Ignatius of Antioch

?–108 CE · Rome

Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 107–108 CE) was the bishop of Antioch and one of the earliest and most significant post-apostolic Christian writers. Arrested under the emperor Trajan and condemned to die in the Roman arena, he was escorted across Asia Minor and into Europe by a Roman military guard, during which journey he composed seven authentic letters to churches and to the bishop Polycarp of Smyrna. His letters are foundational documents for the early theology of episcopal authority, the Eucharist, and the unity of the Church, and his embrace of martyrdom made him a model for later Christian hagiography.

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Stop 1 of 670–107Bishop, Arrest

AntiochSyria

What they did here

Ignatius served as bishop of Antioch — tradition counts him the second or third bishop after Peter, succeeding Evodius — until his arrest under Trajan and condemnation to the Roman arena.

Antioch in this era

Under Roman imperial rule as the capital of the province of Syria, this cosmopolitan city — population estimates range widely from around 150,000 to 500,000 — became the first Gentile heartland of the faith, where Acts records that disciples were first called "Christians," and the launch pad for Paul's missionary journeys westward.