; whose gentleness I am amazed at, who in his silence is more powerful than those who speak vain things. For he is in harmony with the commandments as a harp with its strings. Therefore

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κόσμου οὐδὲν αἱ βασιλεῖαι τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Kαλόν μοι ἀποθανεῖν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἢ βασιλεύειν τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς. Ἐκεῖνον ζητῶ, τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντα· ἐκεῖνον θέλω, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀναστάντα. Ὁ δὲ τοκετός μοι ἐπίκειται. Σύγγνωτέ μοι, ἀδελφοί· μὴ ἐμποδίσητέ μοι ζῆσαι, μὴ θελήσητέ με ἀποθανεῖν· τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ θέλοντα εἶναι κόσμῳ μὴ χαρίσησθε μηδὲ ὕλῃ ἐξαπατήσητε· ἄφετέ με καθαρὸν φῶς λαβεῖν· ἐκεῖ παραγενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἔσομαι.Ἐπιτρέψατέ μοι μιμητὴν εἶναι τοῦ πάθους τοῦ θεοῦ μου. Eἴ τις αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχει, νοησάτω ὃ θέλω, καὶ συμπαθείτω μοι, εἰδὼς τὰ συνέχοντά με. Ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου διαρπάσαι με βούλεται καὶ τὴν εἰς θεόν μου γνώμην διαφθεῖραι. Mηδεὶς οὖν τῶν παρόντων ὑμῶν βοηθείτω αὐτῷ· μᾶλλον ἐμοῦ γίνεσθε, τουτέστιν τοῦ θεοῦ. Mὴ λαλεῖτε Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, κόσμον δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖτε. Bασκανία ἐν ὑμῖν μὴ κατοικείτω. Mηδ' ἂν ἐγὼ παρὼν παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, πείσθητέ μοι· τούτοις δὲ μᾶλλον πείσθητε, οἷς γράφω ὑμῖν. Zῶν γὰρ γράφω ὑμῖν, ἐρῶν τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν. Ὁ ἐμὸς ἔρως ἐσταύρωται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοὶ πῦρ φιλόϋλον· ὕδωρ δὲ ζῶν καὶ λαλοῦν ἐν ἐμοί, ἔσωθέν μοι λέγον· ∆εῦρο πρὸς τὸν πατέρα. Oὐχ ἥδομαι τροφῇ φθορᾶς οὐδὲ ἡδοναῖς τοῦ βίου τούτου. Ἄρτον θεοῦ θέλω, ὅ ἐστιν σὰρξ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, «τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυίδ», καὶ πόμα θέλω τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγάπη ἄφθαρτος. Oὐκέτι θέλω κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ζῆν. Tοῦτο δὲ ἔσται, ἐὰν ὑμεῖς θελήσατε. Θελήσητε, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς θεληθῆτε. ∆ι' ὀλίγων γραμμάτων αἰτοῦμαι ὑμᾶς· πιστεύσατέ μοι· Ἰησοῦς δὲ Χριστὸς ὑμῖν ταῦτα φανερώσει ὅτι ἀληθῶς λέγω· τὸ ἀψευδὲς στόμα, ἐν ᾧ ὁ πατὴρ ἐλάλησεν ἀληθῶς. Aἰτήσασθε περὶ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα ἐπιτύχω. Oὐ κατὰ σάρκα ὑμῖν ἔγραψα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ γνώμην θεοῦ. Ἐὰν πάθω, ἠθελήσατε· ἐὰν ἀποδοκιμασθῶ, ἐμισήσατε. Mνημονεύετε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ὑμῶν τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐκκλησίας, ἥτις ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ ποιμένι τῷ θεῷ χρῆται. Mόνος αὐτὴν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐπισκοπήσει καὶ ἡ ὑμῶν ἀγάπη. Ἐγὼ δὲ αἰσχύνομαι ἐξ αὐτῶν λέγεσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄξιός εἰμι, ὢν ἔσχατος αὐτῶν καὶ ἔκτρωμα ἀλλ' ἠλέημαί τις εἶναι, ἐὰν θεοῦ ἐπιτύχω. Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς τὸ ἐμὸν πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τῶν δεξαμένων με εἰς ὄνομα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐχ ὡς παροδεύοντα. Kαὶ γὰρ αἱ μὴ προσήκουσαί μοι τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ κατὰ σάρκα, κατὰ πόλιν με προῆγον. Γράφω δὲ ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἀπὸ Σμύρνης δι' Ἐφεσίων τῶν ἀξιομακαρίστων. Ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἅμα ἐμοὶ σὺν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς καὶ Kρόκος, τὸ ποθητόν μοι ὄνομα. Περὶ τῶν προελθόντων με ἀπὸ Συρίας εἰς Ῥώμην εἰς δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ πιστεύω ὑμᾶς ἐπεγνωκέναι, οἷς καὶ δηλώσατε ἐγγύς με ὄντα. Πάντες γάρ εἰσιν ἄξιοι τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν· οὓς πρέπον ὑμῖν ἐστὶν κατὰ πάντα ἀναπαῦσαι. γραψα δὲ ὑμῖν ταῦτα τῇ πρὸ ἐννέα καλανδῶν Σεπτεμβρίων. Ἔρρωσθε εἰς τέλος ἐν ὑπομονῇ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

ΦIΛA∆EΛΦEΥΣIN IΓNATIOΣ

Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, ἐκκλησίᾳ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Φιλαδελφίᾳ τῆς Ἀσίας, ἐλεημένῃ καὶ ἡδρασμένῃ ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀγαλλιωμένῃ ἐν τῷ πάθει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ἀδιακρίτως καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ πεπληροφορημένῃ ἐν παντὶ ἐλέει, ἣν ἀσπάζομαι ἐν αἵματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶν χαρὰ αἰώνιος καὶ παράμονος, μάλιστα ἐὰν ἐν ἑνὶ ὦσιν σὺν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ἀποδεδειγμένοις ἐν γνώμῃ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὓς κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα ἐστήριξεν ἐν βεβαιωσύνῃ τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ πνεύματι. Ὃν ἐπίσκοπον ἔγνων οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπων κεκτῆσθαι τὴν διακονίαν τὴν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀνήκουσαν οὐδὲ κατὰ κενοδοξίαν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀγάπῃ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὗ καταπέπληγμαι τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ὃς σιγῶν πλείονα δύναται τῶν μάταια λαλούντων. Συνευρύθμισται γὰρ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ὡς χορδαῖς κιθάρα. ∆ιὸ