IGNATIUS OF
ANTIOCH
The next figure we will examine is
Ignatius of Antioch, circa 50-117 CE (died sometime between 98-117), who served
as the third bishop of Antioch following the apostle Peter and Evodius. The
seven epistles of Ignatius are thought to have been written between 110 and 117
CE, although Russell contends he was martyred in 107. Ignatius entered into a
debate primarily with the Docetists, who argued that Jesus only appeared to be
human, which inspired their name the “illusionists.” This understanding of
Jesus was also part of other groups belonging to the circle of Gnosticism and
later Manichaeism. Ignatius’s argument with Docetism came to light in his
epistle to Smyrna (ca. 107 CE), in which he defended the full incarnation of
Christ. Concerning the figure of the devil, in chapters 8 and 9 of the epistle
to Smyrna, he stresses the issue of obedience to the bishop, saying that
nothing should be conducted in the Church without the bishop (8:1). This
included administering the Eucharist, conducting baptisms, or funeral feasts,
although these sacraments may be conducted by someone who has been granted
authority by the bishop (8:2). Anyone who does any of these acts secretly
without the knowledge of the bishop, “serves the devil” (ch. 9; τω διαβολω
λατρευει|). This suggests that the devil may hold sway
over all who are operating outside of the orthodox liturgical doctrine of the
Church that is upheld by the bishop—that is, the heretics.
In Ignatius’s epistle to the Ephesians
10:3, he suggests the devil has a role in the purity αγνεια) or impurity of an individual and their
self-control (σωφρουνη|). Each person is to be
an imitator of Christ (physically or spiritually, σαρκικως και
πνευματικως) “in order that no
weed of the evil may be found in you” (ινα
μη του
διαβολου βοτανη
τις ευρεθη
εν υμιν). The term βοτανη (weed) may be referring to the Parable of the Tares,
although Greek used in Matthew 13:25-40 is ζιζανια. A second use of the
term του διαβολου is found in his letter to the Trallians 8:1, in which
he warns the people that he “foresees the plots/traps of the devil” (προορων τας
ενεδραη του
διαβολου; this may be an
allusion not the “traps of Belial”). The snares of the devil appears to be such
things as “holding a grudge” or giving opportunity to the pagans through one’s
folly to blaspheme the Lord. In Trallians 9, he goes on to identify the ways in
which the pagans will blaspheme the Lord. He emphasizes the reality of Jesus’s
persecution under Pontius Pilate, “who really was crucified and died,” “who
really was raised from the dead”; all of these were ways in which the Docetists
were denying the humanity of Christ.
The third use of του
διαβολου is found in the
epistle to the Romans 5:3 in a discussion of martyrdom in rather gruesome terms
in which he attributes his torture to the “evil punishments of the devil” (κακαι κολασεις
του διαβολου). This passage seems to attribute significant power
to the devil, but what seems more likely in Ignatius’s thinking is that the
devil was at work behind the senses rather than that this is the devil’s work.
Ignatius is one of the earliest theologians to identity the satan figure with
the “ruler of this age.” He writes in Ephesians 17, “Do not let yourself be
anointed with the foul smell of the teaching of the ruler of this age [του αρχοντος
του αιωνος
τουτου] lest he capture you
and rob you of the life to come.” In his epistle to the Philadelphians 6.1-2,
he uses the phrase “ruler of this age,” in what could be understood as an
anti-Jewish polemic, in a warning not to listen to those who speak of Judaism
without Christ, for this is the deceit and plot of the “ruler of the age.”
The writings of Ignatius suggest that the devil stands as a supernatural
spiritual opponent to the believers in the late first to early second century
CE. The devil does not appear to be a personification of the internal human
struggle with sin and temptation, but rather the devil is a major part of the
etiology of sin and evil in his epistles to the various communities. However,
one cannot rule out completely that the “ruler” represents the human
governments, pagan groups, or Jews who were opposed to Christianity. In
addition, he sees the devil behind the teachings of various heretical groups
with which he is in debate.
(Archie T. Wright, Satan and the
Problem of Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church Fathers [Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 2022], 207-9)
