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What has been said is also sufficient. But I beseech you, lest I seem to you to be somehow superfluous and ostentatious; for not as teaching you, but as reminding my father in God have I set forth these words; for I know my own measure and do not stretch myself out to such as you. I greet your holy clergy and your Christ-loving people who are shepherded under your care. All the faithful with us greet you, pray for me to be well according to God, blessed shepherd.

TO MARY.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to her who has found mercy in the grace of God the Father most high and of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, to the most faithful, worthy-of-God, Christ-bearing daughter Mary, very many greetings in God. The sight of a person is better than a letter, inasmuch as, being a part of the chorus of the senses, it not only honors the one receiving by what it imparts of friendly things, but also is enriched by what it receives in return, the desire for better things. But, they say, the way of letters is a second harbor, which we have received like a good anchorage from your faith from afar, as though seeing through them the good in you. For the souls of the good, O all-wise woman, are like the purest springs; for those, even if passers-by are not thirsty, by their very appearance draw them to take of the drink, and your understanding warrants us, urging us to partake of the divine streams gushing forth in your soul.

But I, O blessed one, having now become not so much my own as others', am driven by the many judgments of adversaries, sometimes by exile, sometimes by imprisonment, sometimes by bonds. But I am turned aside by none of these things; but in their injustices I am the more made a disciple, that I may attain to Jesus Christ. May I have joy of the terrible things prepared for me, since the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And what was commanded by you through the letter I have gladly fulfilled, doubting in nothing of what you yourself have approved as being good. For I knew that you had made the testimony of the two men by the judgment of God, and not by carnal favor. And very much so were your constant recollections of the scriptural passages, which, having read, I did not doubt about the matter even in thought; for I had not with what eyes to run away from that of which I had from you irrefutable proof. May I be a ransom for you, because you love Jesus the son of the living God; wherefore he himself will also say to you: I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find peace. And it comes to me to say, that the report is true which I heard concerning you, when you were still in Rome with the blessed Pope Anencletus, whom the most blessed Clement has now succeeded, the hearer of Peter and Paul. And now you have added to it a hundredfold, and may you add still more, O you. I greatly desired to come to you, so as to rest with you. But his way is not in man; for the military guard holds back my purpose, not allowing it to come to completion; nor am I able to do or suffer anything in my present state. Therefore, considering a letter the second consolation among friends, I greet your holy soul, exhorting you to add to your zeal; for the present labor is little, but the expected reward is great. Flee from those who deny the passion of Christ and his birth according to the flesh. For there are many now who suffer from this sickness. But to advise you on other matters is foolish, since you are furnished with every good work and word, and are able also to admonish others in Christ. Greet all who, like you, hold fast to their own salvation in Christ. The presbyters and the deacons greet you, and above all the sacred Heron.

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αὐτάρκη καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα. ἀλλά σε ἀντιβολῶ, μή σοί τις περιττὴ εἶναι δόξω καὶ φανητιῶσα· οὐ γὰρ διδάσκουσά σε, ἀλλ' ὑπομιμνήκουσα τὸν ἐμὸν ἐν θεῷ πατέρα τούτους παρεθέμην τοὺς λόγους· γινώσκω γὰρ τὰ ἑαυτῆς μέτρα καὶ οὐ συμπαρεκτείνω ἑαυτὴν τοῖς τηλικούτοις ὑμῖν. ἀσπάζομαί σου τὸν ἅγιον κλῆρον καὶ τὸν φιλόχριστόν σου λαὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν κηδεμονίαν ποιμαινόμενον. πάντες οἱ παρ' ἡμῖν πιστοὶ προσαγορεύουσίν σε, ὑγιαίνειν με κατὰ θεὸν προσεύχου, μακάριε ποιμήν.

ΠΡOΣ MAΡIAN.

Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, τῇ ἠλεημένῃ χάριτι θεοῦ πατρὸς ὑψίστου καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντος πιστοτάτῃ, ἀξιοθέῳ, χριστοφόρῳ θυγατρὶ Mαρίᾳ πλεῖστα ἐν θεῷ χαίρειν. Kρεῖττον μὲν γράμματος ὄψις, ὅσῳπερ μέρος οὖσα τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν αἰσθήσεων οὐ μόνον οἷς μεταδιδοῖ τὰ φιλικὰ τιμᾷ τὸν λαμβάνοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷς ἀντιδέχεται τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς κρείττοσι πόθον πλουτεῖ. πλὴν δεύτερος, φασί, λιμὴν καὶ ὁ τῶν γραμμάτων τρόπος, ὃν ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸν ὅρμον δεδέγμεθα παρὰ τῆς σῆς πίστεως πόρρωθεν, ὥσπερ δι' αὐτῶν ἰδόντες τὸ ἔν σοι καλόν. αἱ γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὦ πάνσοφε γύναι, ψυχαὶ ταῖς καθαρωτέραις ἐοίκασι πηγαῖς· ἐκεῖναί τε γὰρ τοὺς παριόντας, κἂν μὴ διψῶσιν, αὐτῷ τῷ εἴδει ἐφέλκονται αὐτοὺς ἀρύσασθαι τοῦ ποτοῦ, ἥ τε σὴ σύνεσις παρεγγυᾷ μετασχεῖν ἡμᾶς παρακελευομένη τῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου βλυζόντων θείων ναμάτων.

Ἐγὼ δέ, ὦ μακαρία, οὐκ ἐμαυτοῦ νῦν τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἄλλων γενόμενος, ταῖς πολλῶν τῶν ἐναντίων γνώμαις ἐλαύνομαι, τὰ μὲν φυγαῖς, τὰ δὲ φρουραῖς, τὰ δὲ δεσμοῖς. ἀλλ' οὐδενὸς τούτων ἐπιστρέφομαι· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον μαθητεύομαι, ἵνα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτύχω. ὀναίμην τῶν δεινῶν τῶν ἐμοὶ ἡτοιμασμένων, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι εἰς ἡμᾶς. Tὰ δὲ ὑπό σου διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς κελευσθέντα ἀσμένως ἐπλήρωσα, ἐν οὐδενὶ ἀμφιβάλλων, ὧν αὐτὴ καλῶς ἔχειν δεδοκίμακας. ἔγνων γάρ σε κρίσει θεοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τοῖν ἀνδροῖν πεποιῆσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐ χάριτι σαρκικῇ. πάνυ δέ με ἧσαν καὶ αἱ συνεχεῖς σου τῶν γραφικῶν χωρίων μνῆμαι, ἃς ἀναγνοὺς οὐδὲ μέχρις ἐννοίας ἐνεδοίασα περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα· οὐ γὰρ εἶχον τίσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐκδραμεῖν, ὧν εἶχον ἀναντίρρητον ὑπό σου τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. ἀντίψυχόν σου γενοίμην ἐγώ, ὅτι φιλεῖς Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ σοι· Ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ, οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσιν εἰρήνην. Ἐπέρχεται δέ μοι λέγειν, ὅτι ἀληθινὸς ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἤκουον περί σου, ἔτι οὔσης σου ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ παρὰ τῷ μακαρίῳ πάπᾳ Ἀνεγκλήτῳ, ὃν διεδέξατο τὰ νῦν ὁ ἀξιομακάριστος Kλήμης, ὁ Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου ἀκουστής. καὶ νῦν προσέθηκας ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἑκατονταπλασίως, καὶ προσθείης γε ἔτι, ὦ αὕτη. σφόδρα ἐπεθύμουν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὥστε συναναπαύσασθαι ὑμῖν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ· ἐπέχει γάρ μου τὴν πρόθεσιν, οὐ συγχωροῦσα εἰς πέρας ἐλθεῖν ἡ στρατιωτικὴ φρουρά· ἀλλ' οὔτε ἐν οἷς εἰμι δρᾶν τι ἢ παθεῖν οἷός τε ἐγώ. διὸ δεύτερον τῆς ἐν φίλοις παραμυθίας τὸ γράμμα λογιζόμενος κατασπάζομαι τὴν ἱεράν σου ψυχήν, παρακαλῶν προσθεῖναι τῷ τόνῳ· ὁ γὰρ παρὼν πόνος ὀλίγος, ὁ δὲ προσδοκώμενος μισθὸς πολύς. Φεύγετε τοὺς ἀρνουμένους τὸ πάθος Χριστοῦ καὶ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα γέννησιν. πολλοὶ δέ εἰσιν ἄρτι οἱ ταύτην νοσοῦντες τὴν ἀρρωστίαν. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα σοι παραινεῖν εὔηθες, κατηρτισμένῃ μὲν παντὶ ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἀγαθῷ, δυναμένῃ δὲ καὶ ἄλλους νουθετεῖν ἐν Χριστῷ. ἄσπασαι πάντας τοὺς ὁμοίως σοι ἀντεχομένους τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας ἐν Χριστῷ. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ διάκονοι καὶ πρὸ πάντων ὁ ἱερὸς Ἥρων.