The Enigma of Ignatius of Antioch
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10091180 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Allen Brent (0000-0002-4254-2786, Bridge University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 429-456 |
| Publication date | 2006-06-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Ecclesiastical History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0469 • E-ISSN: 1469-7637 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022046906007354 |
| OpenAlex | W2013330938 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
If we affirm against recent criticism the authenticity of the Middle Recension of the Ignatian letters, we are nevertheless left with the enigma of Ignatius' relations with Polycarp. This paper explains that enigma in terms of two distinct cultural worlds of early second-century Christianity that come together in the meeting of these two church leaders. Ignatius was the first great missionary bishop who reinterpreted church order, the eucharist and martyrdom against the backcloth of the Second Sophistic in Asia Minor, with its pagan processions, cult and embassies that celebrated the social order of the Greek city state in relation to imperial power. Much of Ignatius' iconography was alien to Polycarp, though the latter was finally to canonise both him and his writings by focusing on his impressively enacted refutation of Docetism through his portrayal of his forthcoming martyrdom
Ancient history · Art · Art history · Christianity · Criticism · Cult · Early Christianity · Eucharist · Iconography · Literature · Order (exchange · Power (physics · Relation (database · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · History · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |