Ignatius of Antioch and Early Christian Hymns

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Roman Catholics remember Ignatius of Antioch, the second-century bishop and martyr, on this day. For theologians and historians the letters of Ignatius provide a unique window into the development of Christianity in the early second century. To me, one of the more interesting aspects of his letters is his extensive use of musical imagery and his inclusion of several hymns in his letters. In this regard he continues the practice of the apostle Paul, who regularly utilized the language and content of early Christian worship to support the message of his letters, and to instruct his churches with regard to his understanding of the significance of Jesus (e.g. Phil 2:6-11 and Col 1:15-20). Here is an example of the kind of hymnody represented in Ignatius:

There is one physician,

both fleshly and spiritual

begotten and unbegotten,

come in flesh, God,

in death, true life,

both of Mary and of God,

first passible and then impassible,

Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Ign. Eph. 7:2)

[Translation from William R. Schoedel, Ignatius of Antioch: A Commentary on the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch (Hermeneia; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985), 59.]

With its emphasis on paradoxical aspects of the incarnation, this particular hymn emphasizes both the human and divine foci of early christological reflection. It is likely that Ignatius was using this kind of language to counter the emerging threat of docetism, which held that Jesus only appeared to suffer and die as a human, but was really always and only fully divine. As is readily apparent, these kinds of early hymnic compositions move beyond those of the New Testament in terms of their philosophical and theological sophistication. Whether Ignatius composed it himself as a “quasi-creedal statement” (Schoedel) or is quoting an already known hymn, compositions like this show one way that theological reflection serves to meet the needs and challenges of a new generation: through adaptation in the language and content of worship.

For further discussion of the hymns in Ignatius, see my analysis in Teaching through Song in Antiquity: Didactic Hymnody among Greeks, Romans, Jews and Christians (WUNT 2.302; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011), pp. 353-358. Portions of the volume can be viewed on Google books.