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and I am ashamed to be called one of them; for I am not worthy, being the last of them and an untimely birth. But I have been shown mercy to be someone, if I may attain to God. My spirit greets you, and the love of the churches that received me in the name of Jesus Christ, not as one just passing through; for even those that were not on my route sent me forward city by city. I am writing these things to you from Smyrna through the most blessed Ephesians. With me, along with many others, is Crocus, a name much longed for. Concerning those who have gone before me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe you have been informed; to whom you will also make known that I am near. For they are all worthy of God and of you; whom it is fitting for you to refresh in every way. I have written these things to you on the ninth day before the Kalends of September. Fare well to the end in the patience of Jesus Christ.

TO THE PHILADELPHIANS. Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the church of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

which is in Philadelphia, shown mercy in love and established in the concord of God and rejoicing in the passion of our Lord Jesus without wavering and 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 appointed in the will of God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His own will firmly established His church upon the rock, a spiritual building, not made with hands, which the surging winds and rivers were not strong enough to overthrow, nor may the spiritual forces of wickedness ever prevail, but may they be weakened by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. Having seen your bishop, I learned that not from himself nor through men was he entrusted with the ministry which pertains to the common good, nor out of vainglory, but in the love of Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead; whose gentleness I am amazed at, who in his silence has more power than those who speak more. For he is in harmony with the commandments of the Lord and His ordinances, as strings to a lyre, and he is blameless, no less than Zechariah the priest. Therefore my soul blesses his mind, which is toward God, recognizing it to be virtuous and perfect, his steadfastness and his freedom from anger in all the gentleness of the living God.As children, therefore, of the light of truth, flee the division of unity and the evil teachings of the heretics, from whom defilement has gone out into all the earth. But where the shepherd is, there follow as sheep; for many wolves clothed in sheepskins with evil pleasure take captive those who run the race of God; but in your unity they will have no place. Abstain, therefore, from the evil weeds, which Jesus Christ does not cultivate, but the man-slaying beast, because they are not the Father's planting, but the seed of the evil one. Not that I found division among you, do I write these things, but I am forewarning you as children of God. For as many as are of Christ, these are with the bishop; but as many as turn away from him and embrace communion with the accursed, these will be cut off with them. For they are not Christ's husbandry, but the enemy's sowing. From which may you always be delivered by the prayers of your presiding shepherd, who is most faithful and most gentle. I exhort you, therefore, in the Lord: as many as come in repentance to the unity of the church, receive them with all gentleness, so that through kindness and forbearance, having come to their senses from the devil's snare, having become worthy of Jesus Christ, they may attain eternal salvation in the kingdom of Christ. Brothers, do not be deceived. If anyone follows one who creates a schism from the truth, he will not inherit the kingdom of God; and if anyone does not stand aloof from a false-speaking preacher, into Gehenna

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καὶ αἰσχύνομαι ἐξ αὐτῶν λέγεσθαι· οὐ γάρ εἰμι ἄξιος, 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· καὶ γὰρ αἱ μὴ προσήκουσαί μοι τῇ ὁδῷ κατὰ πόλιν με προήγαγον. Γράφω δὲ ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἀπὸ Σμύρνης διὰ Ἐφεσίων τῶν ἀξιομακαρίστων. ἔστι δὲ ἅμα ἐμοὶ σὺν πολλοῖς καὶ ἄλλοις Kρόκος, τὸ ποθητὸν ὄνομα. περὶ τῶν προσελθόντων ἀπὸ Συρίας εἰς Ῥώμην εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πιστεύω ὑμᾶς ἐπεγνωκέναι· οἷς καὶ δηλώσετε ἐγγύς με ὄντα· πάντες γάρ εἰσιν ἄξιοι θεοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν· οὓς πρέπον ἐστὶν ὑμῖν κατὰ πάντα ἀναπαῦσαι. ἔγραψα δὲ ὑμῖν ταῦτα τῇ πρὸ ἐννέα καλανδῶν Σεπτεμβρίων. ἔρρωσθε εἰς τέλος ἐν ὑπομονῇ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

ΠΡOΣ ΦIΛA∆EΛΦEIΣ. Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, ἐκκλησίᾳ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,

τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Φιλαδελφίᾳ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἠλεημένῃ καὶ ἡδρασμένῃ ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀγαλλομένῃ ἐν τῷ πάθει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ 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 ὦσι σὺν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ἀποδεδειγμένοις ἐν θελήματι θεοῦ πατρὸς διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον βούλημα ἐστήριξεν αὐτοῦ βεβαίως τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπὶ τῇ πέτρᾳ, οἰκοδομῇ πνευματικῇ, ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ᾗ συγκλύσαντες οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν αὐτὴν ἀνατρέψαι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἰσχύσειάν ποτε τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐξασθενήσειαν δυνάμει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. Θεασάμενος ὑμῶν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἔγνων, ὅτι οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπων ἠξιώθη τὴν διακονίαν τὴν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀνήκουσαν ἐγχειρισθῆναι οὐδὲ κατὰ κενοδοξίαν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀγάπῃ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρός, τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν· οὖ καταπέπληγμαι τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ὃς σιγῶν πλέον δύναται τῶν πλέον λαλούντων. συνήρμοσται γὰρ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς κυρίου καὶ τοῖς δικαιώμασιν, ὡς χορδαὶ τῇ κιθάρᾳ, καὶ ἔστιν ἄμεμπτος οὐχ ἧττον Zαχαρίου τοῦ ἱερέως. διὸ μακαρίζει μου ἡ ψυχὴ τὴν εἰς θεὸν αὐτοῦ γνώμην, ἐπιγνοὺς ἐνάρετον καὶ τελείαν οὖσαν, τὸ ἀκίνητον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀόργητον ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιεικείᾳ θεοῦ ζῶντος.Ὡς τέκνα οὖν φωτὸς ἀληθείας φεύγετε τὸν μερισμὸν τῆς ἑνότητος καὶ τὰς κακοδιδασκαλίας τῶν αἱρεσιωτῶν, ἐξ ὧν μολυσμὸς ἐξῆλθεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. ὅπου δὲ ὁ ποιμήν ἐστιν, ἐκεῖ ὡς πρόβατα ἀκολουθεῖτε· πολλοὶ γὰρ λύκοι κωδίοις ἠμφιεσμένοι ἡδονῇ κακῇ αἰχμαλωτίζουσι τοὺς θεοδρόμους· ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἑνότητι ὑμῶν οὐχ ἕξουσι τόπον. Ἀπέχεσθε οὖν τῶν κακῶν βοτανῶν, ἅστινας Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς οὐ γεωργεῖ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνθρωποκτόνος θήρ, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτοὺς φυτείαν πατρός, ἀλλὰ σπέρμα τοῦ πονηροῦ. οὐχ ὅτι παρ' ὑμῖν μερισμὸν εὗρον, ταῦτα γράφω, ἀλλὰ προασφαλίζομαι ὑμᾶς ὡς τέκνα θεοῦ. ὅσοι γὰρ Χριστοῦ εἰσιν, οὗτοι μετὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου εἰσίν· ὅσοι δ' ἂν ἐκκλίνωσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν ἀσπάσωνται μετὰ τῶν κατηραμένων, οὗτοι σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐκκοπήσονται· οὐ γάρ εἰσιν γεώργιον Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐχθροῦ σπορά· οὗ ·υσθείητε πάντοτε εὐχαῖς τοῦ προκαθεζομένου ὑμῶν ποιμένος, τοῦ πιστοτάτου καὶ πραοτάτου. παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ· ὅσοι ἂν μετανοήσαντες ἔλθωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, προσδέχεσθε αὐτοὺς μετὰ πάσης πραότητος, ἵνα διὰ τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ἀνανήψαντες ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος, ἄξιοι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γενόμενοι, σωτηρίας αἰωνίου τύχωσιν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἀδελφοί, μὴ πλανᾶσθε· εἰ τις σχίζοντι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκολουθεῖ, βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσει· καὶ εἴ τις οὐκ ἀφίσταται τοῦ ψευδολόγου κήρυκος, εἰς γέενναν