Saint Ignatius was bishop of Antioch when he was sentenced to death in the arena of Trajan. For some reason instead of being executed in his home town of Antioch he was escorted to Rome, in chains, by a company of 10 Roman soldiers.
The ship taking him to Rome hugged the coast and Saint Ignatius, in chains, was received with honour by Christians at each port of call.
He wrote 7 letters on his route to Rome to various committees containing instructions on marriage and theology. It is from these letters, which still exist,
that we know what happened to him. Saint Polycarp befriended Saint Ignatius and collected the letters together and sent them to the church of Philippi.
At some point a single Latin version , based on the original text, was made in England in the 13th century.
Saint Ignatius fate was that he was eaten, by lions, in the Colosseum in Rome.
He was probably alive during Jesus’ life time. There was a tradition in the early church that when he was a boy sat at the feet of Jesus. Whoso shall receive one such a little child in my name receiveth me
Saint Ignatius is considered to be one of the three most important Apostolic Fathers.
Sources used
The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander
wikipedia
Britannica Online Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia of Saints Howard Loxton*
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